Anna May Wong

Wong Liu Tsong January 3 1905 February 3 1961 known professionally as Anna May Wong was an American actress whose long career spanned both silent and sound films television stage and radio Apart from being recognized as the the first ChineseAmerican movie star as well as the first AsianAmerican to become an international star she was also seen as an acclaimed fashion icon due to her being the one of the early stars to embrace the flapper look Born near the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles to secondgeneration ChineseAmerican parents Wong became infatuated with the movies at an early age and quit education to focus on beginning an acting career After landing parts as uncredited extras in silent films she had her first leading role in The Toll of the Sea 1922 one of the first movies made in color Her role in Douglas Fairbanks The Thief of Bagdad 1924 helped her achieve international stardom Tired of being offered stereotypical supporting roles she left Hollywood for Europe in the late 1920s where she starred in several plays alongside notable names like Laurence Olivier She made her final silent film in Britain titled Piccadilly 1929 which earned her wide praise Her first talkie The Flame of Love 1930 was recorded in three languages English French and German She spent the first half of the 1930s traveling between the United States and Europe for film and stage work Wong was featured in films of the early sound era such as Daughter of the Dragon 1931 and Daughter of Shanghai 1937 and with Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternbergs Shanghai Express 1932 These films brought her more and more fame which she used to express her staunch political views Although she advocated for ChineseAmerican causes and criticized the stereotypical roles she played Chinese press and critics continued to view her as a disgrace to the country After experiencing the most severe disappointment of her career when MetroGoldwynMayer refused to consider her for the leading Chinese role in the film The Good Earth 1937 and instead chose a white German actress in yellowface Wong spent the a year touring China visiting her familys ancestral village and studying Chinese culture Returning to Hollywood she starred in several B movies that portrayed ChineseAmericans in a positive light in the late1930s As World War II rolled around she focused less on her film career and decided to devote her time and money in helping the Chinese against Japanese invasions Returning to the public eye in the 1950s with several television appearances she started her own detective mystery television show titled The Gallery of Madame LiuTsong 1951 the first US television show starring an AsianAmerican She was scheduled to return to film in Flower Drum Song 1961 but she died of a heart attack For decades after her death Wong was remembered mostly for the stereotypical roles she was given although critics have begun to reevaluate her life and career In 2022 Wong became the first AsianAmerican to be depicted on American coinage when the quarters with her image on them went into circulation In 2023 Mattel released a Barbie doll modeled on Wong in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month