Artist Quang Teo's life at age 61

Quang Teo has just recovered from dengue fever, and is still coughing a lot and feeling tired. He fell ill during the first filming of a new movie in Moc Chau and was hospitalized for 6 days. The health incident forced the artist to cancel his role to focus on treatment.

The actor said that after decades of working in the profession, he had just suffered an illness that required hospitalization. Since retiring in 2015, the artist said that he has been busier than when he was working at the Army Drama Theater.

Previously, he mainly performed at the Theater, doing one play a month. Every year, the Theater would have a business trip, lasting from 2.5 to 3 months, spanning the Central and Southern provinces, islands, and mountainous areas.

After retiring, there were months when he was away from home for about 25 days, and months when he was away for about 15 days. Quang Teo just finished a film project.Touch happinessdirected by Mai Long, filmed in half a year, released in theaters on September 1.

After nearly 40 years of working in art, Quang Teo has never thought of retiring.The actor said that the job is hard, the income is low, and he has to sacrifice his health. In difficult times, to save money, he and many other actors make use of makeup stored in the Army Drama Theater's warehouse. There are powder boxes that have turned green from being left for a long time. Instead of throwing them away, the artist scrapes off the top layer of damaged powder and continues to use it.

During a performance in Truong Sa, Quang Teo got seasick and could not eat normally. However, when it was time to perform, he was "possessed". After getting off the stage and returning to the mainland, the artist had to eat porridge for a week to recover.

According to Quang Teo, artists who want to be successful need to love and care about their profession. When he was studying at the Military College of Culture and Arts, Quang Teo used to stay up all night - using the light from the electric pole in the apartment complex to read the script. When eating and sleeping, he always thought about the character, researched how to act so that it was close to reality, and lived with the character.

At the age of over 60, Quang Teo performs because he is passionate about his profession, not paying attention to the salary. After each show, the artist stays to take photos with each audience member. Wherever he goes, he is warmly welcomed, some people even slaughter pigs and prepare chickens to treat him. When the artist is filming, the audience flocks to the studio to watch. Quang Teo said: "If there is a next life, I still wish to be an artist, to live under the stage lights."

Thanks to hard work, in 2022 the artist inaugurated a garden house in Thach That (Hanoi), neoclassical style, 1,000 m wide², built on a piece of land he bought 18 years ago. Quang Teo loves nature and likes to grow flowers and trees. He said most of the trees were given to him by friends, and sometimes the artist had to refuse because there was not enough land to plant them.

On days when he has no work schedule, Quang Teo spends most of his time at home, watching TV and catching up on the news. Sometimes, he is addicted to drinking tea. The artist can spend the whole day with a pot of tea, watching the trees.

Quang Teo got married early but became a father at the age of 41. His twin children, a boy and a girl, are now 20 years old. The artist said that his children all have artistic talent, but not enough passion. He also did not encourage his children to follow in his footsteps because it was too hard.

Since getting married, Quang Teo has decided to be the main breadwinner, while his wife takes care of the housework. He is happy to have a wife who is capable, skillful, takes care of internal and external affairs, and takes care of the children. For nearly 40 years in the arts, his wife has been a solid support system for the artist to work with peace of mind.

His wife and children were used to Quang Teo working for many days, even months. After retiring, the artist had a lot of time at home, but was "reminded" by his wife. The artist jokingly said: "Because my wife and children saw me working all the time, they were surprised when they had a day off. I had to ask permission to stay home."

Currently, Quang Teo hopes to be healthy enough to continue performing comedy for the public. After his recent illness, he appreciates the times when he is healthy, able to travel to many places, and interact with audiences from all over the world.

Quang Teo, real name Nguyen Tien Quang, was born in 1962 in Hanoi. He graduated from the Cheo Faculty, Military College of Culture and Arts (now Military University of Culture and Arts). The artist began his career performing Cheo, then moved to the Military Drama Theater in 1986.

The artist is most famous for his comedy, often playing farmer roles on stage and screen. He was a "perfect pair" with artist Giang Coi, creating many skits that were loved by the audience. In 2012, Quang Teo was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist.