Veteran actor Trinh Thinh dies

People's Artist Trinh Thinh, one of the great names of Vietnamese revolutionary cinema, died at age 88 in Ha Noi on Saturday after long illness.

"My father had been critically ill for the past ten years, and twice was within an inch of his life. He had been bed-ridden since 2012 as a result of a heart attack,"said Thinh's eldest daughter, Trinh Thi Hang.

The noted artist was famous for the upright, unpretentious roles he portrayed, though he was not professionally trained.


"I starred alongside Thinh in just one film, the Lua Rung (Forest Fire) in 1965 by Pham Van Khoa. I played Thinh's wife. I was unmarried, but he already had four daughters at that time. During our field trips, Thinh took them along. He did hard work as he acted and took care of the children at the same time," said famous actress Tra Giang.

With his rich lifestyle, gift, and hard training, Thinh set himself as one of the most senior actors in the country's cinematography.

Thinh was born Trinh Van Thinh in 1927 in Ha Noi.

He indulged his love for cinema beginning in his childhood, but later became a bank clerk. He began his first acting job in 1954.

In his life-time career, Thinh was usually invited to portray a rustic elderly character, or those vividly imprinted with images of Viet Nam's rural areas.

Director Pham Ky Nam invited him to play a part in the first movie in Vietnamese cinema, Chung Mot Dong Song (Sharing the Same River).

He was also famous due to a series of popular feature pictures, including Vo Chong Anh Luc (Mr and Mrs Luc), Chi Dau (Mrs Dau), Loi Nguyen Mot Dong Song (A River's Vow), Thi Tran Yen Tinh (Quiet Township), Vo Chong A Phu (The Couple of A Phu), among many others.

Besides these movies, Thinh was also known for his role in comedies, where his acting was described as natural.

He also caught the attention of foreign directors. He acted in a supporting role in Cyclo (1995) with Vietnamese French director Tran Anh Hung and in Indochine (1992), directed by Regis Warginer.

Thinh's funeral will be held at 2:45pm tomorrow at the National Funeral Hall, 5 Tran Thanh Tong, Ha Noi.