Anna May Wong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961) was an American actress of Chinese heritage, who grew up in a culturally diverse neighborhood adjacent to Chinatown in Los Angeles. Her father believed in exposing his family to the creative arts, and often took them to see traditional Chinese stage productions. Young Anna, however, was fascinated by the emerging film industry in the area, and would fantasize about being a movie actress like Pearl White or Mary Pickford. Her daydreams began to look like an achievable goal when local Baptist minister James Wang, who often worked with the film productions, recommended her as an extra in the Alla Nazimova silent production of The Red Lantern. Wong was only 14 years old, and eventually left school before graduating. While still a teenager, she was cast in the lead role of Lotus Flower in The Toll of the Sea.
Wong worked during an era when East Asian Americans were cast in a negative light, and often played in film by non-East Asian actors who used yellow make-up on their skin and tape on their eyelids to mimic what the industry believed passed as Asian facial features. In spite of having the starring lead and top billing in the 1931 film Daughter of the Dragon, she was paid only half as much as Warner Oland, a non-Asian actor who played her father (the villain Fu Manchu) and had far less screen time. Oland was often cast as an Asian on screen, most notably in numerous films as Chinese detective Charlie Chan. Feeling like she was stereotyped and limited in the United States, Wong relocated to Germany for a few years. Back in the United States, DuMont Television Network created the short-lived The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong mystery series for her in 1951. From then until her death in 1961, Wong appeared on a handful of American television programs.
She made 60 or 61 films in her career, the first 40 of which were during the silent film era. Biographer Graham Russell Gao Hodges has noted that Just Joe, the final film attributed to her, might have actually been actress Marie Yang, usurping Wong's name for that production.
Wong received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960.
Filmography
+ Anna May Wong filmographyTitleYearRoleNotes The Red Lantern1919 Lantern BearerUncreditedThe Nazimova ProductionsDinty1920 Half Moon UncreditedFirst National Pictures Outside the Law1920 Chinese Girl UncreditedUniversal Pictures The First Born1921Hayakawa Feature Play Co. for Robertson-Cole Distributing Corp. Shame1921 The Lotus Blossom lost filmFox Film Bits of Life1921 Toy Sing, Chin Chow's wife lost filmMarshall Neilan Productions A Tale of Two Worlds1921 Uncredited role Goldwyn Pictures Corp The White Mouse1921 Uncredited as Chinese wife Selig-Roark The Toll of the Sea 1922 Lotus FlowerPreserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Mary of the Movies1923 Herself UncreditedColumbia Pictures Drifting1923 Rose Li Universal Pictures Thundering Dawn 1923 Honky-Tonk Girllost filmUniversal Pictures Lilies of the Field1924lost filmFirst National PicturesThe Thief of Bagdad1924The Mongol slaveUnited Artists The Fortieth Door1924Ziralost filmPathé ExchangeThe Alaskan1924 Keoklost filmFamous Players–Lasky CorpPeter Pan1924 Tiger LilyFamous Players–Lasky Forty Winks1925 Annabelle Wulost filmFamous Players–Lasky CorpHis Supreme Moment1925Harem Girl in play lost film, UncreditedScreen Snapshots No. 31925Herself Fifth Avenue1926 Nan Lo lost filmBelasco Productions A Trip to Chinatown1926 Ohati lost filmFox Film The Silk Bouquet1926 Dragon Horselost filmFairmount ProductionsChina Education Film Company The Desert's Toll1926 OnetaMGM Driven from Home1927Chadwick Pictures Mr. Wu1927 Loo SongMGM The Honorable Mr. Buggs1927Baroness Stoloff ShortPathé/Hal Roach Old San Francisco1927 A Flower of the OrientChinese girlPreserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Warner Bros. Pictures Why Girls Love Sailors1927 Delamar Pathé Short scenes deleted The Chinese Parrot1927 Nautch Dancer lost filmUniversal Pictures The Devil Dancer1927 Sada lost filmSamuel Goldwyn for United Artists Streets of Shanghai1927 Su Quan lost filmTiffany Pictures The Crimson City1928 SuWarner Bros. PicturesAcross to Singapore1928 Singapore Womandancing girl UncreditedMGMChinatown Charlie1928 Mandarin's sweetheartFirst National PicturesPreserved at the UCLA Film & Television ArchiveSong (Schmutziges Geld)1928 Song, a Malaysian dancerGerman-British International Co. Production Piccadilly1929 Shosho British International PicturesPavement Butterfly (Großstadtschmetterling)1929 Mahaka The City ButterflyBritish International Pictures The Flame of Love (US title)The Road to Dishonour (UK title)1930 Hai-TangEnglish-language versionBritish International Pictures/Wardour Films Hai-Tang: Der Weg zur Schande (The Road to Dishonour)1930 Hai-Tang German-language version of The Flame of LoveBritish International PicturesLe Chemin du déshonneur (The Road to Dishonour / Hai-Tang)1930 Hai-Tang French-language version of The Flame of LoveBritish International PicturesSabotage1930 Directed by Erno MetznerElstree Calling1930 Herself CameoBIP WardourDaughter of the Dragon1931 Princess Ling MoyHer first sound filmPreserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Shanghai Express1932Hui FeiPreserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive A Study in Scarlet1933 Mrs. Pyke Tiger Bay1934 Lui ChangKBS Productions for World Wide Pictures and Fox Film Corp Chu Chin Chow1934 Zahrat(British production) Gaumont-British; Gainsborough Pictures Java Head1934 Princess Taou Yuen(British production) Limehouse Blues1934Tu TuanParamountAnna May Wong visits Shanghai, China1936Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television ArchiveStock footage shot for, but never used in, Hearst Metrotone news Hollywood Party1937HerselfMGMphotographed in Technicolor Daughter of Shanghai1937Lan Ying LinCopyright December 1937; release January 1938 Dangerous to Know1938 Lan YingParamount When Were You Born1938 Mei Lei Ming (Aquarius)Warner Bros. Pictures, First National PicturesKing of Chinatown1939 Dr. Mary LingParamount PicturesIsland of Lost Men1939 Kim LingParamount Pictures Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery1941 Lois LingLarry Darmour Productions Bombs Over Burma1942 Lin YingProducers Releasing Corporation Lady from Chungking1942 Kwan MeiProducers Releasing CorporationBob Ripley's party1946HerselfHearst newsreel Impact1949Su LinCardinal Pictures Portrait in Black1960TawnyUniversal Pictures Just Joe1960Peach BlossomParkside Productions
Television
+ Anna May Wong television appearancesTitleYear/dateRoleNotes The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong1951Mme. Liu-TsongDuMont Television NetworkMultiple episodes: "The Golden Women", "The Spreading Oak", "The Man with a Thousand Eyes", "Burning Sands", "Shadow of the Sun God", "The Tinder Box", "The House of Quiet Dignity", "Boomerang", "The Face of Evil"Bold Journey February 14, 1956Interview with John StephensonEpisode: "Native Land"Wong's home movies of her 1936 visit to ChinaPreserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Producers' ShowcaseOctober 15, 1956 Episode: "The Letter" Climax!1958 Episode: "The Chinese Game" Episode: "The Deadly Tattoo"Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer1958Episode: "So That's Who It Was" Adventures in Paradise1959 Episode: "The Lady from South Chicago"Episode: "Mission to Manila" The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp1960 Episode: "China Mary" Josephine Little 1961 Episode: "Dragon By the Tail" spin off of The Barbara Stanwyck Show
See also Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words
References
Bibliography
External links
Anna May Wong at the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library