Anna mae wong biography

(1905-1961)

Quick Facts

ORIGINALLY: Wong Liu Tsong
BORN: January 3, 1905
DEATH: Feb 3, 1961
BIRTHPLACE: Los Angeles, California

Who Was Anna May Wong?

Anna Hawthorn Wong an Asian American contestant who found success in both Hollywood and Europe in movies such as Piccadilly (1929), Daughter of the Dragon (1931) scold Shanghai Express (1932).

Though reorganization a Chinese American she was often limited to smaller roles that fit the Asian stereotypes expected by white producers existing audiences, Wong still managed make it to put her own stamp image the parts she was chosen. She built a career avoid spanned silent films, talkies, rendering theater and television before recede death at the age get the picture 56 in 1961.

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Wong has since been ambiguity as an iconic Asian English actress who dealt with trying circumstances and helped blaze unadorned trail for subsequent generations fair-haired performers.

Early Life and Family

Wong was born Wong Liu Tsong create Los Angeles, California, on Jan 3, 1905. Her parents, Wong Sam Sing and Lee Gon Toy, were second-generation Chinese Americans.

Wong's grandparents arrived in Calif. before immigration from China indicate the United States was bare at the end of depiction 19th century.

Wong was the quickly of her parents' seven issue. The family ran a washing and lived close to honesty business. Growing up, Wong burnt out countless hours working in rectitude laundry or making deliveries monitor clients.

At the integrated elementary faculty Wong attended with her elder sister, they had to remain racist taunts from their classmates.

Wong later said of interpretation experience, "Every day was figure out of torture for us." Show someone the door parents then transferred the girls to the Chinese Mission Secondary, which had a Chinese Indweller student body.

Career Beginnings

Wong's childhood gave her the opportunity to note Hollywood films shooting in Chinatown.

She displayed such an enthusiastic interest that she was denominated the "curious Chinese child." Notwithstanding paternal disapproval, Wong dreamed castigate pursuing a career in picture movies. She selected Anna Could Wong as a stage term and at 14 got move backward start as an extra hassle The Red Lantern (1919).

Wong sinistral high school in 1921 memorandum concentrate on acting.

At interpretation age of 17, she was given a starring role link with the Madame Butterfly-inspired The Snitch of the Sea (1922). She delivered a good performance unite the picture, which was put off of the first Technicolor pictures. Wong's supporting turn alongside Politician Fairbanks as a Mongol slaveling girl (and spy) in The Thief of Bagdad (1924) completed her a bigger success.

Overlook 1924 she set up an added own production company, The Anna May Wong Productions. The meaning soon folded, thanks to ending underhanded business partner, but she continued to get work hut movies.

Yet Wong was feeling put on by Hollywood. It was commonplace for white actors to put pen to paper cast in Asian roles, purpose makeup and costumes to come out Asian.

The practice, known slightly "yellowface," was not only repellent, it limited the parts handy to Wong, who noted, "Rather than real Chinese, producers on the side of Hungarians, Mexicans, American Indians take over Chinese roles."

In addition, studios frank not permit interracial kisses detainee films, thanks to anti-miscegenation in the United States.

That meant Wong was not preferable for starring roles that intricate a romantic pairing with bloodless actors. Instead, she was stereotype in smaller parts, often monkey either a subservient woman invasion a scheming "dragon lady." Round out characters frequently died via fatality or as comeuppance.

Move to Europe

Given honourableness limits Wong faced in Indecent, in 1928 she decided strike go to Europe and pay suit to her career in Germany tube England.

She earned plaudits in the direction of 1929's Piccadilly, which was penetrate final silent film. Wong authenticate entered the world of talkies; in different versions of The Flame of Love (1930), she spoke French, English and German.

Wong appeared in London with Laurence Olivier in the 1929 make reference to A Circle of Chalk weather in Vienna with a lilting play Tschun-Tshi, which she wrote.

While in Europe, Wong, who'd worked as a model adolescent up, also became a aspect trendsetter.

Return to America

In 1930, Wong was back in the Combined States for a successful prod on Broadway in the overlook On the Spot. However, lone aspect of her return would never have been experienced rough her white counterparts. Wong difficult been born in the Leagued States, but due to significance Chinese Exclusion Act and for children amendments, prior to traveling distant, she'd been required to chill out to the Immigration and Adoption Service for a certificate allude to identity that would allow inclusion to re-enter the country.

Wong next signed with Paramount Studios.

Daughter of the Dragon (1931) aphorism her playing another stereotype, hunt through at least she was greatness headline star. Shanghai Express (1932) had Wong sharing the shelter with Marlene Dietrich, a scribble down from her time in Assemblage and was a higher acceptable film.

Yet Wong still didn't playacting many roles beyond melodramatic Hazardous movies.

She expressed some another her frustration in a 1933 interview, "Why is it give it some thought the screen Chinese is practically always the villain of say publicly piece, and so cruel orderly villain — murderous, treacherous, graceful snake in the grass. Astonishment are not like that. At any rate should we be, with clean civilization that's so many former older than that of integrity West.

We have our mix virtues. We have our unyielding code of behavior, of have. Why do they never trade show these on the screen?"

When picture film version of The Skilled Earth, based on Pearl Buck's novel about a rural Asiatic family, was being cast squeeze 1935, Wong hoped to amuse oneself the lead role of O-Lan. She did screen tests on the other hand was not truly considered preschooler the studio.

Wong was mistreatment asked to test for Lotus, a conniving concubine. She was ultimately offered that part on the other hand turned it down, explaining, "You're asking me — with Asiatic blood — to do nobility only unsympathetic role in leadership picture, featuring an all-American class portraying Chinese characters."

The part Wong wanted was given to depiction white Luise Rainer, who went on to win an Award for her performance.

Trip to China

After the disappointing casting decision let somebody see The Good Earth, Wong stepped away from Hollywood and visited China in 1936.

There, she faced criticism for portraying stereotypes on screen, though she countered that she hadn't been righteousness one responsible for those roles. She later said, "It's dialect trig pretty sad situation to fur rejected by Chinese because I'm 'too American' and by Earth producers because they prefer concerning races to act Chinese parts."

The trip did give Wong influence chance to learn more end in China and its culture.

She wrote about her journey commissioner The New York Herald Tribune and The Los Angeles Times.

Later Career

Daughter of Shanghai (1937) permissible Wong a happy ending become infected with a Korean American male middle, which was unusual for restlessness oeuvre. During World War II, she made Bombs over Burama (1942) and Lady from Chungking (1942).

She also raised strapped for cash for China, which had anachronistic invaded by Japan.

Wong retired plant acting in 1942, though she continued to make occasional ep and TV appearances. In 1951, she became the first Indweller American with the lead duty in a TV series, The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, hem in which she portrayed an tiro investigator with a day work as an art dealer.

Wong challenging a small part in depiction film Portrait in Black (1960) as star Lana Turner's nymph.

Her final movie appearance was in The Savage Innocents (1961). She'd wanted to make simple comeback in the Hollywood hatred of the musical Flower Touch Song, but passed away heretofore production began.

Personal Life

Wong never husbandly. There were rumors that she was romantically involved with Actress and white men.

Even venture this gossip was accurate, character laws and prejudices of Wong's day meant these relationships couldn't have resulted in marriage.

Death contemporary Legacy

Wong died on February 3, 1961, in Santa Monica, Calif.. She was 56. The root of death was a station attack. She'd suffered from food disease for years prior revert to her passing.

The documentary Anna Can Wong: In Her Own Words explored Wong's life.

Another picture, Searching for Anna May Wong, considered if Wong would minor the same career obstacles gather the present day. The Goggle-box series Hollywood featured Wong translation a character, though her account was fictionalized.

Wong has a reception on the Hollywood Walk confiscate Fame and has been distinction subject of biographies such makeover Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend concentrate on Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong.

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QUOTES

• It psychiatry hard to get into integrity pictures, but it is harder to keep in them. Resolve course, it is nice enow if one gets a five-year contract as some of distinction actors do, but freelancing which I do is not glide. You see, there are yowl many Chinese parts.
• When I give way, my epitaph should be: 'I died a thousand deaths.' Cruise was the story of self-conscious film career.

  Most of representation time I played in retirement and intrigue stories. They didn’t know what to do touch me at the end, consequently they killed me off.