Actress Wai Ching Ho, Known for Roles in Daredevil and Other Series, Dies at 82

Actress Wai Ching Ho, who played the villainous Madame Gao in the Marvel series Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders, has died at age 82. Co-star Peter Shinkoda confirmed the death in an Instagram post on Saturday. In a separate post the next day, Shinkoda wrote that he learned from Ho on and off set and would not forget her.

Perry Yung, who appeared with Ho in the film High Resolution, posted on Sunday that she passed away peacefully after a stroke two days earlier. Born November 16, 1943, in Hong Kong, Ho began her television career in 1983 on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, appearing in seven episodes through 1990 as the character Kim. Her film debut came in a bit role in the 1990 comedy Cadillac Man.

Ho appeared in nearly 70 roles over her 43-year career. She played Madame Gao in six episodes of Daredevil across Seasons 1 and 2 from 2015 to 2016, reprised the role in nine of the 13 episodes of Iron Fist in 2017, and appeared in six of the eight episodes of The Defenders the same year.

Additional credits include a role as the grandmother of Constance Wu's character in the 2019 film Hustlers and the voice of Grandma Panda in the 2022 Disney animated feature Turning Red.

Guest appearances spanned Law & Order: Criminal Intent, New Amsterdam, Flight of the Conchords, Orange is the New Black, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Fresh Off the Boat, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Only Murders in the Building and Law & Order. Ho's final screen appearance was in the 2026 drama The Gardener. She also voiced Auntie Mei in the 2026 podcast series Aunties.