‘Little Hero’ Yen Cheng-Kuo Dies of Cancer—Once Faced Death Penalty
Published atOct 08, 2025 02:49 pm
The life of Yen Cheng-Kuo, star of the film ‘Little Hero,’ was truly dramatic: from wildly popular child star to prisoner. He was originally scheduled to celebrate his birthday on the 10th, but news broke that he passed away at 4:57 p.m. on the 7th, at the age of 50, bringing deep sorrow to the public!
It is understood that Yen Cheng-Kuo was suffering from stage 4 lung adenocarcinoma and was admitted to the hospital at the end of September. However, his condition deteriorated, and he ultimately succumbed to the illness. Yen Cheng-Kuo became famous as a child when he starred in Chu Yen-Ping's ‘Little Hero’ series. Upon hearing about his passing, Chu Yen-Ping said he was deeply saddened, saying the industry had lost a talented young person who should have been shining brightly. Yen Cheng-Kuo (right) rose to fame with the ‘Little Hero’ film series.Yen Cheng-Kuo shot to stardom with the ‘Little Hero’ film series, participating in nearly 50 TV dramas and more than 10 films. Overwhelmed by pressure, however, he fell into drug addiction, and later committed theft and extortion. He was even once prosecuted with a request for the death penalty, but was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison. After being paroled 10 years into his sentence, he devoted himself to film creation, published an autobiography, learned calligraphy to cultivate inner peace, and often delivered positive messages in livestreams, telling everyone: “Do not take the wrong path.”
Yen Cheng-Kuo also acted in the movie ‘Gatao’. In 2018, he moved from acting to directing, helming ‘Gatao 2: Rise of the King’ and achieving a box office of NT$127 million (about MYR 17.5 million), becoming a hit director. In 2022, he wrote, directed, and starred in ‘Youngsters’, a film echoing his own life story.
On social platforms, netizens shared that they ran into Yen Cheng-Kuo on the street in September. At the time, he appeared noticeably thinner and less energetic; it was already apparent his health was declining. Sadly, he passed away before he could reach his upcoming birthday.
News sources: Liberty Entertainment + Apple News Network
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