Wu, Gregorio


Less-known performers of the European Cult Movies
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Johan Melle
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Wu, Gregorio

Post by Johan Melle » 17/09/2018, 3:25

Gregorio Wu.jpg
Gregorio Wu in 1967

Gregorio Wu was one the most prominent Asian actors working in Italy in the 1960s, appearing in countless films and fotoromanzi, though usually uncredited. Acting, however, was not his main profession as he was actually a very famous tenor.

His real name was Wu Pak Chiu and he was born in 1913 in Guangzhou, China. He graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1937 and in 1946 he left China and enrolled as a fourth year student at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, graduating in 1948 at the top of his class. During the same period, he also studied as a private student with Beniamino Gigli, and he later sang in concert with Gigli and his daughter Rina.

After a performance as the tenor soloist in Bartok's Cantata profana at the Teatro Argentina in Rome in 1954, he was invited to sing in concert halls all around Europe and also on radio and television. As a tenor he sang under the name Gregorio Wu Pak Chiu.

During his time in Italy, he also ended up being an actor, appearing in many comedies with Totò and with Franco and Ciccio. He was also featured in various Eurospy films and also appeared in a long line of fotoromanzi. He was usually uncredited, even though several of the roles he played were fairly large.

In 1969, Gregorio returned to Hong Kong where he gave his final performance in a recital for the Lingnan University Alumni Association. After retiring from the concert stage, he spent his time teaching vocal and choral singing at various secondary schools.

Gregorio Wu died in Hong Kong on March 31, 1974 at the age of 61. He was survived by his wife and two daughters - one of whom was the actress Elisabeth Wu. She, too, had a career in films and fotoromanzi in Italy and often appeared together with her father.[1]

Filmography

1954
  1. Camilla .... Department store customer (uncredited)
  2. La figlia di Mata Hari .... Prince Anak's trusted man / Japanese colonel (uncredited)

    1958
  3. Ragazzi della marina .... Singing south sea island matriarch (credited as "Wu")
  4. The Quiet American .... Waiter at the Rendezvous club (uncredited)

    1959
  5. Il moralista .... Chinese delegate (uncredited)

    1960
  6. Apocalisse sul fiume giallo .... Nightclub customer (uncredited)
  7. It started in Naples .... Train passenger (uncredited)
  8. Sotto dieci bandiere .... Refugee-Prisoner (uncredited)

    1961
  9. Akiko .... Japanese tourist (uncredited)
  10. Giallo club (TV series) - season 3, ep. 5: "Omicidio cieco" .... Ciang (credited)
  11. Giallo club (TV series) - season 4, ep. 7: "I conti non tornano" .... Ciang (credited)
  12. Giallo club (TV series) - season 4, ep. 8: "Il posto vuoto" .... Ciang (credited)
  13. Maciste alla corte del Gran Khan .... Courtier / Man from the temple (uncredited)
  14. Ragazzo al telefono (TV movie) .... Voyage office client (credited as "Gregorio Whu" in Radiocorriere TV - no pic)
  15. Romanoff and Juliet .... Chinese ambassador at the ball (uncredited)
  16. Totò, Peppino e... la dolce vita .... Party guest (uncredited)

    1962
  17. 2 samurai per 100 geishe .... Japanese lieutenant (credited)
  18. Marco Polo .... Chef of Tia Balena (uncredited)
  19. Totò e Peppino divisi a Berlino .... Chinese agent (uncredited)
  20. Una tragedia americana (TV mini-series) .... Chinese death-row prisoner (credited)

    1963
  21. Il successo .... The Contessa's butler (uncredited)
  22. Le ore dell'amore .... Party guest (uncredited)
  23. Totò contro i quattro .... Chen, the butler (uncredited)

    1964
  24. 00-2 agenti segretissimi .... Chinese agent (uncredited)
  25. 2 mattacchioni al Moulin Rouge .... Opium dealer (uncredited)
  26. Antes llega la muerte / I sette del Texas .... Lin Chu (credited)
  27. Mondo balordo .... Spectator watching women wrestling (uncredited)
  28. Omicron .... Gala guest who is stripped by Omicron's powers (uncredited)
  29. The Visit .... Cook (uncredited)

    1965
  30. Due mafiosi contro Goldginger .... Biscia's bodyguard (uncredited)
  31. Fantomas minaccia il mondo .... Policeman at the scientific international congress (uncredited)
  32. OSS 77 Operazione Fior di Loto .... Chinese agent (credited as "Wu Pak Chiu")
  33. Operazione Poker .... Yun Tao (credited as "Wu Gregorio")

    1966
  34. Mark Donen - Agente Zeta 7 / Rembrandt 7 antwortet nicht .... Chinese agents chief

    1967
  35. Il figlio di Django .... Bartender (uncredited)

    1968
  36. Colpo sensazionale al servizio del Sifar .... Henchman (uncredited)
  37. Luana la figlia della foresta vergine .... Club manager (uncredited)
  38. Quella sporca storia nel West .... Bartender (uncredited)
  39. Samoa, la regina della giungla .... Mr. Wang (uncredited)
  40. Vacanza sulla Costa Smeralda .... Mario Cinese (uncredited)
Fotoromanzi

  1. I fotoromanzi della Senna N. 6: "Fuga a Hong Kong" (April 1964)
  2. Sofia N. 2: "Il giglio di Hong-Kong" (April 1964) - credited
  3. Le avventure di Jacques Douglas N. 2: "Da Venezia con amore" (November 1965)
  4. Le avventure di Jacques Douglas N. 18: "SZ4 nell'isola dell'oblio" (March 1967) - credited as "Mister Wu"
  5. Supersex il fotofilm fanta-erotico N. 5: "L.S.D. follia liquida" (30 August 1967)
  6. Killing N. 44: "Combinazione morte" (1 July 1968)
  7. Dossier Segreto N. 1: "Due volti per una spia" (April 1969) - credited
Notes and sources
1. Maestro WuPakChiu.com.
Last edited by PeplumParadise on 23/10/2023, 10:38, edited 26 times in total.

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by Johan Melle » 17/09/2018, 3:28

The earliest role I've managed to find for Gregorio is in Totò, Peppino e... la dolce vita (1961) where he has a small speaking role as a party guest together with Totò
Toto Peppino Dolce Vita - Gregorio Wu.jpg

He also has a very brief role as a Chinese agent at the end of Totò e Peppino divisi a Berlino (1962)
Toto Peppino Berlino - Gregorio Wu.jpg
Attachments
Toto Contro Quattro - Gregorio Wu3.jpg
Toto Contro Quattro - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Toto Contro Quattro - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Last edited by Cinema Italiano on 20/08/2023, 21:08, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by Johan Melle » 17/09/2018, 3:32

Gregorio also worked several times with Franco and Ciccio.

First in 2 samurai per 100 geishe (1962) where he has a rare credited role as a severe Japanese lieutenant
2 Samurai - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
2 Samurai - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Gregorio also has a small comical part in the spy spoof 00-2 agenti segretissimi (1964) as a Chinese agent
00-2 Agenti - Gregorio Wu.jpg
Attachments
2 Mattacchioni - Elisabeth Wu.jpg
2 Mattacchioni - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
2 Mattacchioni - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Last edited by Cinema Italiano on 01/09/2023, 9:57, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by Johan Melle » 17/09/2018, 3:44

In the 1960s, the so-called Eurospy movies were very popular and in these films there was often a need for Asian actors to play Chinese spies etc, so of course Gregorio showed up in a couple of these films.

Gregorio also appears in OSS 77 Operazione Fior di Loto (1965) as a Chinese agent
Fior Di Loto - Gregorio Wu.jpg

Just a short role, really, but this time he was credited - under his real name Wu Pak Chiu
Fior Di Loto - Gregorio Wu Credit.jpg

He also pops up in other films. Here as the nosy club manager in the jungle adventure Luana la figlia della foresta vergine (1968)
Luana - Gregorio Wu1.jpg

And he ends up paying the price for his nosiness, too - getting strangled with a telephone cord!
Luana - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Again, a pretty good role, but still uncredited


He also pops up in the musical-comedy Vacanze sulla Costa Smeralda (1968) in a short comical role
Vacanze Costa Smeralda - Gregorio Wu.jpg

Gregorio even did some work for television. In the famous 7-part series Una tragedia americana (1962) he has a short but memorable (and credited) role as a death-row prisoner who is sent to the electric chair
Tragedia Americana - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Tragedia Americana - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Last edited by PeplumParadise on 13/11/2022, 21:24, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by Johan Melle » 17/09/2018, 3:57

But Gregorio also had a good career in fotoromanzi. Normally, there are very few Asian actors to be found in fotoromanzi, but Gregorio is one of the few exceptions.

In Sofia N. 2: "Il giglio di Hong-Kong" (April 1964) he has a good credited role, appearing alongside his daughter Elisabeth, who is the protagonist of the story
Sofia 2 - Credits.jpg
Sofia 2 - Gregorio Wu1.jpg

Here together with Elisabeth
Sofia 2 - Gregorio Wu2.jpg

Also a pretty good role in I fotoromanzi della Senna N. 6: "Fuga a Hong Kong" (April 1964) but this time he's uncredited
Fotoromanzi Della Senna 6 - Gregorio Wu.jpg

Gregorio did not appear in a lot of romantic fotoromanzi, however. For the most time he appeared in fotoromanzi aimed at male readers - typically in spy fotormanzi or violent and/or sexy stories. Most of these fotoromanzi are now quite rare and are considered cult.

Here he is in the excellent Le avventure di Jacques Douglas N. 2: "Da Venezia con amore" (November 1965) as a Chinese bad guy together with his daughter yet again
Jacques Douglas 2 - Gregorio Wu.jpg
Unfortunately, only Elisabeth is credited


But Gregorio also appears in another Jacques Douglas fotoromanzo - one of the best in this long-running serial in fact:
Le avventure di Jacques Douglas N. 18: "SZ4 nell'isola dell'oblio" (March 1967) in a terrific 'mad professor' role
Jacques Douglas 18 - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Jacques Douglas 18 - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Jacques Douglas 18 - Gregorio Wu3.jpg

For this terrific role he was rightfully credited, but under the name Mister Wu! :D
Jacques Douglas 18 - Gregorio Wu4.jpg
Last edited by FatmanDan on 26/12/2022, 21:35, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by Johan Melle » 17/09/2018, 4:05

Some more cult fotoromanzi interpreted by Gregorio:

Typical bad guy role in Supersex il fotofilm fanta-erotico N. 5: "L.S.D. follia liquida" (30 August 1967)
Supersex 5 - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Supersex 5 - Gregorio Wu2.jpg

And of course he also appeared in the infamous Killing fotoromanzi!
Here in a terrific role in Killing N. 44: "Combinazione morte" (1 July 1968) - together with Paul Muller
Killing 44 - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Killing 44 - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Killing 44 - Gregorio Wu3.jpg

And finally in the rare spy fotoromanzo Dossier Segreto N. 1: "Due volti per una spia" (April 1969)
Dossier Segreto 1 - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Dossier Segreto 1 - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Dossier Segreto 1 - Gregorio Wu3.jpg

This one was another credited role
Dossier Segreto 1 - Gregorio Wu4.jpg

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by carlos » 17/09/2018, 4:30

Yep :) I sette del Texas (1964) Lin Chu
vlcsnap-2018-09-16 GregorioWu1 7Texas.png.jpg
vlcsnap-2018-09-16 GregorioWu 7Texas.jpg

In the Italian and English versions he's credited as Gregory Wu, but the Spanish he's Gregorio
Cast4 7Texas.jpg

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by Johan Melle » 30/09/2018, 4:33

Thanks to the Radiocorriere TV archives, I've learned that Gregorio participated in the fourth and final season of the TV series Giallo Club in 1961. He appeared in the wraparound segments as Ciang, the majordomo of the show's host, Mister Club (Francesco Mulè)
Giallo Club - Gregorio Wu.jpg

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by Johan Melle » 22/10/2018, 15:05

Another role in a Franco and Ciccio movie!
This time in Due mafiosi contro Goldginger (1965) as Biscia's bodyguard (uncredited)
Goldginger - Gregorio Wu1.jpg
Goldginger - Gregorio Wu2.jpg
Goldginger - Gregorio Wu3.jpg
Last edited by FatmanDan on 02/11/2022, 20:41, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Gregorio Wu

Post by carlos » 13/11/2018, 5:38

The bartender in Ferguson's saloon Il figlio di Django (1967) should be Wu
vlcsnap-2018-11-12-20h FigliDjango Wu.jpg

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