Starting with Anna May Wong, Chinese actresses have never ceased trying to make it in Hollywood, but only a handful have succeeded. In the film, their images alternate between "angel" and "demon"; they are a badass saving a white guy, and other times they are a devil with a wicked mentality. For Chinese actresses such as Bai Ling, Lucy Liu, and Joan Chen, figuring out how to break out of this situation has been an inescapable task. The following is a list of the ten most well-known Chinese females in Hollywood.
1. Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong (January 3, 1905 - February 3, 1961) was the first Chinese American film star. Wong began appearing in films at a young age. She appeared in many silent films, including The Toll of the Sea (1922) and The Thief of Bagdad (1923). (1924). She featured in films such as Daughter of the Dragon (1931), Daughter of Shanghai (1937), and Shanghai Express in the early sound period (1932). In the late 1930s, she played the lead in numerous Paramount Films productions.
2. Nancy Kwan
Nancy Kwan ( born in 1939 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong-born actress. She is well-known for her beauty and was a sex symbol in the 1960s. Nancy Kwan made her cinematic debut in the smashed picture The World of Suzie Wong (1960), followed by another hit film Flower Drum Song (1961). Kwan continued to appear in comedies such as Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN (1966), Arrivederci, Babies (1990), and The Wrecking Crew (1968). Kwan portrayed Gussie Yang in the fictitious Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story in 1993.
3. Tsai Chin
Tsai Chin, sometimes known as Irene Chow, was born in Tianjin in 1963. Zhou Xinfang, a prominent Peking opera maestro, is her father. She spent her childhood in Shanghai. Chin made her theatrical debut in The World of Suzie Wong in London, which was a huge hit and aided her rise to prominence in the country. She is well recognised for her portrayal as Ling in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Chin appeared in the Hollywood films The Joy Luck Club (1993) and Golden Child (1994). Her most recent film appearance was as Waipo in Shang-Chi the Legend of the Ten Rings.
4. Chen Chong
Chen Chong, who was born in Shanghai on 26, April 1961, studied at the Shanghai Film Academy before being found by renowned Chinese filmmaker Xie Jin, who launched her career. Chen for two outstanding performances: her part as the Empress in The Last Emperor (1987) and her depiction of Josie Packard in the television series Twin Peaks.
5. Ming Na Wen
Wen first appeared in the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club before taking on the role of Chun Li in Street Fighter II (1994). She also co-stars with Wesley Snipes in One Night Stand, where she plays Mimi (1997). In 1994, "Individuals Weekly" magazine named her one of the 50 most attractive people.
6. Ling Bai
Bai Ling was born in the Chinese city of Chengdu in 1966. She was one of Hollywood's most active Asian performers. In 1989, she gained fame by entering the Moscow International Film Festival with the film The Shining Arc. She has starred in several Hollywood films after moving to the United States in 1990.
7. Vivian Wu
Vivian Wu was born in Shanghai in 1967. She made her film debut as Wenxiu in The Last Emperor in 1987, paving her worldwide acting career. She then received recognition for her outstanding performances in The Joy Luck Club (1993) and The Pillow Book (1994).
8. Michelle Yeoh
Her portrayal as Wai Lin in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies helped her establish herself. She portrayed Yu Shu Lien in the Chinese martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the most important foreign language film in the United States. Michelle Yeoh was named the best action heroine of all time by the film reviewer website Rotten Tomatoes in 2008.
9. Lucy Alexis Liu
Famous for her portrayal as the violent and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the TV series Ally McBeal and she also appeared in various Hollywood films such as Payback, Charlie's Angels, Chicago, and Kill Bill.
10. Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi (born 1979) is a Chinese film actress who has received international fame. She rose to notoriety in the Western world for her role in Ann Lee's martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Ziyi Zhang made her Hollywood debut in Stephen Spielberg's 2005 film Memoirs of a Geisha, making her the first Chinese actress to appear in an A-level Hollywood film. She also won Best Actress at the Asian Film Awards in Macau in 2014 for her portrayal in "The Grandmaster."