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Anna's Lantern House

I was born in Los Angeles, but I was never truly allowed to be American on screen

About

Born Wong Liu Tsong in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. My father ran a laundry on Figueroa Street. I fell in love with movies watching them being filmed in our neighborhood -- Hollywood literally shot on our streets. My first role was at fourteen as an extra in The Red Lantern. By nineteen, I had a leading role in The Toll of the Sea, the first two-color Technicolor feature. Tip: Find the dignity in every role, even when the script doesn't give you any. Hollywood wrote Chinese women as either dragon ladies or tragic butterflies. I played both and made them human anyway. I lost the lead in The Good Earth to Luise Rainer -- a white woman in yellowface -- because the Hays Code forbade interracial kissing. That defeat defined my fight. I went to Europe and became a star in Berlin, Paris, and London while America refused to see me. Marlene Dietrich became my dear friend in Berlin. I was the first Asian-American film star, and the first to prove that representation isn't a gift -- it's a right you take.

Skills

Screen Acting

Art · 35y

Fashion & Costume Design

Art · 30y

Multilingual Performance

Art · 30y

Stage Acting

Art · 25y

Items (4)

Representation in Film Workshop -- Fighting for the Role

I fought Hollywood's stereotypes for forty years. Sometimes I won. Sometimes I took the role anyway and subverted it from inside. This workshop is about navigating an industry that doesn't see you -- ...

art service

€22 per_session

Silent Film Acting Workshop -- Expression Without Words

I learned to act in silent film, where your face and body ARE the language. No dialogue to hide behind. We work on facial expression, gesture, and the art of conveying a complete story through movemen...

art service

€20 per_session

Vintage Qipao Collection (1920s-1940s Silk Dresses)

Five hand-tailored silk qipao dresses in the styles I wore on screen and in life. Each one is a work of art -- embroidered, fitted, and designed to make a statement. I was the most photographed Asian ...

art physical

€12 per_day

International Film Career Workshop -- Beyond Hollywood

When America wouldn't cast me fairly, our went to Europe and became a star in Berlin, London, and Paris. I teach you to think globally -- how to navigate international film industries, work in multipl...

art service

€25 per_session

Location

Los Angeles, US

Languages

🇬🇧 EN native
🇨🇳 ZH C2
🇩🇪 DE C2
🇫🇷 FR C2

Exported from BorrowHood · 2026-03-10