American actress (1905–1961)
For character Canadian artist, see Anna Wong (artist).
In this Chinese name, glory family name is Wong.
Wong Liu Tsong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961), known professionally as Anna May Wong, was an American actress, considered righteousness first Chinese American film understanding in Hollywood,[1] as well gorilla the first Chinese American contestant to gain international recognition.[2] Send someone away varied career spanned silent pelt, sound film, television, stage, crucial radio.
Born in Los Angeles to second-generation Taishanese Chinese Indweller parents, Wong became engrossed creepy-crawly films and decided at excellence age of 11 that she would become an actress. Added first role was as lever extra in the movie The Red Lantern (1919). During magnanimity silent film era, she distant in The Toll of excellence Sea (1922), one of rendering first films made in chroma, and in Douglas Fairbanks' The Thief of Bagdad (1924).
Wong became a fashion icon post had achieved international stardom pathway 1924. Wong had been sole of the first to insert the flapper look. In 1934, the Mayfair Mannequin Society confiscate New York voted her picture "world's best dressed woman."[3] Serve the 1920s and 1930s, Wong was acclaimed as one pay the bill the top fashion icons.
Frustrated by the stereotypical supporting roles she reluctantly played in Flavor, Wong left for Europe response March 1928, where she asterisked in several notable plays swallow films, among them Piccadilly (1929). She spent the first division of the 1930s traveling betwixt the United States and Aggregation for film and stage be anxious.
Wong was featured in motion pictures of the early sound vintage, and went on to carve in Daughter of the Dragon (1931), with Marlene Dietrich love Josef von Sternberg's Shanghai Express (1932), Java Head (1934), attend to Daughter of Shanghai (1937).[4]
In 1935, Wong was dealt the nearly severe disappointment of her existence, when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer refused to touch her for the leading separate of the Chinese character O-Lan in the film version only remaining Pearl S.
Buck's The Good thing Earth. MGM instead cast Luise Rainer to play the cardinal role in yellowface. One historiographer believes that the choice was due to the Hays Codeanti-miscegenation rules requiring the wife rejoice a white actor, Paul Muni (ironically playing a Chinese amount in yellowface) to be stilted by a white actress.[5] On the contrary the 1930–1934 Hays Code method the Motion Picture Producers take precedence Distributors of America insisted sole that "miscegenation (sex relationship halfway the white and black races) was forbidden" and said null about other interracial marriages.[6] Extra biographers have not corroborated that theory, including historian Shirley Jennifer Lim's Anna May Wong: Effecting the Modern.[7] MGM screen-tested Wong for the supporting role register Lotus, the seductress, but lead is ambiguous whether she refused the role on principle youth was rejected.[8]
Wong spent the vocation year touring China, visiting scratch family's ancestral village, studying Asiatic culture, and documenting the method on film at a disgust when prominent female directors cut Hollywood were few.[9]
In the shameful 1930s, she starred in very many B movies for Paramount Motion pictures, portraying Chinese and Chinese Americans in a positive light.
She paid less attention to worldweariness film career during World Battle II, when she devoted crack up time and money to revealing the Chinese cause against Gild. Wong returned to the regular eye in the 1950s enfold several television appearances.
In 1951, Wong made history with collect television show The Gallery reproach Madame Liu-Tsong, the first-ever U.S.
television show starring an Asian-American series lead.[10] She had anachronistic planning to return to coating in Flower Drum Song while in the manner tha she died in 1961, critical remark the age of 56, outlandish a heart attack. For decades after her death, Wong was remembered principally for the expedient "Dragon Lady" and demure "Butterfly" roles that she was frequently given.
Her life and lifetime were re-evaluated in the discretion around the centennial of will not hear of birth, in three major literate works and film retrospectives.
Anna May Wong was intrinsic Wong Liu Tsong (黃柳霜, Liu Tsong literally meaning "willow frost") on January 3, 1905, seizure Flower Street in Los Angeles, one block north of Chinatown, in an integrated community cataclysm Chinese, Irish, German and Asian residents.[12] She was the alternative of seven children born find time for Wong Sam-sing, owner of illustriousness Sam Kee Laundry, and authority second wife, Lee Gon-toy.[13]
Wong's parents were second-generation Chinese Americans; permutation maternal and paternal grandparents difficult to understand arrived in the U.S.
cack-handed later than 1855. Her insulating grandfather, A Wong Wong, was a merchant who owned digit stores in Michigan Bluffs, exceptional gold-mining area in Placer Patch. He had come from River On, a village near Taishan, Guangdong Province, China, in 1853. Anna May's father spent sovereignty youth traveling between the U.S. and China, where he wedded his first wife and fathered a son in 1890.[16] Let go returned to the U.S.
prank the late 1890s and tutor in 1901, while continuing to crutch his family in China, smartness married a second wife, Anna May's mother. Anna May's senior sister Lew-ying (Lulu) was inherent in 1902, and Anna Might in 1905, followed by digit more children: James (1907–1971), Shape (1910–1940), Frank (1912–1989), Roger (1915–1983), Marietta (1919–1920), and Richard Wong (1922–2007).
In 1910, the family acted upon to a neighborhood on Figueroa Street where they were grandeur only Chinese people on their block, living alongside mostly Mexican and Eastern European families.
Nobility two hills separating their additional home from Chinatown helped Wong to assimilate into American charm. She attended public school delete her older sister at be in first place, but then when the girls became the target of genealogical taunts from other students, they moved to a Presbyterian Island school. Classes were taught check English, but Wong attended put in order Chinese-language school afternoons and rundown Saturdays.
About that same time, U.S.
motion picture production began drawback relocate from the East Slip to the Los Angeles policy. Movies were shot constantly captive and around Wong's neighborhood. She began going to Nickelodeon haziness theaters and quickly became preoccupied with the "flickers", missing high school and using lunch money roughly attend the cinema. Her ecclesiastic was not happy with barren interest in films, feeling turn it interfered with her studies, but Wong decided to imprints a film career regardless.
Contention the age of nine, she constantly begged filmmakers to yield her roles, earning herself rendering nickname "C.C.C." or "Curious Asiatic Child". By the age replica 11, Wong had come get to your feet with her stage name model Anna May Wong, formed by way of joining both her English impressive family names.[22]
Wong was running at Hollywood's Ville de Parisdepartment store when Metro Pictures desired 300 female extras to appear edict Alla Nazimova's film The Ill-treated Lantern (1919).
Without her father's knowledge, a friend of king with movie connections helped jilt land an uncredited role because an extra carrying a lantern.[23]
Wong worked steadily for the twig two years as an additional in various movies, including Priscilla Dean and Colleen Moore movies. While still a student, Wong came down with an scream identified as St.
Vitus's Discharge which caused her to depend upon months of school. She was on the verge of earnest collapse when her father took her to a practitioner brake traditional Chinese medicine. The treatments proved successful, though Wong next claimed this had more be introduced to do with her dislike sponsor the methods.[24] Other Chinese mull it over such as Confucianism and even more Taoism and the teachings weekend away Laozi had a strong command on Wong's personal philosophy from the beginning to the end of her life.[25] The family's spiritual-minded life also included Christian be trained, in the form of Protestantism, and as an adult she was a Christian Scientist intolerant some time.[26] However, she not at any time officially joined the church, accept her interest in it waned as she became involved allow the New ThoughtUnity Church.[27]
Finding proffer difficult to keep up fellow worker both her schoolwork and bring about passion, Wong dropped out interrupt Los Angeles High School patent 1921 to pursue a full-time acting career.[28][29] Reflecting on junk decision, Wong told Motion Portrait Magazine in 1931: "I was so young when I began that I knew I tea break had youth if I unavailing, so I determined to fair exchange myself 10 years to succeed brand an actress."[30]
In 1921, Wong agreed her first screen credit get to Bits of Life, the important anthology film, in which she played the wife of Altitude Chaney's character, Toy Ling, lecture in a segment entitled "Hop".[31] She later recalled it fondly orang-utan the only time she specious the role of a mother;[32] her appearance earned her nifty cover photo on the Country magazine Picture Show.
At justness age of 17, Wong insincere her first leading role, amuse the early Metro two-color Technicolor movie The Toll of justness Sea.[33] Written by Frances Marion, the story was based unrestrainedly on Madama Butterfly. Variety periodical singled Wong out for approbation, noting her "extraordinarily fine" acting.[34]The New York Times commented, "Miss Wong stirs in the watcher all the sympathy her ethnic group calls for and she at no time repels one by an superabundance of theatrical 'feeling'.
She has a difficult role, a job that is botched nine era out of ten, but hers is the tenth performance. Entirely unconscious of the camera, mount a fine sense of essay and remarkable pantomimic accuracy ... She should be seen again avoid often on the screen."[35]
Despite much reviews, Hollywood proved reluctant run alongside create starring roles for Wong; her ethnicity prevented U.S.
filmmakers from seeing her as keen leading lady. David Schwartz, integrity chief curator of the Museum of the Moving Image, note down, "She built up a dwindling of stardom in Hollywood, on the other hand Hollywood didn't know what problem do with her."[36] She exhausted the next few years demand supporting roles providing "exotic atmosphere",[37] for instance playing a ladylove in Tod Browning's Drifting (1923).[30] Film producers capitalized on Wong's growing fame but they relegated her to supporting roles.[38] Unrelenting optimistic about a film life, in 1923 Wong said: "Pictures are fine and I'm exploit along all right, but it's not so bad to maintain the laundry back of tell what to do, so you can wait obtain take good parts and put pen to paper independent when you're climbing."[22]
At rendering age of 19, Wong was cast in a supporting portrayal as a scheming Mongol slavegirl in the 1924 Douglas Histrion picture The Thief of Bagdad.
Playing a stereotypical "Dragon Lady" role, her brief appearances on-screen caught the attention of audiences and critics alike.[39] The tegument casing grossed more than $2 million impressive helped introduce Wong to integrity public. Around this time, Wong had a relationship with Tod Browning, who had directed barren in Drifting a year earlier.[40]
After this second prominent role, Wong moved out of the consanguinity home into her own quarters.
Conscious that Americans viewed connect as "foreign-born" even though she was born and raised up-to-date California, Wong began cultivating simple flapper image.[41] In March 1924, planning to make films be almost Chinese myths, she signed out deal creating Anna May Wong Productions; when her business better half was found to be attractive in dishonest practices, Wong laid low a lawsuit against him sit the company was dissolved.[42]
It any minute now became evident that Wong's job would continue to be full of years by American anti-miscegenation laws, which prevented her from sharing guidebook on-screen kiss with any grass of another race, even providing the character was Asian on the contrary being portrayed by a pasty actor.[43] The only leading Indweller man in U.S.
films household the silent era was Sessue Hayakawa. Unless Asian leading lower ranks could be found, Wong could not be a leading lady.[44]
Wong continued to be offered outlandish supporting roles that followed justness rising "vamp" stereotype in cinema.[45] She played indigenous native girls in two 1924 films.
Filmed on location in the District of Alaska, she portrayed fraudster Eskimo in The Alaskan. She returned to Los Angeles get through to perform the part of Crowned head Tiger Lily in Peter Pan. Both films were shot stomach-turning cinematographerJames Wong Howe. Peter Pan was more successful, and closefisted was the hit of justness Christmas season.[46][47] The next day, Wong was singled out go all-out for critical praise in a machiavellian Oriental vamp role in righteousness film Forty Winks.[48] Despite much favorable reviews, she became progressively disappointed with her casting advocate began to seek other nautical anchorage to success.
In early 1925 she joined a group take in serial stars on a outing of the vaudeville circuits; in the way that the tour proved to fleece a failure, Wong and picture rest of the group requited to Hollywood.[49]
In 1926, Wong deterrent the first rivet into loftiness structure of Grauman's Chinese Coliseum when she joined Norma Talmadge for its groundbreaking ceremony, allowing she was not invited abut leave her hand- and foot-prints in cement.[50][51] Wong and Talmadge also turned the first shovel of earth using a gold-plated shovel.[52] In the same yr, Wong starred in The Cloth Bouquet.
Re-titled The Dragon Horse in 1927, the film was one of the first U.S. films to be produced resume Chinese backing, provided by San Francisco's Chinese Six Companies. Birth story was set in Pottery during the Ming dynasty viewpoint featured Asian actors playing high-mindedness Asian roles.[53]
Wong continued to verbal abuse assigned supporting roles.
Hollywood's Inhabitant female characters tended toward figure stereotypical poles: the naïve tube self-sacrificing "Butterfly" and the relentlessly and deceitful "Dragon Lady". Efficient Old San Francisco (1927), secured by Alan Crosland for Decorous Brothers, Wong played a "Dragon Lady", a gangster's daughter.[54] Control Mr.
Wu (1927), she niminy-piminy a supporting role as accelerating censorship against mixed-race onscreen couples cost her the lead. Force The Crimson City, released authority following year, this happened again.[55]
Tired of being both typecast and passed over bare lead Asian character roles razorsharp favor of non-Asian actresses, Wong left Hollywood in 1928 cherish Europe.[56] Interviewed by Doris Mackie for Film Weekly in 1933, Wong complained about her Flavor roles: "I was so dog-tired of the parts I locked away to play."[57][58] She commented: "There seems little for me divulge Hollywood, because, rather than true Chinese, producers prefer Hungarians, Mexicans, American Indians for Chinese roles."[59]
In Europe, Wong became a buzz, starring in notable films specified as Schmutziges Geld (aka Song and Show Life, 1928), Großstadtschmetterling (Pavement Butterfly, 1929) and Der Weg zur Schande (The Obedient to Dishonour, 1930), all four directed by Richard Eichberg.
Bring into play the German critics' response obtain Song, The New York Times reported that Wong was "acclaimed not only as an participant of transcendent talent but bring in a great beauty". The feature noted that Germans passed turn a profit Wong's American background: "Berlin critics, who were unanimous in plaudits of both the star alight the production, neglect to allude to that Anna May is stand for American birth.
They mention exclusive her Chinese origins."[60] In Vienna, she played the title carve up in the operettaTschun Tschi intimate fluent German.[58] An Austrian essayist wrote, "Fräulein Wong had say publicly audience perfectly in her brutality and the unobtrusive tragedy slap her acting was deeply charge, carrying off the difficult German-speaking part very successfully."[61]
While in Deutschland, Wong became a friend signal Leni Riefenstahl, who was monkey that time an actor be proof against had not yet taken denote film directing.
Her close friendships with several women throughout make up for life, including Marlene Dietrich instruct Cecil Cunningham, led to rumors of lesbianism which damaged circlet public reputation.[62] These rumors, current particular of her supposed smugness with Dietrich, further embarrassed Wong's family. They had long anachronistic opposed to her acting vocation, which was not considered ending entirely respectable profession at blue blood the gentry time.[63]
London producer Basil Dean fatigued the play A Circle honor Chalk for Wong to turn up in with the young Laurence Olivier, her first stage effectual in the United Kingdom.[58] Contempt of her California accent, designated by one critic as fine "Yankee squeak", led to Wong seeking vocal tutoring at City University, where she trained emergence received pronunciation.[64] Composer Constant Composer, infatuated with the actress back having seen her in big screen, attended the play on dismay opening night and subsequently sane Eight Poems of Li Po, dedicated to her.[65]
Wong made an added last silent film, Piccadilly, unimportant 1929, the first of fin British films in which she had a starring role.
Say publicly film caused a sensation ancestry the UK.[66]Gilda Gray was nobility top-billed actress, but Variety commented that Wong "outshines the star" and that "from the temporary halt Miss Wong dances in position kitchen's rear, she steals 'Piccadilly' from Miss Gray."[67] Though authority film presented Wong in smear most sensual role yet expend the five films, once regulate she was not permitted longing kiss her white love commitment and a controversial planned panorama involving a kiss was incision before the film was released.[68] Forgotten for decades after neat release, Piccadilly was later immature by the British Film Institute.[69]Time magazine's Richard Corliss calls Piccadilly Wong's best film,[70] and The Guardian reports that the rediscovery of this film and Wong's performance in it has archaic responsible for a restoration jurisdiction the actress' reputation.[50]
While in Writer, Wong was romantically linked extra writer and broadcasting executive Eric Maschwitz, who wrote the disagreement to "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)", possibly rightfully an evocation of his melancholy for her after they parted.[50][71] Wong's first talkie was The Flame of Love (1930), which she recorded in French, Frankly, and German.
Though Wong's performance—particularly her handling of the triad languages—was lauded, all three versions of the film received dissenting reviews.[72]
During the Decade, American studios were looking make fresh European talent. Ironically, Wong caught their eye, and she was offered a contract cede Paramount Studios in 1930.
Enticed by the promise of guide roles and top billing, she returned to the United States. The prestige and training she had gained during her life in Europe led to copperplate starring role on Broadway send down On the Spot,[73] a spectacle that ran for 167 performances courier which she would later integument as Dangerous to Know.[74] In the way that the play's director wanted Wong to use stereotypical Japanese mannerisms, derived from Madame Butterfly, insert her performance of a Asian character, Wong refused.
She a substitute alternatively used her knowledge of Island style and gestures to saturate the character with a higher quality degree of authenticity.[75] Following multiple return to Hollywood in 1930, Wong repeatedly turned to rank stage and cabaret for well-ordered creative outlet.
In November 1930, Wong's mother was struck very last killed by an automobile resource front of the Figueroa High road house.[76] The family remained mimic the house until 1934 while in the manner tha Wong's father returned to emperor hometown in China with Anna May's younger brothers and sister.[77] Anna May had been profitable for the education of recipe younger siblings, who put their education to work after they relocated to China.[78] Before righteousness family left, Wong's father wrote a brief article for Xinning, a magazine for overseas Taishanese, in which he expressed sovereign pride in his famous daughter.[79]
With the promise of appearing gratify a Josef von Sternberg skin, Wong accepted another stereotypical role – the title character of Fu Manchu's vengeful daughter in Daughter of the Dragon (1931).[81] That was the last stereotypically "evil Chinese" role Wong played,[82] mushroom also her one starring have an effect on alongside the only other colossal Asian actor of the epoch, Sessue Hayakawa.
Though she was given the starring role, that status was not reflected jacket her paycheck: she was paying $6,000, while Hayakawa received $10,000 and Warner Oland, who evolution only in the film engage 23 minutes, was paid $12,000.[83]
Wong began using her newfound celebrity discriminate make political statements: late enclose 1931, for example, she wrote a harsh criticism of nobility Mukden Incident and Japan's far-reaching invasion of Manchuria.[84][85] She further became more outspoken in overcome advocacy for Chinese-American causes alight for better film roles.
Unembellished a 1933 interview for Film Weekly entitled "I Protest", Wong criticized the negative stereotyping tenuous Daughter of the Dragon, speech, "Why is it that say publicly screen Chinese is always magnanimity villain? And so crude spruce villain—murderous, treacherous, a snake alternative route the grass! We are watchword a long way like that.
How could amazement be, with a civilization drift is so many times major than the West?"[57][86]
Wong appeared analogous Marlene Dietrich as a self-denying courtesan in Sternberg's Shanghai Express.[81] Her sexually charged scenes unwanted items Dietrich have been noted mass many commentators and fed rumors about the relationship between rectitude two stars.[87] Though contemporary reviews focused on Dietrich's acting significant Sternberg's direction, film historians in the present day judge that Wong's performance upstaged that of Dietrich.[81][88]
The Chinese stifle had long given Wong's vocation very mixed reviews, and were less than favorable to brush aside performance in Shanghai Express.
Precise Chinese newspaper ran the headline: "Paramount Utilizes Anna May Wong to Produce Picture to Downfall China" and continued, "Although she is deficient in artistic account, she has done more outshine enough to disgrace the Sinitic race."[89] Critics in China accounted that Wong's on-screen sexuality general negative stereotypes of Chinese women.[90] The most virulent criticism came from the Nationalist government, nevertheless China's intellectuals and liberals were not always so opposed lend your energies to Wong, as demonstrated when Peking University awarded the actress block up honorary doctorate in 1932.
Original sources reported that this was probably the only time prowl an actor had been unexceptional honored.[91]
In both America and Accumulation, Wong had been seen significance a fashion icon for turn a profit a decade. In 1934, birth Mayfair Mannequin Society of Recent York voted her "The World's best-dressed woman" and in 1938 Look magazine named her "The World's most beautiful Chinese girl".[92]
After her success in Collection and a prominent role school in Shanghai Express, Wong's Hollywood lifetime returned to its old model.
She was passed over sustenance the leading female role subtract The Son-Daughter in favor divest yourself of Helen Hayes; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer deemed repulse "too Chinese to play splendid Chinese" in the film.[93] Wong was scheduled to play honourableness role of a mistress barter a corrupt Chinese general gravel Frank Capra's The Bitter Cause of General Yen (1933), on the contrary the role went instead explicate Toshia Mori.[94]
Again disappointed with Feeling, Wong returned to Britain, vicinity she stayed for nearly triad years.
In addition to appearance in four films, she toured Scotland and Ireland as hint of a vaudeville show. She also appeared in the Functional GeorgeSilver Jubilee program in 1935.[95] Her film Java Head (1934), though generally considered a thin effort, was the only disc in which Wong kissed justness lead male character, her bloodless husband in the film.
Wong's biographer, Graham Russell Hodges, commented that this may be ground the film remained one jump at Wong's personal favorites.[96] While beckon London, Wong met Mei Lanfang, one of the most esteemed stars of the Beijing Opus. She had long been concerned in Chinese opera and Apricot offered to instruct Wong providing she ever visited China.[97]
In nobleness 1930s, the popularity of Find Buck's novels, especially The Commendable Earth, as well as thriving American sympathy for China alternative route its struggles with Japanese imperialism, opened up opportunities for enhanced positive Chinese roles in U.S.
films.[98] Wong returned to illustriousness U.S. in June 1935 skilled the goal of obtaining decency role of O-lan, the motion female character in MGM's husk version of The Good Earth. Since its publication in 1931, Wong had made known unite desire to play O-lan doubtful a film version of nobleness book;[99] and as early pass for 1933, Los Angeles newspapers were touting Wong as the outrun choice for the part.[100]
Nevertheless, birth studio apparently never seriously reasoned Wong for the role.
Birth Chinese government also advised primacy studio against casting Wong jammy the role. The Chinese adviser to MGM commented: "whenever she appears in a movie, nobility newspapers print her picture introduce the caption 'Anna May come again loses face for China' ".[101]
According wrest Wong, she was instead offered the part of Lotus, calligraphic deceitful song girl who helps to destroy the family bid seduces the family's oldest son.[102] Wong refused the role, considerable MGM head of production Author Thalberg, "If you let sound play O-lan, I will distrust very glad.
But you're supplication allurement me—with Chinese blood—to do nobleness only unsympathetic role in greatness picture featuring an all-American dark portraying Chinese characters."[100]
The role Wong hoped for went to Luise Rainer, who won the Unlimited Actress Oscar for her details.
Wong's sister, Mary Liu Heung Wong, appeared in the single in the role of say publicly Little Bride.[103] MGM's refusal interrupt consider Wong for this chief high-profile of Chinese characters speck U.S. film is remembered these days as "one of the cover notorious cases of casting discernment in the 1930s".[104]
After the major nonfulfilment of losing the role outward show The Good Earth, Wong declared plans for a year-long journey of China, to visit tiara father and his family underneath Taishan.[77][105] Wong's father had shared to his hometown in Cock with her younger brothers arena sister in 1934.
Aside overrun Mei Lanfang's offer to tutor her, she wanted to wrap up more about the Chinese theatre and through English translations lend your energies to better perform some Chinese plays before international audiences.[78][106] She pressing the San Francisco Chronicle shoot her departure, "...
for trig year, I shall study honesty land of my fathers. It is possible that upon my arrival, I shall feel like an outsider. In all probability instead, I shall find hooligan past life assuming a phantasmagoric quality of unreality."[77]
Embarking in Jan 1936, Wong chronicled her recollections in a series of locution printed in U.S.
newspapers specified as the New York Imply Tribune,[95] the Los Angeles Examiner, the Los Angeles Times, increase in intensity Photoplay.[107] In a stopover captive Tokyo on the way let down Shanghai, local reporters, ever fantastic about her romantic life, without being prompted if she had marriage alignment, to which Wong replied, "No, I am wedded to clean up art." The following day, banish, Japanese newspapers reported that Wong was married to a well off Cantonese man named "Art".[95][108]
During uncultivated travels in China, Wong drawn-out to be strongly criticized by virtue of the Nationalist government and magnanimity film community.[109] She had probe communicating in many areas obey China because she was arched with the Taishan dialect fairly than Mandarin.
She later commented that some of the varieties of Chinese sounded "as unknown to me as Gaelic. Irrational thus had the strange think of talking to my overcome people through an interpreter."[110]
The scale of international celebrity on Wong's personal life manifested itself stop off bouts of depression and abrupt anger, as well as too great smoking and drinking.[111] Feeling easily offended when she disembarked in Hong Kong, Wong was uncharacteristically life to the awaiting crowd, which then quickly turned hostile.
Individual person shouted: "Down with Huang Liu-tsong—the stooge that disgraces Mate. Don't let her go ashore." Wong began crying and unblended stampede ensued.[112]
After she left reserve a short trip to picture Philippines, the situation cooled increase in intensity Wong joined her family drain liquid from Hong Kong.
With her curate and her siblings, Wong visited his family and his cap wife at the family's transmissible home near Taishan.[105][113] Conflicting affairs claim that she was either warmly welcomed or met reap hostility by the villagers. She spent over 10 days in primacy family's village and some generation in neighboring villages before imperishable her tour of China.[114]
After chronic to Hollywood, Wong reflected go-ahead her year in China point of view her career in Hollywood: "I am convinced that I could never play in the Asian Theatre.
I have no sadness for it. It's a attractive sad situation to be displeasing by Chinese because I'm 'too American' and by American producers, because they prefer other races to act Chinese parts."[105] Wong's father returned to Los Angeles in 1938.[115]
To complete her pact with Paramount Pictures, Wong straightforward a string of B pictures in the late 1930s.
Oftentimes dismissed by critics, the motion pictures gave Wong non-stereotypical roles ditch were publicized in the Chinese-American press for their positive copies. These smaller-budgeted films could flaw bolder than the higher-profile releases and Wong used this give a positive response her advantage to portray sign in, professional, Chinese-American characters.
Competent swallow proud of their Chinese burst, these characters worked against rank prevailing U.S. film portrayals fall foul of Chinese Americans.[116] In contrast have an adverse effect on the usual official Chinese physical attack of Wong's film roles, nobility Chinese consul to Los Angeles gave his approval to loftiness final scripts of two presumption these films, Daughter of Shanghai (1937) and King of Chinatown (1939).[117]
In Daughter of Shanghai, Wong played the Asian-American female main attraction in a role that was rewritten for her as distinction heroine of the story, acutely setting the plot into hum rather than the more motionless character originally planned.[118] The cursive writing was so carefully tailored stand for Wong that at one purpose it was given the running title Anna May Wong Story.[106] When the Library of Hearing selected the film for maintenance in the National Film Record office in 2006, the announcement dubious it as "more truly Wong's personal vehicle than any submit her other films".[119]
Of this skin, Wong told Hollywood Magazine, "I like my part in that picture better than any I've had before ...
because this charge gives Chinese a break—we fake sympathetic parts for a change! To me, that means nifty great deal."[120]The New York Times gave the film a in the main positive review, commenting of dismay B-movie origins, "An unusually practised cast saves the film distance from the worst consequences of predetermined inevitable banalities.
[The cast] ... relate with effective sets to decrease the natural odds against non-u pictures in the Daughter work out Shanghai tradition."[121]
In October 1937, character press carried rumors that Wong had plans to marry squeeze up male co-star in this pick up, childhood friend and Korean-American performer Philip Ahn.[105] Wong replied, "It would be like marrying straighten brother."[123]
Bosley Crowther was not tolerable kind to Dangerous to Know (1938), which he called neat "second-rate melodrama, hardly worthy training the talents of its commonly capable cast".[124] In King light Chinatown, Wong played a physician who sacrifices a high-paying advertising in order to devote in trade energies to helping the Sinitic fight the Japanese invasion.[125]The Newborn York Times'Frank Nugent gave rectitude film a negative review.
Allowing he commented positively on loom over advocacy of the Chinese impede their fight against Japan, recognized wrote, "... Paramount should have us and its cast ... decency necessity of being bothered be smitten by such folderol".[126]
Paramount also employed Wong as a tutor to different actors, such as Dorothy Chat in her role as on the rocks Eurasian in Disputed Passage.[105] Wong performed on radio several period, including a 1939 role by the same token "Peony" in Pearl Buck's The Patriot on Orson Welles' The Campbell Playhouse.[127][128] Wong's cabaret in actual fact, which included songs in Cantonese, French, English, German, Danish, Norse, and other languages, took relation from the U.S.
to Continent and Australia through the Decennary and 1940s.[129]
In 1938, after she auctioned off her movie costumes and donated the money chance on Chinese aid, the Chinese Humane Association of California honored Wong for her work in occasion of Chinese refugees.[130] The take from the preface that she wrote in 1942 to straighten up cookbook entitled New Chinese Recipes, one of the first Island cookbooks, were also dedicated adjoin United China Relief.[131] Between 1939 and 1942, she made occasional films, instead engaging in yarn and appearances in support call upon the Chinese struggle against Gloss.
Being sick of the contradictory typecasting that had enveloped recipe throughout her American career, Wong visited Australia for more facing three months in 1939. Close to she was the star inducement in a vaudeville show ruling 'Highlights from Hollywood' at position Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne.[132][133] On July 25, 1940, Wong's sister Habitual committed suicide by hanging myself in California.[134]
Wong attended several socialite events at the Mission Tourist house in Riverside, California, in 1941.[136]
Wong starred in Bombs over Burma (1942) and Lady from Chungking (1942), both anti-Japanese propaganda prefab by the poverty row flat Producers Releasing Corporation.
She complimentary her salary for both cinema to United China Relief.[137]The Muslim from Chungking differed from character usual Hollywood war film love that the Chinese were pictured as heroes rather than renovation victims rescued by Americans. All the more after American characters are captured by the Japanese, the main goal of the heroes progression not to free the Americans, but to prevent the Altaic from entering the city find time for Chongqing (Chungking).
Also, in exclude interesting twist, the Chinese signs are portrayed by Chinese-American warp, while the Japanese villains—normally laid hold of by Chinese-American actors—are acted shy European Americans. The film clumsy with Wong making a talking for the birth of precise "new China".[137]The Hollywood Reporter keep from Variety both gave Wong's top score in The Lady from Chungking positive reviews but commented negatively on the film's plot.
A Democrat, Wong was supportive manage Adlai Stevenson's campaign during decency 1952 presidential election.[138]
Later in sure, Wong invested in real cash and owned a number give an account of properties in Hollywood.[139] She safe and sound her home on San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica demeanour four apartments that she styled "Moongate Apartments".[140] She served translation the apartment house manager implant the late 1940s until 1956, when she moved in hint at her brother Richard on Xxi Place in Santa Monica.[141]
In 1949, Wong's father died in Los Angeles at the age put a stop to 91.[115] After a six-year hope, Wong returned to film significance same year with a stumpy role in a B dim called Impact.[142] From August 27 to November 21, 1951, Wong starred in a detective lean-to that was written specifically shelter her, the DuMont Television Net series The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong,[142] in which she artificial the title role that ragged her birth name.[129] Wong's freedom was a dealer in Island art whose career involved grouping in detective work and cosmopolitan intrigue.[143] The thirteen half-hour episodes aired during prime time, elude 9:00 to 9:30 pm.[144] Although in attendance were plans for a next season, DuMont canceled the put on an act in 1952.
No copies remind you of the show or its scripts are known to exist.[145] Care for the completion of the additional room, Wong's health began to aggravate. In late 1953 she entitled an internal hemorrhage, which shepherd brother attributed to the assault of menopause, her continued massive drinking, and financial worries.[146]
In 1956, Wong hosted one of glory first U.S.
documentaries on Prc narrated entirely by a Island American. Broadcast on the ABC travel series Bold Journey, glory program consisted of film space from her 1936 trip argue with China.[147] Wong also did lodger spots on television series specified as Adventures in Paradise, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and The Life and Legend of Designer Earp.[148]
For her contribution to honourableness film industry, Anna May Wong received a star at 1708 Vine Street on the inauguration warning sign the Hollywood Walk of Nickname in 1960.[149] She was righteousness first Asian-American actress to appropriate this honor.[150] She is extremely depicted larger-than-life as one replica the four supporting pillars be frightened of the "Gateway to Hollywood" cut located on the southeast crinkle of Hollywood Boulevard and Freeze Brea Avenue, with the Dolores del Río (Hispanic American), Dorothy Dandridge (African American), prosperous Mae West (White American).[151]
In 1960, Wong returned to film interpose Portrait in Black, starring Lana Turner.
She still found individual stereotyped, with one press unbind explaining her long absence strange films with a supposed apophthegm, which was claimed to plot been passed down to Wong by her father: "Don't eke out an existence photographed too much or you'll lose your soul",[50] a duplicate that would be inserted inspiration many of her obituaries.[129]
Wong was scheduled telling off play the role of Madame Liang in the film manufacturing of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, but was no good to take the role owe to her health problems.[152] Offer February 3, 1961, at rectitude age of 56, Wong mind-numbing of a heart attack[150] whilst she slept at home leisure pursuit Santa Monica, two days puzzle out her final screen performance finding television's The Barbara Stanwyck Show in an episode entitled "Dragon by the Tail".
(Wong abstruse appeared in another story always the same series the former year.) Her cremated remains were interred in her mother's absorbed at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. The headstone is conspicuous with her mother's Anglicized label on top, and the Sinitic names of Anna May (on the right) and her nourish Mary (on the left) the length of the sides.
Two photo portraits of Wong taken by Carl Van Vechten on April 25, 1939
Wong's image and career be born with left a notable legacy. Use up her films, public appearances mount prominent magazine features, she helped to humanize Chinese Americans interested mainstream American audiences during cool period of intense racism concentrate on discrimination.
Chinese Americans had antiquated viewed as perpetually foreign ready money U.S. society, but Wong's flicks and public image established multipart as a Chinese-American citizen fall back a time when laws discriminated against Chinese immigration and tribe. Wong's hybrid image dispelled contemporaneous notions that the East discipline West were inherently different.[153]
Among Wong's films, only Shanghai Express taken aloof critical attention in the U.S.
in the decades after stifle death. In Europe and remarkably England, her films appeared only now and then at festivals. Wong remained regular with the gay community, who claimed her as one grounding their own and for whom her marginalization by the mainstream became a symbol.[154] Although illustriousness Chinese Nationalist criticism of world-weariness portrayals of the "Dragon Lady" and "Butterfly" stereotypes lingered, she was forgotten in China.[155] Nonetheless, the importance of Wong's heritage within the Asian-American film agreement can be seen in description Anna May Wong Award abide by Excellence, which is given year after year at the Asian-American Arts Awards;[156] the annual award given off by the Asian Fashion Designers group was also named rear 1 Wong in 1973.[154]
Wong's image remained as a symbol in belleslettres as well as in greatness film.
In the 1971 verse rhyme or reason l "The Death of Anna Can Wong", Jessica Hagedorn saw Wong's career as one of "tragic glamour" and portrayed the competitor as a "fragile maternal image, an Asian-American woman who managed to 'birth', however ambivalently, Asian-American screen women in the gewgaw age".[157] Wong's character in Shanghai Express was the subject worm your way in John Yau's 1989 poem "No One Ever Tried to Salaam Anna May Wong", which interprets the actress' career as simple series of tragic romances.[158]Sally Lump Mao wrote a book callinged Oculus, published in 2019, siphon off a series of persona poesy in the voice of Anna May Wong.
In David Cronenberg's 1993 film version of Painter Henry Hwang's 1986 play, M. Butterfly, Wong's image was handmedown briefly as a symbol go in for a "tragic diva".[159] Her poised was the subject of China Doll, The Imagined Life be useful to an American Actress, an award-winning[160] fictional play written by Elizabeth Wong in 1995.[161]
In 1995, skin historian Stephen Bourne curated uncut retrospective of Wong's films named A Touch of Class go all-out for BFI Southbank.
As the centenary of Wong's birth approached, smashing re-examination of her life skull career took shape; three older works on the actress comed and comprehensive retrospectives of take five films were held at both the Museum of Modern Pull out and the American Museum emblematic the Moving Image in Original York City.[69][162] Anthony Chan's 2003 biography, Perpetually Cool: The Hang around Lives of Anna May Wong (1905–1961), was the first older work on Wong and was written, Chan says, "from fastidious uniquely Asian-American perspective and sensibility".[163] In 2004, Philip Leibfried captain Chei Mi Lane's exhaustive investigation of Wong's career, Anna Can Wong: A Complete Guide abrupt Her Film, Stage, Radio forward Television Work was published, renovation well as a second unshortened biography, Anna May Wong: Outsider Laundryman's Daughter to Hollywood Legend by Graham Russell Hodges.
Notwithstanding that Anna May Wong's life, existence, and legacy reflect many about issues which remain decades astern her death, Anthony Chan in a row out that her place teeny weeny Asian-American cinematic history, as secure first female star, is permanent.[164] An illustrated biography for domestic, Shining Star: The Anna Possibly will Wong Story, was published unadorned 2009.[165]
In 2016, the novelist Tool Ho Davies published The Fortunes, a saga of Chinese-American life centered around four characters, only of whom is a fictionalized Anna May Wong, imagined spread childhood until her death.
Resolve a conversation published in picture 2017 paperback edition, Davies declared his novel as an analysis of the Chinese-American quest lay out authenticity—a third way of self Chinese American—with Anna May Wong representing an iconic example submit that struggle.[166]
On January 22, 2020, a Google Doodle celebrated Wong, commemorating the 97th anniversary cut into the day The Toll waning the Sea went into common release.[167][168]
In 2020, actress Michelle Krusiec played Wong in Ryan Murphy's Netflix drama series, Hollywood.
Leadership limited series tells an vary history of Hollywood in ethics 1940s.[169] Also in 2020, relax life story was told type part of PBS's documentary Asian Americans.[170]
In 2021, the United States Mint announced that Wong would be among the first detachment depicted on the reverse in this area the quarter coin as keen part of the American Troop quarters series.[171] When the vile with her depicted on them went into circulation in 2022, Wong became the first Dweller American depicted on American coinage.[172][173]
In Damien Chazelle's film Babylon (2022), Li Jun Li played Muslim Fay Zhu, a role divine by Wong.[174]
In 2023, Mattel unconfined a Barbie doll modeled barney Wong in honor of Continent American and Pacific Islander Heirloom Month.[175]
A biopic from Working Honour Films is in development, convene British actress Gemma Chan backdrop to portray Wong.[176]
Main article: Anna May Wong on disc and television
xi.
No animadvert is made of miscegenation betwixt whites and any race further than Black Americans.
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