Nancy Kwan
Nancy Kwan ( Chinese 關 家 蒨 , Pinyin Guān Jiāqiàn , Cantonese Gwaan1 Gaa1 Sin3 , born May 19, 1939 in Hong Kong ) is a Chinese-American actress .
Life
Nancy Kwan was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese father and a Scottish mother. As an 18-year-old student at the British Royal Ballet School , she was discovered by producer Ray Stark , who was looking for a leading actress for the film The World of Suzie Wong (1960). Kwan played a prostitute in Hong Kong who becomes the mistress of a white painter ( William Holden ). After this film, Kwan went to Hollywood , where she quickly rose to become the most prominent East Asian actress, succeeding Anna May Wong , who died in 1961 .
In the 1960s she worked partly in the USA and partly in Europe. In 1972 she returned to Hong Kong with her seriously ill father. After the divorce from her second husband, she actually only wanted to spend a year there with her young son, but then stayed for several years and ran her own company that produced commercials for the Southeast Asian market. In addition, she appeared in various feature films - also produced for Southeast Asia. In 1979 she returned to the USA, where she now appeared frequently on television, a. a. in the NBC multi-part Noble House (1988).
Nancy Kwan is politically active as the spokeswoman for the Asian American Voters Coalition.
Nancy Kwan was married to the Austrian hotelier Peter Pock (marriage 1962), and her second marriage to David Giles (marriage 1970). Her son Bernie Pock (1963-1996), who died of AIDS and who also worked as a stuntman and actor in the film industry, came from her first marriage . She has been married to the Austrian director Norbert Meisel for the third time since 1976.
Awards
Nancy Kwan won a Golden Globe Award for Best Young Actress in 1961 ; for her appearance in The World of Suzie Wong , she also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama . In 1961 she reached second place at the Laurel Awards for Best Young Actress.
Filmography (selection)
- 1960: The World of Suzie Wong (The World of Suzie Wong)
- 1960: What's My Line? (TV show, one episode)
- 1961: Almond Eyes and Lotus Blossoms (Flower Drum Song)
- 1962: The Nights with Nancy (The Main Attraction)
- 1963: The Crazy Office Party (The Wild Affair)
- 1963: Tamahine
- 1964: Honeymoon Hotel
- 1964: Conqueror of Death (Fate Is the Hunter)
- 1966: Mong fu sec
- 1966: Robin Crusoe, the Amazon chief (Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN)
- 1966: Arrivederci, baby! (Drop Dead Darling)
- 1966: The hell of Macau
- 1968: Nobody's Perfect
- 1968–1969: Hawaii Five-Zero ( Hawaii Five-0 , TV series, 3 episodes)
- 1969: Rollkommando (The Wrecking Crew)
- 1969: The Girl Who Knew Too Much
- 1970: The McMasters (The McMasters)
- 1973: Wonder Women
- 1974: Kung Fu (TV series, two episodes)
- 1975: The Pacific Connection
- 1975: Supercock
- 1976: Hadleigh (TV series, an episode)
- 1976: Project: Kill
- 1978: Night Creature
- 1978: Fortress in the Sun
- 1978: Fantasy Island (TV series, episode)
- 1979: Streets of Hong Kong
- 1982: Angkor - The Gateway to Hell (Angkor: Cambodia Express)
- 1983: Walking the Edge
- 1983: The Last Ninja (TV movie)
- 1984: Trapper John, MD ( Trapper John, MD , TV series, an episode)
- 1984: Under the California Sun ( Knots Landing , TV series, an episode)
- 1984: Partners in Crime (TV series, one episode)
- 1985: Big Trouble in Hong Kong (Blade in Hong Kong) (TV movie)
- 1986: The A-Team ( The A-Team , television series, an episode)
- 1988: Vanishing Point Hong Kong (Keys to Freedom)
- 1988: Noble House (TV multipart, 4 episodes)
- 1990: Los Angeles Cop (Night Children)
- 1990: Cold Dog - To Hell With Heavenly Dog (Cold Dog Soup)
- 1990: Katastrophenflug 243 (Miracle Landing) (TV movie)
- 1990: Babies (TV movie)
- 1993: Dragon : The Bruce Lee Story
- 1995: Shan shui you xiang feng
- 1995: Rebellious
- 1996: Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of Movies (Documentation)
- 1997: Soul of the Avenger
- 1998: Mr. P's Dancing Sushi Bar
- 2000: Emergency Room ( ER , TV series, an episode)
- 2005: Murder on the Yellow Brick Road
- 2006: Ray of Sunshine
Book by Nancy Kwan
- Bernie Pock & Nancy Kwan: A Celebration of Life, Memories of My Son. ISBN 0-9664395-0-3 .
Web links
- Nancy Kwan in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- www.nancy-kwan.com website of the actress
- Interview with Nancy Kwan (English, video)
Individual evidence
- ^ Nancy Kwan - NNDB entry , accessed March 25, 2010
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kwan, Nancy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kwan, Ka Shin (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese-American film actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 19, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hong Kong |