Episode 20 - Anna May Wong

The Dead Ladies Show is a series of entertaining and inspiring talks about women who achieved amazing things against all odds, presented live in Berlin. This podcast is based on that series. Because women's history is everyone's history. In this episode, our 20th (!), Dead Ladies Show co-founder Florian Duijsens introduces us the the fabulous Anna May Wong. ANNA MAY WONG is considered the first Chinese-American Hollywood star. Born and raised in California, she began acting at 14, then left high school to go into silent movies. Soon tiring of all the interesting Asian parts going to white actors, while she played stereotyped roles – "Lotus Flower", "Honky-Tonk Girl", "Tiger Lily", "Mongolian Slave", "A Flower of the Orient", etc. – Anna May left for Europe in 1928. Greeted as a star in Berlin, she at least got to play women who didn't die as part of the plot. After her triumphant return to the States, Anna May Wong finally got leading Hollywood roles – but by far not all the ones she wanted, with racism continuing to affect her career and her private life. See images of Anna May, and learn more about her life and against-all-odds career here: deadladiesshow.com/2019/02/14/podcast-20-anna-may-wong/ Follow us on social media @deadladiesshow and please share, rate, and review the show as it helps others to find our feminist women's history podcast The Dead Ladies Show was founded by Florian Duijsens and Katy Derbyshire. The podcast is created, produced, edited, and presented by Susan Stone.