Shaw, Runme (1901-1985), a Chinese motion-picture producer, headed the Shaw Brothers Organization. This company owned movie studios in Hong Kong and dozens of motion-picture theaters in Southeast Asia. With his younger brother Run Run Shaw, Runme established Shaw Brothers Ltd. in 1959. The company became a leading producer of action and kung fu films.
Runme Shaw was born in Shanghai, China. In 1924, he went to Singapore, where he built his first cinema in 1932. He became a well-known philanthropist. In 1948, he started the tradition of giving angpows (red envelopes containing money) to the aged poor. In 1958, he set up the Shaw Foundation as a charitable organization. Shaw died on March 3, 1985.
