Wang Renmei

 

The record-breaking film "Song of the Fisherman" established Wang Renmei as a household name, and her bold screen persona gained her the nickname Wild Cat. [Photo by Xinhua]

Wang Renmei was born into a scholarly family in 1914. At the age of 13, she joined the Bright Moon Troupe. The record-breaking film "Song of the Fisherman" established Wang as a household name, and her bold screen persona gained her the nickname Wild Cat. In the film, she played a character quite similar to herself in many ways. Her outgoing and bold personality was a hit with movie-goers. After her marriage to Jin Yan, also a famous film actor, her career went downhill. Her company would not renew the contract, claiming that as a married woman she could not be as popular. The pressures of the marriage also played a part in her professional decline. In 1985, Wang Renmei's memoir "My Rise to Fame and Unhappiness" about her life in the Shanghai film industry during the 1930s was published. She died after falling into a vegetative state in 1987 at age 73.