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Nancy Kwan

Highest Rated: 100% Hollywood Chinese (2007)

Lowest Rated: 33% The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

Birthday: May 19, 1939

Birthplace: Hong Kong

As a young girl growing up in postwar Hong Kong, Nancy Kwan was physically active. She was a bit of a tomboy and excelled at sports and Tai Chi. At age 12, she was sent to England to study ballet; she went on to dance in productions of "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" and eventually to earn her teaching certificate. One day, at the age of 18, when she was visiting her home country for summer holidays, she had a big break. Director Ray Stark was searching for a Chinese actress to play the title character in his upcoming film, an adaptation of the Richard Mason novel "The World of Suzie Wong," the story of a romance between a struggling American artist and the daughter of a wealthy Chinese businessman, set in Hong Kong. Kwan was chosen out of 500 applicants, despite her lack of acting experience. Her success in that part immediately opened the door to further opportunities, and the next year she was putting her dancing skills to work in the lead role of the film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway hit "Flower Drum Song," another interracial romance, set in San Francisco. In the 1980s, Kwan made a push into television where she appeared on many of the staples of the day such as "The A-Team" and "Fantasy Island." She eventually started her own commercial production company and is now mostly widely recognized for her role in infomercials for the beauty product Pearl Cream.

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Highest rated movies

100% Hollywood Chinese
Watchlist
92% 85% Window Horses Watchlist 88% 48% Paint It Black Watchlist
79% 72% Flower Drum Song
Watchlist
74% 79% Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Watchlist
60% 33% Arrivederci, Baby!
Watchlist
40% 69% Fate Is the Hunter
Watchlist
33% 68% The World of Suzie Wong
Watchlist
Anna May Wong, Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend
Watchlist
0% Night Creature
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
92% 85% Window Horses Gloria (Voice) $2.1K 2016
88% 48% Paint It Black Margaret (Character) - 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Anna May Wong, Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend Narrator - 2007
100% No Score Yet Hollywood Chinese Unknown (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Murder on the Yellow Brick Road Natalie Chung (Character) - 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet Soul of the Avenger Ling Li (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet Glass Mountain Joni Mitchell (Character) - 1995
74% 79% Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Gussie Yang (Character) $34.9M 1993
No Score Yet 82% Cold Dog Soup Madame Chang (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet 67% Babies Dr. Liu (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Miracle Landing C.B. Lansing (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Night Children Deborah (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet No Score Yet Keys to Freedom Dr. Lao (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet 33% Walking the Edge Christine Holloway (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet Blade in Hong Kong Lily (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet 57% The Last Ninja Noriko Sakura (Character) - 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Streets of Hong Kong Unknown (Character) - 1979
No Score Yet 0% Night Creature Leslie (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet 10% Project: Kill Lee Su (Character) - 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Assassins of Revenge Unknown (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fortress in the Sun Maria (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Supercock Yuki Chan (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Deadly and the Beautiful Dr. Tsu (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet 9% Wonder Women Dr. Tsu (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet No Score Yet That Woman From Peking Sue Ten Chan (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet The McMasters Robin (Character) - 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet That Lady From Peking Sue Ten Chan (Character) - 1970
No Score Yet 44% The Girl Who Knew Too Much Revel Drue (Character) - 1969
No Score Yet 44% The Wrecking Crew Yu-Rang (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hawaii Five-0 Rosemary Quong (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Nobody's Perfect Nurse Tomiko Momoyama (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Corrupt Ones Tina (Character) - 1967
60% 33% Arrivederci, Baby! Baby (Character) - 1966
No Score Yet 41% Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. Wednesday (Character) - 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Honeymoon Hotel Lynn Hope Jenley (Character) - 1964
40% 69% Fate Is the Hunter Sally Fraser (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wild Affair Marjorie Lee (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Main Attraction Tessa (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tamahine Tamahine (Character) - 1963
79% 72% Flower Drum Song Linda Low (Character) - 1961
33% 68% The World of Suzie Wong Suzie Wong (Character) - 1960

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Life in Ten Pictures Self 2024
No Score Yet 85% ER Mrs. Chen (Guest Star) 2000
No Score Yet 71% The A-Team Lin Wu (Guest Star) 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet Partners in Crime Anna Chen (Guest Star) 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Trapper John, M.D. Unknown (Guest Star) 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fantasy Island Unknown (Guest Star) 1978
No Score Yet 100% Kung Fu Unknown (Guest Star) 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet What's My Line? Guest 1960