Phạm Bằng
Acting
Biography
Phạm Bằng (1931 – 2016), full name Phạm Văn Bằng, is a Vietnamese comedian. He is famous for his many comedic roles in VTV3's "Weekend Meetup" series (Gặp nhau cuối tuần, 2006-2010) and the Tet comedy series "Buried Words" (Chôn nhời). Starting his career in theater without a background, Phạm Bằng chose not to attend the University of Theater and Performing Arts of Hanoi (despite being accepted) due to financial difficulties. He instead joined the Hanoi Troupe, which specialize in various forms of performance including music, dance, circus, and drama. In 1964, director Nguyễn Đình Nghi invited Phạm Bằng to participate in plays. He first became famous for playing villains. After that, director Trần Hoạt started to produce a few comedies, and Phạm Bằng began participating in them also. From the end of 1974 till the beginning of 1975, he was transferred to the Central Theater Troupe and from then gained gradual recognition as a comedian. He then began instructing younger generations of actors, and eventually achieved nationwide popularity with his parts in "Gặp nhau cuối tuần", constantly performing between 2006 and 2010. His bald head was also an iconic signifier. Fans also remember Phạm Bằng for his Chinese floating rice cakes' shop at 30 Hàng Giày, Hanoi. The shop was temporarily closed in around 2012-2013 when the actor became ill. On November 28, 2017, after 5 years of closing, the shop was reopened by his youngest son.
Known For
The sexually repressed widow Doan comes to play tennis in the court where sly, lewd orphan Xuan (nicknamed Red-haired Xuan for his sunburnt hair) is working as a ball boy. Their encounter that day would change Xuan's life forever, as the widow introduced him to an entirely different world of the hypocritical and decadent petite bourgeoisie class, a condition of "Westernized" middle-class Hanoians under French colonial rule in the 1920s. An 8-part series adapted from Vu Trong Phung's classic satire.
Dumb Luck
Vietnam's annual satirical comedy TV special that airs on Lunar New Year's Eve on VTV. Known for its comedic take on the socio-political and economic issues of the year in Vietnam, the show is considered a television staple of the Vietnamese New Year holiday.
Gặp nhau cuối năm
The Vietnam War from the North's viewpoint. Air raids on Hanoi stiffen the resolve of the population to strike back against a far more powerful enemy.
Hanoi 12 Days and Nights
The sexually repressed widow Doan comes to play tennis in the court where sly, lewd orphan Xuan (nicknamed Red-haired Xuan for his sunburnt hair) is working as a ball boy. Their encounter that day would change Xuan’s life forever, as the widow introduced him to an entirely different world of the hypocritical and decadent petite bourgeoisie class, a condition of “Westernized” middle-class Hanoians under French colonial rule in the 1920s. An 8-part series adapted from Vu Trong Phung’s classic satire.
Dumb Luck
Fleeing the control of their authoritarian father, two women cross the border into China with a friend’s help.
The Refugee's Melody
The dynamics between two long-time best friends change when one starts working as the other's subordinate and becomes inflicted in his workplace power battles.
Seek No Fortune
An old man chances upon a ceramic teapot while working as a gravedigger. Fervently believing that the teapot is a valuable piece of antique, he risks life and death to protect it against the concern of his family.