Welcome to our 19th #womanoftheweek! Today, we will be discussing Anna May Wong, a Asian American Actress! Enjoy!
Widely considered to be the first major Chinese-American film star, actress Anna May Wong (1905-1961) even now sets the standard for many a young showbiz hopeful. On January 3 in Los Angeles, she was born Wong Liu Tsong to Sam Sing and Goy Toy Lee, both first-generation immigrants from Taishan, China. Racism troubles were lurking around every corner from childhood, when Wong and her older sister were bullied at their elementary school. After the family escaped to Chinatown, Wong decided she wanted to become a movie star and created her stage name, Anna May Wong, by combining her Chinese and American names. She’d been visiting movie sets ever since film production moved to California and seeing movies whenever she had a chance. At age 14, she landed her first role - an extra in the film The Red Lantern. This was only the start of a fabulous career.
Anna May balanced school and movie roles for most of her school career before dropping out at age 16 to become a full-time actress. Her first leading role came about in 1922 where she was cast in the silent film The Toll of the Sea. However, this was soon realized to be a false start, as Hollywood tended to cast her in supporting roles or those of “typical Asian characters”. At the time, interracial relations were strictly monitored by law, and actors of different colors couldn’t even kiss on-screen. Realizing that she might be better off elsewhere, Anna May moved to Europe to star in many plays and films. Though she was wildly successful there, she was enticed by Paramount Studios to move back to America when promised leading roles. Though she did star in quite a few films there, she was overwhelmingly asked to play Asian roles. In spite of this, her career paved the way for future Asian-American actors - she was the first of her kind and an early advocate of diversity in film.
Besides being a marvelous actress, Wong more than did her part in speaking out about Asian film stereotypes. She was a memorable victim of typecasting due to racism, and forced to accept degrading roles for her career, offending her and her own people. Seeing this beautiful and poised actress on film, one could hardly guess how harshly she was criticized by the media and the Chinese at home. Her legacy remains in global film and rests on the Hollywood walk of fame, inspiring actors and social reformers alike, even to this day.
This is a Woman of the Week article, a weekly deep dive into an amazing women of color. For more incredible stories like this one, check out our article on Rigoberta Menchu and Deb Haaland! Also, make sure to follow us at @likeagirlglobalon Instagram for more updates and original content!
What actresses of color do you look up to? Comment below!
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