Cheng Pei-pei, who memorably starred in Ang Lee's Oscar-nominated film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, died Thursday at 78 in the San Francisco Bay Area from a degenerative brain disease.

"Our mom wanted to be remembered by how she was: the legendary queen of martial arts," her family shared in a statement. Cheng Pei-pei, the Chinese actress best known for her roles in Crouching ...