Nancy Kwan

November 8, 2018December 8, 2018
actors, Theater
Tagged actress, Asian American, Hollywood, nancy kwan
by mayahiebs

Nancy Kwan was born in Hong Kong in 1939 to a Cantonese father and English-Scottish mother. Her father and her siblings escaped from Hong Kong to North Korea in 1941 in fear of the Japanese invasion, while her mother went to England. They remained in China until the war ended when they returned to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, Kwan’s parents got a divorce when she was just two years old, therefore leading to her being raised by her biological father and Chinese stepmother.

In school, Kwan studied to become a dancer and attended the Royal Ballet School in London at the age of 18. After graduation, she traveled for some time in Europe before returning to Hong Kong and opening her own ballet school. One of Kwan’s first acting experiences was in the auditions for The World of Suzie Wong. The director saw potential in her and requested for her to first attend acting school in Hollywood. Kwan then moved to New York and was cast in the play of The World of Suzie Wong, closely followed by the film version of the play. The movie was a “box-office sensation” and Kwan quickly gained popularity. She then played Linda Low in Flower Drum Song in 1961 and also appeared in various magazines as the

Publicity photo of Nancy Kwan in the motion picture “The World of Suzie Wong”

cover or in articles. Despite her fame in Hollywood, Kwan discovered that she could not avoid the ethnic typecasting that forced her to only play Asian characters even with her Eurasian look. She traveled to Europe and Hong Kong to play characters of more diversity and appeared in various British films, Bruce Lee films, and Hong Kong productions. Kwan is still actively involved in the entertainment industry and says that she does not plan to retire.

Nancy Kwan played an important role in influencing the acceptance of Asian American actors and actresses in Hollywood. She was chosen by Goldsea Asian American Daily as one of the “100 Most Inspiring Asian Americans of All Time” and is the spokeswoman for the Asian American Voters Coalition, a political group aiming to help Asian actors. Kwan is also very vocal about Eurasian identities, even writing, directing, and starring in a film, Loose Woman With No Face, about the life of Euro-Asians in Los Angeles.

Sources:

Hung, Melissa. “How Nancy Kwan Went From Ballet to the Big Screen.” Shondaland, Shondaland, 11 Sept. 2018, www.shondaland.com/live/a22986681/nancy-kwan-interview/.

Photos from Getty Images.