“Today’s Mighty Girl Hero is Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star an
“Today’s Mighty Girl Hero is Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American movie star and the first Asian American actress to become internationally famous. Wong is often remembered for her efforts to combat racial inequality and ethnic stereotypes in early film. Born Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles in 1905, Wong was a third generation Chinese American, who grew up working at her family’s laundry business but her dream was to star on the silver screen. The West Coast was just beginning its reign as the center for film studios, and young Wong was enthralled. By the age of nine she had chosen her stage name, Anna May Wong. At age 17, she landed her first leading role in the Technicolor film “The Toll of the Sea,” a performance that received rave reviews. Critical praise continued to follow Wong but the only jobs being offered were for supporting roles depicting stereotypical characters. Her hopes for leading roles were limited, as the laws of the day even prevented interracial kisses from appearing on-screen. Frustrated by the limited options, and a tendency for Hollywood to cast non-Asians for Asian characters, Wong pursued stage and screen roles elsewhere. Her travels brought her to Europe, where she developed a glowing reputation, but she eventually moved back to Hollywood. She continued to be met with and challenge typecast roles for the duration of her career, which lasted for 40 years and included 54 films. While Wong began acting in the silent film era, she is one of the few actresses who successfully made the transition to cinema with sound. Her contributions to the film industry have been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a pillar depicting her image in the “Gateway to Hollywood” sculpture. To introduce children to Wong’s fascinating life story, we recommend “Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story” for ages 6 to 10 at http://www.amightygirl.com/shining-star-the-anna-may-wong-story Anna May Wong was also featured in our post “Celebrating Mighty Girl Heroes: Ten Women You Might Not Know, But Should” – to learn about other great but underrecognized Mighty Girl Heroes, visit http://www.amightygirl.com/blog/?p=2515″ As seen on the A Mighty Girl Facebook page -- source link
#chinese women#asian actresses#racial inequality#racial stereotypes#ethnic stereotypes#racism#racist#women's history#herstory