Earlier this year, the United States Mint started the American Women Quarters Program which is a 4 year program celebrating the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States. On October 25, they released their quarter featuring Anna May Wong - the first Asian American ever to be featured on American money. But who was Anna May Wong and how did she get this honor?
Anna May Wong was was an actress, widely considered the first Chinese-American movie star. Her career spanned decades, genres and mediums, she was an activist, and her personal life was just as interesting as her public image.
Her films include Toll of the Sea, Bits of Life (with Lon Chaney!), The Thief of Bagdad (with Douglas Fairbanks!), Shanghai Express, and Lady from Chungking. After losing the role of O-Lan in Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, Anna May Wong spent a year in China where she made the documentary My China Film. She was the first Asian-American actress to star in a TV show with The Gallery of Madame Liu Tsong in the 1950s.
She became a fashion icon, crafting a flapper image for herself and blending traditional Chinese clothing with modern fashion. Women around the world tried to copy her style. She dated many notable men including Tod Browning - the director of Dracula, cinematographer Charles Rosher, and entertainer Eric Maschwitz. She was also quite close with Shanghai Express co-star Marlene Dietrich, which has led to a few "Sewing Circle" rumors over the years.
As her star continued to rise, she became an activist for China and Chinese-Americans, advocating on behalf of the country, as well as for better representation in the film industry. She worked tirelessly her whole life to change Hollywood from the inside out. In the last few years, Anna May Wong has finally been getting her due. A few years ago she was celebrated on the Google homepage for the 97th anniversary of The Toll of the Sea. She was a character in Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood. There’s a biopic in the works starring Gemma Chan. And of course, you can now see her beautiful portrait on the back of the US quarter.
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