Anna May Wong

Her career crossed silent film, sound film, television, stage, and radio. She started as an extra in The Red Lantern (1919). During the silent era, she acted in The Toll of the Sea (1922), one of the first films made in color, and in Douglas Fairbanks' The Thief of Bagdad (1924). By 1924 she had achieved international stardom and became a fashion icon, one of the first to embrace the flapper look. In 1934, the Mayfair Mannequin Society of New York voted her the "world's best dressed woman."

Frustrated by stereotypical roles in Hollywood, Wong went to Europe in March 1928, starring in works including Piccadilly (1929). She later appeared in Daughter of the Dragon (1931), Shanghai Express (1932) with Marlene Dietrich, Java Head (1934), and Daughter of Shanghai (1937). In 1935, she faced the biggest disappointment of her career when MGM refused to consider her for the lead in The Good Earth, casting Luise Rainer instead in yellowface. Wong then toured China, visited her ancestral village, and studied Chinese culture.

In the late 1930s, she starred in B movies for Paramount, portraying Chinese characters positively. During World War II, she focused on helping the Chinese cause against Japan. In 1951, she made history with The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, the first U.S. television show starring an Asian-American lead. She died on February 3, 1961, at age 56, from a heart attack, while planning a return to film in Flower Drum Song. Her legacy has been re-evaluated in recent years.