Actor Anna May Wong To Become First Asian American To Appear On US Currency

Actor Anna May Wong will become the first Asian American to appear on United States currency. From Monday, October 24, her image will appear on quarters.

Wong’s image on the coin will mark the fifth new face in the American Women Quarters Program, which spotlights pioneering women. The other four quarters put into production this year featured poet and activist Maya Angelou, the first American woman in space Sally Ride, Cherokee Nation leader Wilma Mankiller, and suffragist Nina Otero-Warren.

Wong, Mankiller, and Otero-Warren were selected to feature on quarters with input from the public.

Director of the US Mint, Ventris Gibson described Wong as “a courageous advocate”. Gibson added that the quarter would reflect “the breadth and depth of accomplishments” of the actor.

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Anna May Wong

Anna May Wong is considered to be the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. She appeared in more than 60 films in her career before she passed away in 1961. Wong had a four-decade career in film, theatre and radio.

Wong was born in Los Angeles and started acting at the age of 14. Three years later, she won her first film lead in The Toll of The Sea, which was released in 1922. She is best known for her role in the film Shanghai Express, the 1932 film starring Marlene Dietrich as a courtesan who travels by rail through China during the Chinese Civil War and is being held hostage. Wong portrayed a fellow first-class passenger.

Shanghai Express retained critical attention in the US in the decades following her death.

Reportedly, she was only paid 6,000 dollars while Dietrich earned 78,166 dollars for the film. To escape the limitations of Hollywood, she travelled to Europe and acted in English, German, and French films.

Wong called for better representation of Asian people in Hollywood and challenged stereotypical depictions during a time 'yellowface' dominated the industry.

At a time when laws discriminated against Chinese immigration and citizenship, Wong’s films and public image established her as a Chinese-American citizen.

Wong's legacy can be seen in the Anna May Wong Award of Excellence which is given yearly at the Asian-American Arts Awards. Another annual award given out by the Asian Fashion Designers group was named after Wong as well.

A year before Wong died, the actor received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

A biopic of Wong's life is currently in production, with Crazy Rich Asian and Eternals star Gemma Chan.