Family representatives said that artist Ma Trung passed away at 3 am on August 25. The funeral ceremony was held from the afternoon of the same day at his private residence in An Hoi Tay ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
The burial ceremony took place on the morning of August 28. After that, the male actor's coffin was taken for cremation at Long Tho Tower, Cu Chi.
The news of artist Ma Trung's death has caused mourning among many colleagues and audiences.
Artist Ma Trung's real name is Ma Van Trung, born in 1953. He started acting in films from the mid-1980s, having collaborated with directors Le Hoang Hoa, Ly Huynh.
One of his first roles was as an officer in the famous movie "Van bai lat ngua". In the early 1990s, he participated in many historical films with actors Viet Trinh, Diem Huong, Ly Hung.
With sharp eyes, thin mustaches and a cold face, Ma Trung is often assigned roles as gangsters or powerful "bosses". In his career, he has more than 100 roles in both film and television.
The too successful transformation into villains once caused Ma Trung to encounter funny and tearful situations. In 2016, when going to eat late at night at Tan Dinh market, he was recognized by a lottery ticket seller and called a gangster boss, human trafficking and drug dealer. The actor had to explain that those were just characters in the movie.
In his lifetime, Ma Trung admitted that he was sometimes sad because the audience assumed that he also had a personality similar to the villainous roles he played in movies.
Behind the fierce image on screen, Ma Trung has a marriage lasting more than half a century with Ms. Thu Huong. The two have three daughters. He once said that his wife and children are a solid rear, helping him to feel secure in pursuing art.
In the early days, income from acting was not enough to cover living expenses, he had to temporarily leave the film set for nearly 10 years. When his children grew up and the family economy stabilized, Ma Trung returned to his passion.
In 2015, he suffered a stroke while filming, but was lucky to overcome the critical condition. Despite his declining health, the actor still remembers the film studio and continues to film when conditions permit. "Trap of a substitute" is one of the last projects he participated in.
