Knowra Anna May Wong Anna May Wong Anna May Wong was an American actress and the first Chinese American Hollywood movie star. Her career spanned silent films, sound films, and television, while racial stereotyping limited many roles available to her.
The Toll of the Sea : A 1922 American silent film starring Anna May Wong as a Chinese woman whose love ends in tragedy. This early starring role established her screen presence in a story shaped by racialized conventions.
Yellowface : The casting of non-Asian performers as Asian characters, often with racialized makeup and caricature. Wong competed for roles in an industry that routinely cast white actors as Asian characters.
Sessue Hayakawa : A Japanese actor who became an international film star during the silent era. Like Wong, Hayakawa achieved stardom while Hollywood restricted Asian performers to narrow roles.
Los Angeles Chinatown : A historic Chinese American neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. Wong grew up in Los Angeles amid the city's Chinese American community.
Hollywood Walk of Fame : A public sidewalk landmark in Hollywood, Los Angeles, bearing stars honoring entertainment figures. Wong received a star in 1960, a late official recognition of her screen career.
The Thief of Bagdad : A 1924 silent fantasy film directed by Raoul Walsh, featuring Anna May Wong as the Mongol slave. Wong’s supporting role illustrates the exoticized parts Hollywood offered her.
Dragon Lady : A stereotype portraying an Asian woman as seductive, domineering, and dangerous. Several roles Wong was offered drew on this stereotype, even as she sought more varied characters.
Douglas Fairbanks : An American actor and producer who starred in and produced popular silent adventure films. Fairbanks cast Wong in The Thief of Bagdad, one of her best-known early films.
Chinese American history : The history of people of Chinese descent in the United States and their communities. Anti-Chinese discrimination and changing immigration shaped the world in which Wong built her career.
Asian American representation in media : The presence and portrayal of Asian Americans in media, including questions of visibility, stereotyping, and agency. Wong’s career remains a touchstone for assessing who gets to portray Asian characters.
Show all 27