Anna May Wong was an early film star and will be the first Asian American to appear on U.S. money, almost 100 years after her first movie role.
The U.S. Mint is set to begin shipping quarter-coins featuring her likeness Monday.
Wong was dubbed the first Asian American Hollywood star. She overcame discrimination and intense racism to continue her 40-year career as a silent and sound filmmaker, theatre and radio host.
Wong was born in Los Angeles. At 14 he began acting and eventually took the lead in a role. “The Toll of the Sea”In 1922. She was not able to land major roles in Hollywood, which was the era of negative typecasting. “yellowface,”White people used to wear makeup and clothing. “appear”Asians are often cast by industry leaders to avoid casting Asian actors. Anti-miscegenation laws were also passed, which criminalized interracial relationships. This limited the roles Wong and other Asian American actresses can take.
Wong fled to Europe in the 1920s to find a better job in the industry and to escape the racism that she experienced. Later, she returned to the USA to make her hit films, including “Shanghai Express,” a 1932 romance movie that became one of Wong’s best-known roles. Because her style often incorporated flapper-era styles with traditional Chinese dresses, she became well-known for her fashion sense.
Wong was a champion for Asian representation on the screen. She appeared in more than 60 films during her career. She was awarded a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, just one year before her death.
“Many prominent actors from the 1920s and 1930s saw their name framed by lightbulbs on movie theater marquees, so I thought it made sense to feature Anna May Wong in this way,” said the coin’s designer, Emily Damstra, in a press release. “Along with the hard work, determination, and skill Anna May Wong brought to the profession of acting, I think it was her face and expressive gestures that really captivated movie audiences, so I included these elements next to her name.”
Ventris Gibson, Mint director, called Wong “a courageous advocate
who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors.”Wong’s coin will start shipping Oct. 24. The actress’s coin is the fifth design in the American Women Quarters Program, celebrating groundbreaking women by placing them on quarter dollar coins. The four other quarters include poet and activist Maya Angelou, Wilma Mankiller, Cherokee Nation leader; Nina Otero Warren; and Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space.
