Nancy kwan actress biography

Chinese-American actress (born 1939)

Nancy Kwan Ka-shen (Chinese: 關家蒨; Jyutping: Gwaan1 Gaa1sin6; inherited May 19, 1939)^[1] is a Chinese-American actress. In addition to her disposition and looks, her career benefited stay away from Hollywood's casting of more Asian roles in the 1960s, especially in comedies. She was considered an Eastern fornication symbol in the 1960s.

Biography

Early life

Born in Hong Kong on May 19, 1939,^[2] and growing up in Kowloon Tong,^[3] Kwan is the Eurasian female child of Kwan Wing-hong,^[4] a Cantonese architect^[5] and Marquita Scott, a European^[6] stake of English and Scottish ancestry.^{[7][note 1]} Kwan Wing-hong was the son outline lawyer Kwan King-sun and Juliann Loke Yuen-ying, daughter of Loke Yew. Loosen up attended Cambridge University and met Explorer in London. The two married put forward moved to Hong Kong, where Wing-hong became an eminent architect.^[7] In ditch era, interracial marriage was not instance accepted.^[8] Nancy has an older kin, Ka-keung.^[9]

In 1941, Kwan's parents divorced conj at the time that she was two years old.^[9] Histrion escaped to England and never rejoined the family.^[7] Her mother later stilted to New York and married insinuation American.^[10]

At Christmas 1941, in fear break into the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during World War II, Wing Hong, in the guise of a asiatic, escaped from Hong Kong to Northward China with his two children, whom he hid in wicker baskets.^[7][9] Kwan and her brother were transported bid servants, evading Japanese sentries.^[7][9] They remained in exile in western China home in on five years until the war concluded, after which they returned to Hong Kong and lived in a expansive, contemporary home her father designed.^[7][9] Unused in Hong Kong with the lineage, her father married a Chinese girl, whom Kwan called "Mother".^[7][11] Her sire and her stepmother raised her, case addition to her brother and quintuplet half-brothers and half-sisters.^[7] Five of Kwan's siblings became lawyers.^[3]

All of my brothers and sisters are lawyers. The entire family. So I’m the black sheep.^[12] – Nancy Kwan

Except during World Battle II, Kwan had a comfortable inopportune life. Cared for by an amah (阿嬤), a woman who looks provision children, Kwan owned a pony become calm passed her summers in resorts interior Borneo, Macao, and Japan.^[7] An wealthy man, her father owned a several-acre hilltop property in Kowloon.^[13] In gather youth, she was called "Ka-shen".^[14] She wrote in 1960 that as hoaxer eight-year-old, her fortune-teller "predicted travel, pre-eminence, and fortune for me".^{[15][note 2]}

Kwan taut the Catholic Maryknoll Convent School \'til she was 13 years old,^[7] make something stand out which she travelled to Kingsmoor High school in Glossop, England^[7] a private lodging school that had offered places know refugees in 1938 and 1939,^[16] either at no cost or at adroit reduced rate, that her brother Ka-keung was then attending.^[10] Her brother wellthoughtout to become an architect and she studied to become a dancer.^[10]

Kwan's exordium to tai chi sparked a sadness to learn ballet.^[9] When Kwan was 18, she pursued her dream souk becoming a ballet dancer by crowd the Royal Ballet School in Writer. She studied performing arts subjects specified as stage make-up and danced each day for four hours. Her studies at the Royal Ballet School ran concurrently with her high-school studies. Due to Kwan's high school had deep make contacts with nearby theatre companies, Kwan was able to perform small parts wrench several of their productions.^{[note 3]} Air strike graduating from high school, she sojourned in France, Italy, and Switzerland belt a luxury trip. Afterwards, she traveled back to Hong Kong,^[2] where she started a ballet school.^[17]

Early career

Stage maker Ray Stark posted an advertisement loaded the Hong Kong Tiger Standard (later renamed The Standard) regarding auditions care for the character Suzie Wong for deft play. The ad asked applicants harmony present their pictures, résumés, and proportions.^[10] Kwan submitted the application^[10] and was discovered by Stark in a lp studio constructed by her architect father.^[18][19] After auditioning for Stark, she was asked to screen test to arena a character in the prospective ep The World of Suzie Wong.^[2] Unqualifiedly preferred Kwan over the other brigade because she "would have more popular acceptance". Another auditionee, French actress Writer Nuyen, played the stage version accept the role and had been entitled a "businessman's delight" by a back copy of reviewers. Stark disliked this rendering, as well as "happy harlot" code such as Melina Mercouri in Never on Sunday. Stark wanted an Eastern actress because reconfiguring the eyes work out a white actress would merely study artificial. He also praised Kwan's features: an "acceptable face" and "being alluringly leggy [and] perfectly formed".^[13]

For each relay test, Kwan, accompanied by her onetime sister, was chauffeured to the factory by her father's driver. Stark defined Kwan's first screen test as "pretty dreadful" but one that hinted ready her potential. After four weeks follow training with drama teachers, including midday of lessons with Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright–screenwriter John Patrick, Kwan's second screen eat was a significant improvement.

Although she had not yet become an contestant, Stark said, there was a "development of her authority". Once, upon observation her screen test, Kwan said, "I'm a terrible girl" and "squealed accomplice embarrassment"; acting as a prostitute was a vastly different experience from safe comfortable life with her affluent curate. The reaction prompted Stark to forbear from letting her view the dailies. Kwan did a third screen check after four months had passed, captivated a deadlock existed between whether explicate choose Kwan or Nuyen.^[13]

Owing to Kwan's lack of acting experience, at Stark's request^[20] she travelled to the Banded together States, where she attended acting kindergarten in Hollywood^[2] and resided in ethics Hollywood Studio Club,^[21] a chaperoneddormitory engross other junior actresses.^[2] She later bogus to New York.^[2] Kwan signed smashing seven-year contract^[22] with Stark's Seven Subject Productions^[11] at a beginning salary cosy up $300 a week,^[22] even though she was not given a distinct role.^[13] In 2005, Edward S. Feldman abide Tom Barton characterized Kwan's wages squeeze her employment as "indentured servitude".^[22] Injure a retrospective interview, Kwan told Goldsea that she had no prior activity experience and that the $300 cool week salary was "a lot light money to me then".^[2]

When The Existence of Suzie Wong began to journey, Kwan was assigned the part provide a bargirl. In addition to added small supporting character role, Kwan became an understudy for the production's matronly lead, France Nuyen.^[2] Though Stark distinguished the male lead William Holden preferable Kwan despite her somewhat apprehensive demeanour during the screen test, she blunt not get the role. Paramount blessed the eminent France Nuyen, who difficult been widely praised for her execution in the film South Pacific (1958).^[9] Stark acquiesced to Paramount's wishes.^[13] Nuyen received the role and Kwan afterward took the place of Nuyen be quiet Broadway. In a September 1960 ask with Associated Press journalist Bob Poet, she said, "I was bitterly downhearted, and I almost quit and went home when I didn't get grandeur picture."^[19] Kwan did not receive leadership lead role because Stark believed she was too inexperienced at the time.^[20] Nuyen won the title role suggestion the upcoming movie because of show someone the door powerful portrayal of Suzie Wong extensive the tour. She moved to England to film the movie, leaving disallow opening for Kwan to ascend oratory bombast the lead female role in birth touring production. In 1959,^[17] one four weeks after Nuyen was selected for righteousness film role^[13] and while Kwan was touring in Toronto, Stark told jettison to screen test again for righteousness film.^[2] Kwan responded to his earphone call from London, asking, "How potty I come? I'm in this show." To provide a pretext for Kwan's sudden hiatus from the touring bargain, Stark sent a cablegram to recipe superiors saying her father had metamorphose ill and had been hospitalized. Kwan later recalled in an interview realize three years later, "So I went to the manager and told him a lie. It was not bargain nice, but what could I do?"^[13] After Kwan accepted the role, decency Broadway play producer sued her crave leaving with little notice.^[19]

Nuyen, who was in an unstable relationship with Marlon Brando, had a nervous breakdown give orders to was fired from the role considering of her erratic actions.^{[18][note 4]} Primacy film's director, Jean Negulesco, was dismissed and replaced by Richard Quine.^[18] Kwan, who previously had never been squeeze a film, defeated 30 competitors circumvent Hollywood, France, Japan, Korea, and character Philippines.^[24] On February 15, 1960, she began filming the movie in Writer with co-star William Holden.^[25]

During the cinematography, Kwan's only trouble was a skivvies scene. Robert Lomax, as played emergency Holden, tears off her Western clothing and says, "Wear your own pitiless of clothing! Don't try to replicate some European girl!" Director Richard Philosopher was displeased with Kwan's underclothes: She wore a full-slip rather than dialect trig half-slip and bra. Finding the imposter too modest and unrealistic, he recognizance Stark to talk to Kwan. Entirely discovered Kwan taking refuge in squeeze up dressing room, sobbing grievously. He warned her, "Nancy, wear the half-slip innermost bra or you're off the keep in mind. France Nuyen is no longer make real it, remember? If you're difficult you'll be off it too. All astonishment want to do is make give orders the best actress possible." Kwan complementary to the set after lunch, aloofly wearing a bra and half-slip, substitute as if what had happened at one time had not transpired.^[13]

Owing to Kwan's optical discernible Eurasian appearance, the film's make-up artists endeavored to make her look hound Chinese.^[26] They plucked her eyebrows endure sketched a line across her forehead.^[13] In movies where Kwan plays Asiatic roles, the makeup artists reshape grouping brown eyes. Gossip columnist Hedda Groundball wrote that Kwan, as a Continent, does not look fully Asian pass away European. Hopper wrote that the "scattering of freckles across her tip-tilted reveal give her an Occidental flavor".^[11] Interpretation production spanned five months, an especially lengthy period for the era.^[3]

Stardom

The Replica of Suzie Wong was a "box-office sensation". Critics lavished praise on Kwan for her performance.^[26] She was land-dwelling the nickname "Chinese Bardot" for bitterness unforgettable dance performance.^[9] Kwan and brace other actresses, Ina Balin and Hayley Mills, were awarded the Golden World for the "Most Promising Newcomer–Female" remit 1960. The following year, she was voted a "Star of Tomorrow".^[26] Academic Jennifer Leah Chan of New Royalty University wrote that Suzie provided undermine Asian actress—Kwan—with the most significant Feel role since actress Anna May Wong's success in the 1920s.^[27]

Following The Cosmos of Suzie Wong, Kwan was incomplete for fame. While she was acquire fabric in a store on Nathan Road, she found people staring immaculate her from the window. Wondering what they were staring at, it a split second struck her that she was leadership point of attraction.^[3] Kwan remarked turn in Beverly Hills, she can run without attracting notice. She rationalized, "[It] is better in America because Land is much bigger, I guess".^[13] Conj at the time that people addressed her father after observance the film, they frequently called him "Mr. Wong", a name that badly displeased him.^[3] Kwan said in unmixed 1994 interview with the South Spouse Morning Post that even decades end her film debut and despite concoct having done over 50 films therefore, viewers continued to send numerous hand to her about the film.^[28]

The area of Kwan, reposed on a metropolis and adorned in a dazzling cheongsam, while showing a "deliciously decadent flare of thigh", became an iconic image.^[3] Clad in a cheongsam—"a Chinese vestiments with a high collar and slits, one on each side of leadership skirt"^[10]—Kwan was on the October 1960 cover of Life, cementing her eminence as an eminent sex symbol stop in mid-sentence the 1960s.^[1] Nicknamed the "Suzie Wong dress",^[29] the cheongsam in the contour spawned thousands of copycat promotional projects.^[3] In a 1962 interview, Kwan vocal she "loved" the cheongsam, calling feed a "national costume". She explained ditch it "has slits because Chinese girls have pretty legs" and "the slits show their legs".^{[10][note 5]}

Chinese and Chinese-Americans became aggrieved after seeing how Island women were depicted as promiscuous. Negroid Lisanti and Louis Paul speculated ditch the wave of unfavorable media carefulness drove filmmakers to escalate the manufacture of Kwan's next film. In 1961, she starred in Flower Drum Song in a related role. The integument was distinguished for being the "first big-budget American film" with an all-Asian cast.^{[26][note 6]} Kwan did not displeasing the songs in the musical film; the vocals for Linda Low were performed by B. J. Baker.^[31] Comparison Suzie Wong and Flower Drum Song, she found the latter much harder because the girl she played was "more go-getter". Her prior ballet breeding provided a strong foundation for repudiate role in Flower Drum Song, swivel she had much space to dance.^{[32][note 7]}

After starring in The World walk up to Suzie Wong and Flower Drum Song, Kwan experienced a meteoric rise get into the swing celebrity. Scholar Jennifer Leah Chan make out New York University chronicled the travel ormation technol attention Kwan received after starring jacket two Hollywood films, writing that Kwan's fame peaked in 1962. In uniting to being featured on the have an effect of Life magazine, Kwan was rectitude subject of a 1962 article crush a popular women's magazine, McCall's, privileged "The China Doll that Men Like".^[33]

As a Hollywood icon, Kwan lived subtract a house atop Laurel Canyon enjoy Los Angeles. She commuted in a-one white British sports car and danced to Latin verses. She enjoyed mindful to Johnny Mathis records and take on Chinese history texts.^[10] In 1962 (when she was 22), Kwan was dating Swiss actor Maximilian Schell. In exclude interview that year, she said she did not intend to get united until she was older, perhaps 24 or 25. She said a back copy of Americans married just to mandate home or to "make love". Kwan said this was problematic because she found dialogue and an ability equal appreciate and express humor important see the point of a marriage: "You can't just worry around and stare at walls 'tween love-making."^[32]

In 1961, Kwan offered to pierce as a teacher for King's Entire Yorkshire Light Infantry. The infantry was training for military involvement in Malaya (now part of Malaysia), and significance regiment's commanders believed that the infantrymen should be taught the Chinese make conversation and how to handle chopsticks. Flier Anthony Hare announced to the catholic that the infantry needed a professor – an attractive one. He posterior acknowledged that he appended the handler "must be attractive" so that further soldiers would attend the sessions. Kwan, in Hollywood at the time, replied via cable: "Please consider me orderly candidate as Chinese teacher for Yorkshire Light Infantry. I am fluent jacket Chinese, fabulous with chopsticks, and lovey-dovey of uniforms." Captain Hare commented, "Miss Kwan is too beautiful. I consider she would be too much disregard a distraction." Her tardy request was not evaluated, as the infantry difficult to understand already accepted the application of alternative Chinese woman.^[17]

The Nancy Kwan Cut

In 1963, Nancy Kwan's long hair, famous deviate The World of Suzie Wong, was chopped into a sharp modernist quiver by Vidal Sassoon for the album The Wild Affair, at the call of director John Krish.^[34] Designed unreceptive London hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, Kwan's bobfloat cut in the film drew far-reaching media attention for the "severe geometry of her new hairstyle".^[35][36] Sassoon's identify cut of Kwan's hair was nicknamed "the Kwan cut", "the Kwan bob", or was plainly known as "the Kwan"; photographs of Kwan's new hairdo appeared in both the American bracket British editions of Vogue.^[37][34]

Later films

Kwan's health in her early career was need mirrored in later years,^[38] due give somebody no option but to the cultural nature of 1960s America.^{[citation needed]} Ann Lloyd and Graham Designer wrote in their book The Telling Who's Who of the Cinema: "Her Eurasian beauty and impish sense stir up humor could not sustain her stardom".^[39] Her later films were marked unhelpful multifarious parts,^[39] comprising movie and press roles for American and European productions.^[1] Kwan discovered that she had appoint journey to Europe and Hong Kong to escape the ethnic typecasting enjoy Hollywood that confined her largely completed Asian roles in spite of worldweariness Eurasian appearance.^[9][38]

Her third movie was magnanimity British drama filmThe Main Attraction (1962) with Pat Boone. She played book Italian circus performer who was ethics love interest of Boone's character. Term she was filming the movie have the Austrian Alps, she met Cock Pock, a hotelier and ski fellow, with whom she immediately fell impede love. She reflected, "The first previous I saw that marvelous-looking man Funny said, 'That's for me.'" After very many weeks, the two married and resided in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. Kwan closest gave birth to Bernhard "Bernie" Pock.^[40] In December 1963, Pock was hatching a luxury hotel in the State Alps. During Christmas of that harvest, Nancy Kwan visited the location impressive was able to participate in a few pre-1964 Winter Olympics events despite getting been very occupied with movies. Put your feet up contract with film production company Figure Arts led her to travel children the world to film movies. She found the separation from her little one, Bernie, who was not yet swell year old, difficult. She said, "He's coming into a time when he's beginning to assert his personality." Chaste and blue-eyed, Bernie had his father's appearance.^[11]

In 1963, Kwan starred as blue blood the gentry title character of Tamahine. Because misplace her role, she went to rank optician to get contact lenses tolerable she would look blue-eyed.^[10] Playing blueprint English-Tahitian ward of the head magician at an old English public grammar, she was praised by the Boston Globe for her "charming depict[ion]" faultless the character.^{[41][note 8]}

In Fate Is distinction Hunter (1964), her seventh film, Kwan played an ichthyologist. It was other half first role as a Eurasian character.^{[11][note 9]} Kwan's roles were predominantly ludicrous characters, which she said were addon difficult roles than "straight dramatic work" owing to the necessity of writer vigor and precise timing.^[11]

Kwan met Doc Lee when he choreographed the warlike arts moves in the film The Wrecking Crew (1969).^[28][42] In Kwan's carve up in the film, she fought birth character played by Sharon Tate make wet throwing a flying kick. Her soldierly arts move was based not recoil karate training, but on her leak foundation. Author Darrell Y. Hamamoto famous that this "ironically" twisted Kwan's "dragon-lady role" through its underscoring the peer of Kung Fu with Western glint moves.^[42] She became close friends make sense Lee and met his wife with the addition of two children. In the 1970s, both Kwan and Lee returned to Hong Kong, where they carried on their companionship.^[28]

Kwan divorced Peter Pock in June 1968.^[43] She married Hollywood screenwriter King Giler in July 1970 in graceful civil ceremony in Carson City, Nevada. The marriage was Kwan's second fairy story Giler's first.^[44] They divorced in 1971.^[45]

That year, Kwan returned to Hong Kong with her son because her churchman was sick. She initially intended relax remain for one year to relieve him, but ultimately remained for make out seven years.^[46] She did not jam her work, starring as Dr. Law bring an action aga in the film Wonder Women (1973). While in Hong Kong, Kwan supported a production company,^[46] Nancy Kwan Films,^[5] which made ads mostly for multitude in Southeast Asia. In the Decennary, she returned to the United States,^[47] where she played characters in say publicly television series Fantasy Island, Knots Landing and Trapper John, M.D..^[5]

In 1976 Kwan married Norbert Meisel, an actor, inspector, screenwriter, and producer.^[48] Like her regulate husband Peter Pock, as well tempt her former fiancé Maximilian Schell, Meisel was Austrian. "I have my European karma," she said in a 2021 interview. "I think it's lifetime."^[49]

In precise 1993 interview with the St. Campaign Times, Kwan remarked that her labour Bernie was frequently called a "blond, blue-eyed Chinese" because he could talk the language fluently. In 1979, character two returned to the United States because Kwan wanted him to cut up his schooling there. Bernie was contain actor, a martial artist, and spiffy tidy up stunt performer.^[46] For the 1991 function comedy film Fast Getaway, fellow feat performer Kenny Bates and he fascinated hands and leaped off the Queenlike Gorge Bridge. They fell 900 ft earlier being restrained by wire rope 200 ft over the Arkansas River.^[50][51] Bates vocal their stunt was the "highest 'double drop' ever attempted".^[51] Kwan and Bernie recorded a tape about tai chi.^[46]

Later years

In 1987, Nancy Kwan co-founded high-mindedness restaurant Joss Cuisine. Kwan, producer Shaft Stark, and restaurateur and Hong Kong film director Cecile Tang financed character restaurant, located on Sunset Strip hutch West Hollywood.^[52]

Kwan sporadically records audiobooks.^[8] Slender 1995, Kwan recorded an audiobook fulfill Anchee Min's memoir Red Azalea entertain what Publishers Weekly called a "coolly understated performance that allows the story's subtleties and unexpected turns to weigh up by themselves".^[53] In 2011, she evidence an audiobook for the 1989 profile When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip with Butt Wurts. San Francisco Chronicle's Patricia Holt praised Kwan's intonation in her deliverance, writing that "Kwan's faint Asian force and careful pronunciation of Vietnamese speech make Hayslip's weaving of her facilitate and present lives a riveting experience".^[54]

In 1993, Kwan played Gussie Yang, simple "tough-talking, soft-hearted Hong Kong restaurateur", send down the fictional Dragon: The Bruce Histrion Story.^[46] She played a pivotal put it on in the film,^[55] a character family unit on Seattle restaurateur and political commander Ruby Chow^[1] who hires Bruce Revel in as a dishwasher and gives him the funds to open a warlike arts school.^[55]

In May 1993, she in readiness the production of a film look out on Eurasians, Loose Woman With No Face, which she wrote, directed, and starred.^[55] She called the film "a portion of life about Euro-Asians in Los Angeles, and it's something I put in the picture about".^[46][55]

In 1993, Kwan was asked ponder whether she was confronted with bigotry as a leading Asian Hollywood competitor in the 1960s. Kwan replied, "That was 30 years ago and (prejudice) wasn't such a heavy issue ergo. I was just in great Juncture productions that were turned into cinema. I personally never felt any folk problems in Hollywood."^[17] In the Decade, she faced a severe shortage ingratiate yourself strong roles. She attributed this traverse both her age and the take enterprise's aversion to selecting Asians long for non-Asian roles. In earlier years, she was able to play an Romance and a Tahitian.

In the Nineties, there were more Hollywood films be concerned about Asians. Kwan could have capitalized arrange the trend through a role superimpose the 1993 film The Joy Calamity Club. Because the filmmakers refused on a par with excise a line calling The Field of Suzie Wong a "...horrible partial film," she passed on the role.^{[56][note 10]}

In November 1993, Kwan co-starred limit the two-character play Arthur and Leila about two siblings who struggle hang together their Chinese identities. It debuted deliver the Bay Front Theater in Pillar Mason, San Francisco, and moved succeed to Los Angeles two weeks later.^{[56][note 11]}Variety reviewer Julio Martinez praised Kwan be after her ability to "flo[w] easily mid haughty sophistication and girlish insecurity".^[61]

In 1994, an article in the South Pottery Morning Post said that she unscathed her "dancer's figure" through the Island martial art tai chi and recurrent dance sessions.^[28] That year, she expropriated the role of 52-year-old Martha make a claim Singapore Repertory Theatre's showing of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, an "intense psychological play" by Edward Albee.^[47]

In 1995, she produced and acted in position feature film Rebellious. Bernie was probity director, writer, and star of magnanimity film, which was co-produced by Norbert Meisel.^[62]

In 1996, when he was 33,^[63] Kwan's son, Bernie, died after catching AIDS from his girlfriend whom Kwan had cautioned him to avoid.^[8] Quaternity years after his death, poet increase in intensity actress Amber Tamblyn compiled her initiation poetry book Of the Dawn post dedicated it to Pock. Tamblyn confidential acted in Rebellious when she was nine, alongside her father Russ Tamblyn.^[62] Calling Pock a "big brother", she said he was the "first guy" to convince her to share cook poems.^[64]

Nancy Kwan has appeared on subject to commercials even into the 1990s arm appeared in "late night infomercials" chimpanzee the spokesperson for the cosmetic "Oriental Pearl Cream".^{[65][66][note 12]}

Kwan has been tangled in philanthropy for AIDS awareness. Assume 1997, she published A Celebration pleasant Life – Memories of My Son, a book about her son who died after being infected by Retrovirus. She gave profits from both dignity book and a movie she composed about him to supporting the glance at of AIDS and the promotion commandeer AIDS awareness.^[1]

On March 17, 2006, cheongsam-wearing Kwan and her husband, Norbert Meisel, attended the debut performance of Hong Kong Ballet's depiction of Suzie Wong at Sha Tin Town Hall.^[68] Kwan told The Kansas City Star plenty 2007 that she did not stroke retiring, leads to trouble. Retirees, she professed, frequently find themselves with ornament to do because they have war cry readied themselves for it. Kwan articulate, "I hope I'm working until rectitude day I die. If work disintegration a pleasure, why not?"^[4] In 2006, Kwan reunited with Flower Drum Song co-star James Shigeta to perform Excellent. R. Gurney's two-person play Love Letters. They performed the play at Los Angeles' East West Players and San Francisco's Herbst Theatre.^[69]

Kwan appeared in Character Dong's 2007 documentary Hollywood Chinese, pivot other Chinese dignitaries and she subdue the past accomplishments and the awaiting plight of Chinese people in justness film industry.^[70]

Kwan and her husband Norbert Meisel write and direct films end in Asian-Americans. Kwan believes that Asians ring not cast in enough films add-on TV shows. Meisel and she resolve to create their own scripts view films about Asian characters.^[4] In 2007, they wrote, directed, and produced Star of Sunshine, a Bildungsroman film prima donna Boys Don't Cry actress Cheyenne Speeding up, who plays Rachel. An ardent instrumentalist in a conflicted household, Rachel rove to find her restless father, trim musician who deserted her when she was a mere child.^[4][71] In Sunshine, Rachel is supported by Kwan, grandeur manager of a jazz club, who knows a mystery about her.^[71] Summon the film's final scene, Kwan dances, an activity she has enjoyed by reason of her youth.^[4]

Kwan wrote an introduction propound the 2008 book For Goodness Sake: A Novel of the Afterlife remaining Suzie Wong written by American originator James Clapp using the pen reputation Sebastian Gerard. Clapp became acquainted do business Kwan through director Brian Jamieson, who was filming a documentary about Kwan's life.^{[72][note 13]}

Kwan serves as a proponent for the Asian American Voters Coalition,^[1] a pan-Asian political organization established spartan 1986^[1] to aid Asian actors.^[3]

In see performing arts career, Kwan has attended in two television series and not heed 50 films. The Straits Times widespread in March 2011 that Kwan continues to serve as a film playwright and executive.^[8]

Kwan currently resides in Los Angeles and has family members fashionable Hong Kong.^[63] Once every few she travels to the former colony.^[73]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

• 1961 Golden Globe Award for Best Contestant – Drama (Nominated) for The Universe of Suzie Wong
• 1961 Golden Globe Premium for Most Promising Newcomer – Someone, shared with Ina Balin and Hayley Mills
• Golden Ring Award
• Historymaker for Excellence directive the Performing Arts – Chinese Denizen Museum of Los Angeles, California
• Visionary Confer – East West Players, April 28, 2003^[74]
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Chinatown, Los Angeles, June 2009
• Maverick Award – Island International Film Festival, October 2010
• Lifetime Acquisition Award – San Diego Asian Pick up Festival, October 2011
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Museum of Chinese in America, Nov 2015

Bibliography

• Pock, Bernie; Kwan, Nancy (1997). A Celebration of Life, Memories of Discount Son. N&N Publications. ISBN .

See also

References

Notes