Anna May Wong, ca. 1935. The US Mint will begin shipping Asian-American movie star zones next week.
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Anna May Wong, ca. 1935. The US Mint will begin shipping Asian-American movie star zones next week.
Joint photography agency / Getty Images
The US Mint will begin shipping coins featuring actress Anna May Wong on Monday, the first US coin featuring an Asian-American figure.
Dubbed Hollywood’s first Asian-American movie star, Wong championed the need for more roles and fewer stereotypes for Asian-Americans on screen. Wong, who died in 1961, struggled to land roles in Hollywood in the early 20th century, the days of “yellow face“when white people put on makeup and get dressed to take on Asian roles, and anti-fraud lawcriminalized interracial relationships.
The roles she takes on are all subject to racial prejudices and she has underpaidearned $6,000 for her highest paying role in Dragon’s Daughter compared to $12,000 for Warner Oland, who only appeared in the first 23 minutes of the film. Because Shanghai ExpressWong made $6,000 while Marlene Dietrich made $78,166.
After being subjected to racist treatment in Hollywood, Wong moved to Europe and acted in English, French and German films. She told LA time in a 1933 interview that she was tired of the roles she had to play in Hollywood.
“Why the Chinese screen is almost always the villain of the work, and such a cruel villain – murderous, cunning, a snake in the grass,” she told the newspaper. “We’re not like that.”
Wong’s career spanned 60 films – many during the silent film era – and she earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
The US Mint is expected to manufacture more than 300 million units of the quarter Wong at facilities in Philadelphia and Denver.
Burwell and Burwell Photography / United States Mint
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Burwell and Burwell Photography / United States Mint
The US Mint is expected to produce more than 300 million units of the quarter Wong at facilities in Philadelphia and Denver.
Burwell and Burwell Photography / United States Mint
US Mint Women’s Program in America celebrate five women pioneering American history each year from 2022 to 2025. Wong is featured on the fifth coin released this year. US Mint is expected to produce more than 300 million Wong resides at campuses in Philadelphia and Denver.
Mint director Ventris Gibson called Wong”a courageous advocate who championed increased representation and more multidimensional roles for Asian-American actors. ”
The tail of the coin will show a close-up of Wong resting his head in his hands, while the front features a portrait of George Washington created by 20th-century sculptor Laura Gardin Fraser, who became the first woman to design the coin for the United States in 1921.
The other four women on this year’s show are poets Maya Angelouastronaut Sally Ridesufferingist and politician Nina Otero-Warrenand Wilma MankillerThe first female headmaster of the Cherokee nation.
