Actor Le Vu Cau, seen here in this file photo, dies Tuesday of cirrhosis.

Theater and film actor Le Vu Cau, widely known nationwide as a former vagabond who later became a social activist, passed away in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday.

Le Buu Cau, as he is known legally, was sent home last Friday after being hospitalized since earlier this month for cirrhosis, a disease that has troubled him for years.

The 53-year-old artist started his career as a backstage worker, then took on various supporting roles before winning audiences’ hearts to become a star on the southern stage.

Cau, who never took any acting classes, brought depth to every role due to his rich life experience. Forced to live on the streets at the age of eight after losing his parents in an accident, Cau wandered from his hometown in the Mekong Delta’s Ca Mau Province to the central region.

In a career that spanned such memorable performances as in the film Ong ca Ho (Ho fisherman) and the plays Nguoi dan ba duc hanh (Virtuous woman) and Vo thang Dau (Dau’s wife), Cau’s most lasting contribution is the charity inn he opened three years ago to serve vegetarian meals to poor people in HCMC’s Thu Duc District.

“It’s my contribution to life,” the late artist once said.

Individuals can pay tribute to him at 10:30 a.m. today at 133 Co Bac Street in District 1.

He will be buried this Saturday in a cemetery reserved for artists in Go Vap District.

Reported by Quang Thi