Anna May Wong: The First Asian-American Movie Star Hollywood Forgot

Anna May Wong: The First Asian-American Movie Star Hollywood Forgot

For many, Anna May Wong has a mixed legacy. At times, she advocated for accurate Asian representations, like during the production of Dangerous to Know, when Wong "outright refused" to use Japanese mannerisms for a Chinese character, according to Esquire. But simultaneously, Wong accepted roles that required her to act as a race other than her own and often accepted stereotypical roles herself, including one in Daughter of the Dragon because, according to the National Women's History Museum, "she was promised that she would be able to appear in a Josef von Sternberg film."

And according to Written Chinese, when Wong was criticized in China for the stereotypical orientalist roles she played, she claimed that this was because no other roles were being offered to her. However, Wong later admitted that "because of her more western upbringing, she knew very little about authentic Chinese culture, and assumed the stereotypes of philosophical, tea drinkers were correct." But despite this, Wong can be credited for "open[ing] a door for future Asian-American actresses."


In 1951, Anna May Wong starred in a detective television series titled The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, and, according to From Beneath the Hollywood Sign, became the first Asian-American to be the lead in their own TV show. Not only was the show "written specifically for her," but the title character was named after her Chinese birth name. Unfortunately, according to Vulture, the series was cancelled after just one season and "no scripts or episodes seem to have survived."