Who was Lydia Shum? Google Doodle honors late comedian known for her films on social inequality

Born on July 21, 1945, Lydia Shum Din-ha was a beloved comedian, singer, and actress from Hong Kong

PUBLISHED JUL 21, 2022

Google honored late comedian Lydia Shum on what would have been her 77th birthday (@princejoyce/Instagram and Google Doodle/Twitter)

Every month, Google recognizes an influential historical figure from a variety of fields by updating the search homepage with a special Google Doodle. On July 21, 2022, Google honored one of Hong Kong’s most beloved comedians, the late Lydia Shum, to mark what would have been her 77th birthday.

The Shanghai-born actress, also known by the nicknames "Happy Fruit" and "Fei Fei" (which is Cantonese for "Fat Fat"), is well-known in Chinese communities all over the world for spreading joy and laughter via her performances.

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Today’s #GoogleDoodle honors the legacy of Lydia Sum, one of Hong Kong’s most beloved comedians.

Learn how her films and TV shows often used comedy to provide powerful social commentary on inequality → https://t.co/x7OC0cPrix pic.twitter.com/l8cIoTG8SH
— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) July 20, 2022

Who was Lydia Shum?

Lydia Shum Din-ha was born on July 21, 1945. She started her career as an adolescent actor at the Shaw Brothers Studio, the biggest production business in Hong Kong at that time. She had her breakthrough in 1967 as the host of the well-liked variety show 'Enjoy Yourself Tonight'. She then played a prominent role in the well-known Cantonese movie titled 'The House of 72 Tenants' which centered on the daily lives of people who dwell in a dilapidated flat. Theatergoers responded favorably to Shum's accurate depiction of working-class women. The movie outperformed blockbuster movies and won the 1973 box office championship in Hong Kong.

Shum later appeared as a similar character in the four-part hit comedy called 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World' which was about a poor family seeking financial success. The iconic movie series continues to spark debate in the media even today as it offers a potent critique of societal inequity. Aside from Hong Kong, Shum also appeared in the English-language Singaporean sitcom 'Living with Lydia', for which she won the 2003 Asian Television Award for Best Comedy Performance.

Who was Lydia Shum's husband?

After being together for 11 years, Shum married actor and singer Adam Cheng Siu-chow in January 1985. In 1987, Shum and Siu-chow had a daughter who they named Joyce Cheng. Eight months after the birth of their daughter in 1988, the couple got divorced. Joyce is a Canadian singer, writer, and actor who played the role of Snow White at Hong Kong Disneyland. In a performance by the Lai Fa Palace at the 2008 Po Leung Kuk Charity Gala, Joyce took on a role that had previously been played by her mother. For the first Mother's Day, after her mother passed in 2008, Joyce also participated in several charitable events.

Shum was afflicted with several diseases, including cholangitis, diabetes, and hypertension, among other severe chronic diseases. In 2002, she had surgery to remove 36 gallstones. And in September 2006, it was discovered that she had a liver tumor and cancer near her gallbladder. She underwent chemotherapy and several rounds of kidney dialysis treatment. Shum passed away on February 19, 2008, aged 62, after her family decided to withdraw her life support following a pleural effusion.