Sunday, January 3, 2010

on this day in 1905

on the 3rd of january 1905 anna may wong (wong lui tsong) was born in los angeles to second generation chinese american parents. wong was the first asian american to become an international star. during the silent film era, wong starred in the toll of the sea and thief of bagdad. by 1924, wong became a fashion icon and achieved international stardom.
frustrated by the stereotypical supporting roles, wong left hollywood for europe in the late 1920s, wong starred in several significant plays and films among them piccadilly which caused sensation in the uk, her electric and sexually-charged performance was a revelation.
during the early 1930s, wong spent her time between america and europe, wong featured in such films as daughter of the dragon and shanghai express with marlene dietrich.
after world war II, wong spent time in china but later returned back to america and made several television appearances.
in 1961, wong had been planning to return to film with flower drum song, sadly wong died of a heart attack.

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