The bustling Shanghai Tang ushered in the birth of a boy, who was Xia Keping, who would later be famous in the film industry for the name of "Summer". Shack is outgoing and active by nature, as if he was born with the talent to stand in the spotlight.
Summer of childhood and adolescence was spent during the golden period of Shanghai's thriving theater industry. At that time, the streets and alleys were always filled with the aftermath of opera, and the popular films in the cinema attracted the attention of countless young people.
Summer was fascinated by that bizarre world, and his dream of becoming a film actor took root in his heart when he was still in middle school, and became the direction of his future life.
In 1942, at the age of 22, he took the first step to chase his dream, and he went to Sichuan and was admitted to Jiang'an National Drama College. In this school, the young summer systematically learns acting skills, laying a solid foundation for her future acting career.
However, fate always likes to play jokes on people who have dreams. In the summer, when he had just adapted to his new life and was deeply attracted by the art of theater, an unexpected turmoil interrupted his original learning process.
Summer's participation in a patriotic movement cost him expulsion from school, but for Summer, the setback did not hit him, but stimulated a stronger desire to perform.
Despite the interruption of his studies, his passion for the performing arts remained undiminished. This experience made him more determined to pursue his acting career and laid the groundwork for his future achievements on stage and screen.
Summer was expelled from the drama school for his participation in the patriotic movement, but his talent was not buried because of this. Because of his outstanding performance and outstanding achievements during his school years, he was soon accepted by the Experimental Repertory Troupe of the Ministry of Education.
This opportunity opens the door to the professional stage for the summer.
In the Experimental Repertory Theatre, summer is hungry for the essence of stage performance. He has starred in more than 20 dramas such as "Metamorphosis", "History of the Qing Palace", and "Full of Gold and Jade". Every time you take the stage, it's a challenge and a growth.
Summer gained valuable experience in these performances, which laid a solid foundation for future acting careers.
The dawn of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War began to appear, and he joined the Chinese Art Drama Society in Chongqing in the summer. During this period, he starred in a number of progressive dramas, such as "Spring Cold" and "Country First", which not only allowed Xia Xia to further hone his acting skills, but also deepened his understanding of social reality.
Through these thoughtful repertoire, Summer began to closely integrate her personal artistic pursuits with the pulse of the times.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the summer returned to Shanghai after a long absence. He accumulated a wealth of experience on the drama stage, so he was soon hired as a special actor by several film companies. 1947 was an important turning point in the summer's acting career.
He successfully played the role of Section Chief Gong in the movie "A River Flows Eastward" led by Bai Yang and Tao Jin, although it was only a supporting role, this was undoubtedly an important milestone in his acting career, marking his official transition from the drama stage to the screen.
Subsequently, Xia played Zhou Xiaoting in the movie "Jiren Tianxiang" starring Yan Jun. In 1948, he co-starred with Zhao Dan and Wang Renmei in the movie "Unstoppable Spring", and in the same year, he also participated in "Beauty Walking" starring Shangguan Yunzhu, as well as the movies "Murderer" and "Vientiane Rejuvenation".
In 1949, he starred in the movie "Streets and Alleys" starring Zhang Fa.
Summer's ability to perform on stage and screen is getting stronger and stronger, which is the accumulation and precipitation of his series of film experience. The transition from drama to film has allowed Summer to gradually adapt to new environments and challenges.
Although most of the roles in the summer are mainly assistants, his serious attitude and excellent performance are attracting attention from industry insiders.
With the founding of the People's Republic of China, the summer acting career has encountered new opportunities. He was transferred to the Shanghai Film Studio and ushered in his glorious period on the screen. At this stage, Summer gradually found her own position - a professional villain.
His slightly gloomy eyes, slightly raised corners of his mouth, and that sense of threat made him the best choice for the villain.
In 1951, in the summer of the movie "Cuigang Red Flag", he successfully created the role of Liu Sancai, a dog-legged man. Although he is not the protagonist, Summer's superb acting skills make the image of Liu Sancai, a small person, vivid and impressive to the audience.
Over the next few years, Summer continued to experiment with a variety of different roles, including playing Xia Wu in Ling Zifeng's "Gold and Silver Beach" in 1953, "Huaishang People" starring Wei Heling in 1954, and Kong Bingyuan in "Spring in the Water Town" directed by Xie Jin in 1955.
In 1956, Zhao Dan starred in "Li Shizhen", in which he played the role of Zuo Ju, a role that also gave him the opportunity to show his talent in historical films.
In 1957, he co-starred with Qi Heng in the movie "The Legend of Qiu Weng and Immortals", and played the role of Fu Yin in the film.
But what really made Summer stand out among the villains was the role of Boss Ma played by him in the 1957 movie "Yangcheng Dark Whistle". Boss Ma is a cunning and sinister villain, and Summer uses his unique performance method to portray Boss Ma's inner world thoroughly.
The greed in his eyes, the arrogance in his tone, and the calculation in his gestures are all vividly interpreted by Summer, and the success of this role has made Summer a step further on the road of a villain actor and has become one of his most famous screen images.
In the summer of 1958, he was still active on the screen, and he participated in "The Great Wave" directed by Liu Qiong and Qiang Ming, and "Smart Man" starring Wen Xiying, in which he played Mu Yisi. Although these roles are not as deeply rooted in the hearts of the people as Boss Ma, they all show Summer's acting skills in different types of roles.
In the summer of 1959, he ushered in another peak of his acting career. He played Zhao Meinong in the movie "Nie Er" starring Zhao Dan, and in the same year he played Mu Zhanga in Zheng Junli's movie "Lin Zexu".
Mu Zhang'a is a complex historical figure, not only to show the majesty of the Qing Dynasty ministers, but also to show an ambiguous attitude towards the opium trade, with years of performance experience, Mu Zhang'a's inner contradictions and external performance are perfectly combined, creating a three-dimensional and real character The success of this character further consolidates Summer's position in the villain's role.
Since the 1960s, the summer recording industry has been at its peak. In 1960, he gave a wonderful performance in "Maya Dai" starring Qin Yi and Wei Heling. In 1963, he starred as the villain Kim Ji-kyung in the movie "Flying Knife Hua", once again showing his acting charm.
Looking back on this golden period, every character created in the summer seems to tell the story of an era. His acting skills are not only to play villains, but also to deeply portray the complexity of human nature and social changes.
Xia used his acting skills to let the audience see the story behind the villain's role, and felt the multi-faceted nature of human nature, which deeply portrayed the character's heart, which became Summer's unique label as a villain professional, and also set a new standard for villain character creation in Chinese films.
After 1964, Summer's career took a major turn, and he decided to temporarily leave the familiar screen and move to lesser-known behind-the-scenes work. The decision came as a surprise, but it was a rare opportunity for Summer to look at the whole process of filmmaking from a different perspective.
Over the next decade, Summer went through multiple behind-the-scenes positions. He used to be a director and experienced what it was like to be in control of the entire crew; I have also worked as a producer and have a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of filmmaking.
In addition, he was also responsible for teaching actors, which gave Summer the opportunity to pass on his years of acting experience to the younger generation, while also giving him a deeper understanding of the performing arts.
Ten years of behind-the-scenes work has taken Summer out of the spotlight, but it has given him valuable acting experience. He gained a more holistic view of filmmaking, which would undoubtedly influence his future acting style and understanding of the role.
After a change in the political environment in 1974, Summer finally regained her reputation and work and returned to the front of the screen. He played the enemy commander in the new version of "Crossing the River Reconnaissance", and after this comeback, his performance was more calm and restrained.
As he grew older and more experienced in life, his villain role became more complex and deeper.
In the summer of 1977, he participated in "Pingying Tomb" led by Zhang Fa, officially announcing his full return to the stage of the screen. This time back, the summer is more mature, with more thought and precipitation.
His performances no longer focus solely on the external evils of the characters, but also explore the inner contradictions and struggles of the characters more deeply.
This experience has brought Summer's acting career to new heights, and he is no longer just a villain actor, but has become a performance artist who deeply analyzes human nature. From behind the scenes to in front of the stage, from young and vigorous to calm and introverted, this experience in the summer has undoubtedly added more color and depth to his acting career.
Entering the 80s, the summer has not stopped moving forward. In 1985, he played the role of Zhu Zizhi in the movie "Gourmet", showing the audience his new breakthrough in character interpretation.
The success of this role allows the audience to see another side of Summer's performance, proving that he can not only play the sinister and cunning villain, but also create other types of characters.
With the rapid development of the TV drama industry, Summer chose to devote herself to this emerging field. In the eighties and nineties, he successively participated in TV series such as "A Generation of Heroes", "The Appearance of Officialdom" and "Liao Zhai".
In these works, he is either a sophisticated officialdom veteran or a fantastical character, and each character is brought to life by him.
In the summer of this period, his performance art seemed to draw a successful end to his decades of screen career. Every time he performs, he tells the audience the mental journey of an old artist.
Although Xia Xia is old, his passion for acting has never diminished, and he interprets different roles in his own way, showing the charm of a veteran actor.
Summer's villain image is very distinct throughout his acting career, and his characters always go deep into the heart, thus shaping the complex psychological world of villains.
Under the interpretation of summer, the villain is no longer the traditional flat bad guy image, but a flesh-and-blood, real and sensible character. They have their own desires, fears, and struggles, which makes the image of these characters in the minds of the audience more three-dimensional and full.
Summer's performances allow the audience to understand and even sympathize with these characters while hating them.
Summer's performing arts are of great value, and his talent is shown even in the creation of villains. He pays attention to the in-depth excavation of the dark psychology of the characters, so that the villain character he creates is not the image of extreme evil, but more real and three-dimensional.
He died in 2005 at the age of 85. However, the deep imprint he left on the history of Chinese cinema will live on forever and shine brightly. With a lifetime of perseverance and love, Summer profoundly reveals what it means to be a true actor and a true artist.
His deeds will always inspire those who come after him to continue to move forward on the road of acting.