Chinese Name: 林義雄
Birth Name: 林正雄 (Lin Cheng-hsiung)
Born: 1936
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Lin I-hsiung is a veteran Taiwanese film and television actor. Known as the "Nation’s Grandfather," he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th Golden Bell Awards in 2020.
Born in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, Lin I-hsiung performed in plays and dances on stage during his elementary school years. Perhaps he was born with an artistic talent, destined to pursue a career in acting. In his youth, Lin played the trumpet in a band to supplement his income. When he was 20 years old, the Kuomintang’s cultural work team was performing in his hometown of Yilan. The band happened to be in need of a trumpet player, and he was introduced to help temporarily. After the performance in Yilan, the cultural work team was scheduled to go to Hualien, and Lin I-hsiung was invited to officially join the band as an accompanist. He later toured all over Taiwan with them.
In addition to music, Lin I-hsiung is also a dancer. During his time with the cultural work team, he was not only a member of the accompanying band but also a member of the dance troupe. Lin could perform ethnic dances, modern dances, and ballet. The dance instructors at that time were renowned dancers who had come to Taiwan from China with the Kuomintang government.
Lin recalled that the cultural work team usually prepared two sets of programs, one consisting of songs and dances, and the other of plays. He sewed his own costumes, made props, and even learned makeup. These experiences cultivated his ability to act, sing, dance, and accompany, which became the foundation for his later career in the performing arts.
At the age of 30, Lin I-hsiung left the cultural work team. At that time, Taiwan Television (TTV) had already started broadcasting, and he occasionally played in the television station’s band. It was only later that he had the opportunity to embark on his acting career. Lin was one of the first Taiwanese television actors, and he stresses that "these actors maintained their local characteristics even after appearing on the screen, forming a fresh style of Taiwanese drama at that time that was close to life, natural, and realistic, allowing the audience to feel a sense of affinity." Starting in 1979, Lin I-hsiung appeared in TTV's Yang Li-hua Taiwanese Opera (楊麗花歌仔戲) series, where he delivered outstanding performances regardless of the roles he played.
In the 1989 film "The Dull Ice Flower (魯冰花)," Lin I-hsiung portrayed the father of the male protagonist. The male protagonist was a talented child artist born into a poor farming family but tragically died at a young age. This film was adapted from the novel of the same name by Hakka writer Chung Chao-cheng (鍾肇政), set in the early 1960s in rural Taiwan, and touched on education and other social issues. Lin’s tear-jerking performance in the film left a deep impression on many viewers.
From the 1990s to the present, Lin has also appeared in dramas on other television stations, including Public Television Service’s "Children of the Salt Flats (鹽田兒女)" and "Crystal Boys (孽子)," as well as Sanlih Television's "Taiwan Tornado (台灣龍捲風)" and the well-known "Yong-Jiu Grocery Store (用九柑仔店)." Adapted from Ruan Guang-min's comic of the same name, Lin I-hsiung played the grandfather of the male protagonist in the drama "Yong-Jiu Grocery Store," running a small grocery store in the countryside all by himself. His superb acting skills moved many people and earned him the title of "Nation’s Grandfather."
In the 2023 Netflix drama "Wave Makers (人選之人—造浪者)," Lin once again appeared in a "grandfatherly" guest role. Although he only had three lines in the entire series, this veteran actor’s performance brought tears to many viewers’ eyes.
Lin I-hsiung entered the entertainment industry at the age of 30 and has been acting for over 50 years. He has performed in stage plays, films, Taiwanese opera, commercials, and TV series, portraying various characters and gaining extensive experience. He said that he truly understands that life is like a play, and a play is like life, both full of warmth, humor, sweetness, and bitterness. Despite his advanced age, Lin still loves performing.
At the 55th Golden Bell Awards ceremony, Lin I-hsiung received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He expressed his gratitude for being associated with "The Dull Ice Flower" in the past and being recognized as the "Nation's Grandfather" due to "Yong-Jiu Grocery Store" in recent years. He said that this grandfather will continue to act because he cannot be separated from the audience.