Wong started out during the silent movie era in the 1920s. She quickly gained international notice in classic films like The Thief of Bagdad and The Toll of the Sea.
She was also admired for her elegance and fashion sense. Wong introduced the “flapper” style to celebrities in Hollywood and New York. In 1934, New York’s Mayfair Mannequin Society voted her the “world’s best-dressed woman.”
In the 1930s, she acted opposite big stars like Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express.
But in 1937, she lost the pivotal role of O-Lan in The Good Earth. The film’s lead role was Chinese, but it was given to Luise Rainer, a white actress.
Wong was discouraged that she wasn’t considered for the role. And Rainer won a Best Actress Oscar.
For many years she worked mainly in Europe in films and on stage. But she eventually returned to the United States.
In 1951, she had her own television show. “The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong” was believed to be the first TV series with an Asian American lead.
In 1960, in another first, she was the first Asian American woman to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
