Nancy Kwan

Nancy Kwan

Birth : 1939-05-19, Hong Kong, British Crown Colony [now China]

History

Nancy Kwan is a Hong Kong-born Eurasian-American actress, who played a pivotal role in the acceptance of actors of Asian ancestry in major Hollywood film roles. Widely praised for her beauty, Kwan was considered a sex symbol in the 1960s.

Profile

Nancy Kwan
Nancy Kwan

Movies

Be Water
Self
In 1971, after being rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to his parents’ homeland of Hong Kong to complete four iconic films. Charting his struggles between two worlds, this portrait explores questions of identity and representation through the use of rare archival footage, interviews with loved ones and Bruce’s own writings.
Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming
Gloria
Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet, is invited to perform at a Poetry Festival in Shiraz, Iran, but she’d rather be in Paris. She lives at home with her over-protective Chinese grandparents and has never been anywhere by herself. Once in Iran, she finds herself in the company of poets and Persians, all who tell her stories that force her to confront her past; the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her and the nature of Poetry itself. It’s about building bridges between cultural and generational divides. It’s about being curious. Staying open. And finding your own voice through the magic of poetry. Rosie goes on an unwitting journey of forgiveness, reconciliation, and perhaps above all, understanding, through learning about her father’s past, her own cultural identity, and her responsibility to it.
Paint It Black
Margaret
A young woman attempts to deal with the death of her boyfriend while continuously confronted by his mentally unstable mother.
To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey
herself
The definitive and true-life story of Nancy Kwan who as a young Eurasian girl from Hong Kong captured the hearts and minds of cinemagoers around the world in her stunning motion picture debut in THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG (1960). Nancy Kwan's story is both fairytale and poignant as it takes its audience on a personal journey, a woman's journey, which is as equally compelling as it is inspiring.
You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story
Self
The film tells actor Jack Soo's story through a montage of film and television clips, rare footage, interviews with family members, friends, co-workers, and others who knew him best. From his early appearances on programs such as The Jack Benny Show and Valentines' Day, Soo's life is examined both in the historical context of the times, and the grandeur of an earlier Hollywood where stars like Soo succeeded in a multitude of artistic mediums, reminiscent of vaudevillian times. From Soo's early training as an announcer and stand-up comic, to his singing, acting and dancing career on Broadway, culminating with his signature role as Detective Nick Yemana, Soo's unique talent and dedication to his craft are fully explored and captured through a dazzling kaleidoscope of images, music, montages, interviews and stories.
Mr. Yunioshi:  An Asian Perspective
Archive Footage
Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective provides some insightful commentary of how far we've come concerning Asian characterizations in Hollywood movies from earlier eras
Hollywood Chinese
Self
Hollywood Chinese is a captivating look at cinema history through the lens of the Chinese American experience. Directed by triple Sundance award-winning filmmaker, Arthur Dong, this documentary is a voyage through a century of cinematic delights, intrigues and treasures. It weaves together a wondrous portrait of actors, directors, writers, and movie icons who have defined American feature films, from the silent era to the current new wave of Asian American cinema. At once entertaining and enlightening, Hollywood Chinese reveals long-untold stories behind the Asian faces that have graced the silver screen, and weaves a rich and complicated tapestry, one marked by unforgettable performances and groundbreaking films, but also by a tangled history of race and representation.
Anna May Wong - Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend
Narrator
Documentary of Anna May Wong, a Chinese-American woman who endured many hardships and heartaches to become an international star of film, stage and television.
Ray of Sunshine
Lilly
Rachael, an aspiring pianist with a troubled past, disguises herself as a boy and searches for her father, a free-wheeling musician who abandoned her when she was a child.
Murder on the Yellow Brick Road
Natalie Chung
A pretty young songbird found murdered on Hollywood Boulevard. The crusty old Private Eye who was in love with her. A smooth-talking seductress who hires him to solve the crime. A bulldog detective with a nose for the truth and a leash held by city hall. A long list of suspects with a long list of alibis. A sprinkling of dirty secrets. A zest of clever lies. These are the ingredients of an homage to the PI films of Hollywood's Golden Age.
Mr.Pのダンシングスシバー
Mitsuko McFee
For Life or Death
Ling Li
A man named Kaan Woo (James Lew) is escaping his dark past, having been involved with a cult of brown shroud-wearing, druid-like monk warriors that have mystical powers. He apparently wanted out, because their evil queen, Ling Li (Nancy Kwan) has sent her servant, Sir Xavier (Richard Norton) to do her bidding - i.e., eliminate Woo. During a battle with the dark forces, Woo's soul is transferred into the body of homeless drunkard Earl Stockman (Mark Pellegrino). Now this bum is as surprised as anybody to find out he has mystical kung-fu abilities. Now "Superbum" must take on the evil cult and win the day.
Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities
Herself
The first video to combine international martial arts together with interviews and demonstrations by celebrities of Hollywood.
Rebellious
Producer
Late stuntman Bernhard Pock wrote, directed, and starred in this gritty modern-day fairy tale about a biker poet on a journey of self-discovery. Pock is Jeremy, a lone wolf who takes on a traveling companion when he happens on a young kidnapped girl. Together the duo crosses the country, meeting an oddball menagerie of characters along the way.
Rebellious
Joni
Late stuntman Bernhard Pock wrote, directed, and starred in this gritty modern-day fairy tale about a biker poet on a journey of self-discovery. Pock is Jeremy, a lone wolf who takes on a traveling companion when he happens on a young kidnapped girl. Together the duo crosses the country, meeting an oddball menagerie of characters along the way.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Gussie Yang
This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.
Babies
Dr. Liu
The physical and emotional trauma of three close-knit women trying to have children is explored.
Cold Dog Soup
Madame Chang
Randy Quaid as the taxi driver drives Zen parables (Is time money - Is time the root of all evil?) into his passenger/protegee in a high-speed, idiosyncratic tour of their city's ethnic coteries. All the boy wants is to dispose of his date's dead dog Jasper and get back to the babe who's so hot she mutters darkly about being a Pressure Cooker: his conventional efforts are continually thwarted. Quaid is respected by the peculiar groups he interests in the dog's corpse and effects, and our one-gloved heroine is much keener on him than on her rather lackluster date.
Miracle Landing
C. B. Lansing
Cracks are noticed in the ceiling of an aircraft. They widen & a large portion of the fuselage tears off & an emergency landing attempted. Based on actual events.
Night Children
Diane Martin
A veteran cop (David Carradine) investigates the crimes of an anarchist street gang that causes chaos wherever they go. Meanwhile, his wife (Nancy Kwan), a police counselor, investigates a teenage runaway case which leads to the same gang. Showdowns ensue that pits sides together in a violent series of confrontations.
Slaying the Dragon
A highly critical documentary about the history of Asian-American actresses in Hollywood. Features interviews with pioneering Asian-American actresses and clips from classic films such as "The Thief of Bagdad", "The Good Earth", and "The World of Suzie Wong", interspersed with Asian/feminist sociological commentary.
Blade in Hong Kong
Lily
Joe Blade is an unclaimed TV pilot film. An American, Blade works in Hong Kong, the home of his adoptive father Chang Chin-tzu. When Chang Chin-tzu is killed and a wealthy man is kidnapped, Blade springs into action.
Walking the Edge
Christine Holloway
A Los Angeles taxi driver helps a distraught woman on the run from gangsters after they murder her husband and young son.
Reel Horror
Leslie (archive footage)
Evil spirits that emerge from cans of old movie film terrorize a neighborhood.
The Last Ninja
Noriko Sakura
A successful art dealer is sought out by law enforcement after terrorists take some scientists hostage. Finding no possible solution, a law enforcement agent approaches the dealer (Beck). Mr. Cosmo, the agent believes the dealer to be linked to the ninja responsible for tracking down criminals and serving them justice. Mr. Cosmo hopes that the ninja's seemingly supernatural skills will remedy this impossible hostage situation.
Angkor: Cambodia Express
Sue
In a tale of drama and adventure, young journalist Andy Cameron (Robert Walker) has to get into Cambodia (it is assumed this is during the genocidal reign of Pol Pot). Cameron has to smuggle out his girlfriend Mieng (Nit Alisa) before she is killed (along with the other two million Cambodians), but he cannot manage this alone. He enlists the aid of an American Vietnam vet and the help of a few Khmer men. Eventually, Cameron makes his way into Cambodia where he encounters many dangers, some human and some inhuman.
Dreams of Desire
Story
A married man with an unsatisfying sex life repeatedly dreams of making love to a mysterious Chinese woman somewhere in Hong Kong. Obsessed, the man and his wife head to Hong Kong where he encounters the woman from his dreams - who is, in reality, a prostitute.
Dreams of Desire
Producer
A married man with an unsatisfying sex life repeatedly dreams of making love to a mysterious Chinese woman somewhere in Hong Kong. Obsessed, the man and his wife head to Hong Kong where he encounters the woman from his dreams - who is, in reality, a prostitute.
Streets of Hong Kong
Mei Mei
Night Creature
Leslie
A big-game hunter brings a killer leopard to his private island and turns it loose so he can hunt it down. However, unexpected visitors arrive at the island and interrupt his hunt. Meanwhile, the leopard begins to hunt the inhabitants of the island.
Project: Kill
Lee Su
A former government assassin flees a mind-control program in the Philippines, pursued by his ex-partner, the local police and Asian gangsters.
That Lady from Peking
Sue Ten Chan
Max Foster (Carl Betz), an American newspaper reporter, is in Hong Kong to assist a defecting Russian diplomat. In return for arranging an escape, the diplomat must turn over to Foster a diary revealing the true events taking place in China. While making his escape, the defector is killed ant the diary vanishes. The reporter sets off on a search for it, from Hong Kong to Australia. The chase ends in an action-filled climax, with the journalist finally meeting up with "That Lady from Peking" (Nancy Kwan) - the diplomat's daughter.
Supercock
Yuki Chan
An American cowboy in the Philippines gets mixed up in cockfighting.
Fortress in the Sun
Maria
The most expensive message action film ever to hit the screen. An international-geared vehicle showcasing two of Asia's great acting talents.
The Pacific Connection
Leni
Ben is a farm boy who comes into conflict with the Evil Spanish Governor and his two sons. To assist in their oppression the Governor hires a Samurai to teach his son the Japanese Katana sword. To counter this, Ben studies under a blind Franciscan monk to obtain some advanced fighting secrets and develop his warrior senses. Additionally Ben must search for the legendary “Iron Reed”. A mystical stick so strong that grows in the lava of an active Volcano.
Spring Comes Not Again
Spring Comes Not Again is a tragic story of romance and betrayal, set in contemporary Hong Kong. The film opens with a deeply distraught Betty (Nancy Kwan) spinning her red MG convertible in circles on the beach, and cuts away to tell the story of her life in flashback. Nancy Kwan brings a wide variety of emotions to her character in Spring Comes Not Again, and the camera photographs her in many beautiful shots. The film is notable because is Nancy Kwan's only Chinese language feature; all the dialog is in Mandarin. Unfortunately for English speaking viewers, the DVD version of this film is subtitled in Chinese only.
Wonder Women
Dr. Tsu
Dr. Tsu is a brilliant surgeon with her own exotic island off the coast of Manila. Using her sexy, all-girl army of martial-arts experts, Tsu kidnaps some of the world's greatest athletes. She is able to transplant any body part, so she uses the athletes for spare parts to sell to the world's richest men. Mike Harber is a womanizing, wise-cracking insurance investigator for Lloyd's of London sent to Manila to investigate the disappearance of a jai-alai player, and becomes involved with Dr. Tsu's mad mission.
Heiße Ware aus Hong Kong
Self
Karioka etchos de America
The McMasters
Robin
When a black Civil War veteran becomes co-owner of the southern McMasters ranch, the incensed local Confederate veterans come gunning for him and his Indian wife.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
Revel Drue
A runaway truck containing the corpse of a slain gang leader rolls into a California nightclub owned by Johnny Cain, a hard bitten former free-lance adventurer. The gang threatens to kill Johnny, unless he solves the murder. The CIA also investigates - because it turns out that the slaying was part of a long-range Communist plan to take over the crime syndicate. Cain's search for clues leads him into a maze of beautiful girls, mysterious Oriental statues and murderous spies.
The Wrecking Crew
Wen Yu-Rang
When Count Contini attempts to destroy the world's economy by masterminding the theft of $1 billion in U.S. gold, ICE chief MacDonald summons secret agent Matt Helm to stop him.
Cocoon
Rosemary Quong
In this pilot film to the "Hawaii Five-0" television series, special law officer Steve McGarrett tracks down Red Chinese operatives and their spy ring in Honolulu.
Nobody's Perfect
Nurse Tomiko Momyama
This military service comedy chronicles the misadventures of the U.S.S. Bustard in Japan. The crew has stolen a Buddha statue from a Japanese village, which if discovered missing would threaten Japanese/American relations. Doc Willoughby is the ship's petty officer, whose antics are constantly getting him into trouble with his captain. On shore leave, Willoughby falls for a seemingly demure Japanese girl in a kimono shop, who actually turns out to be a Japanese/American nurse in the US Navy, Lt. Tomiko Momoyama. However, it turns out she was betrothed as a child to a traditional Japanese man named Toshi, who fully intends on enforcing tradition. Willoughby divides his time between trying to return the Buddha statue back to the Japanese village it rightfully belongs to, and trying to woo Tomiko from the traditional Japanese man she rightfully belongs to.
Die Hölle von Macao
Tina
Freelance photographer Cliff Wilder (Robert Stack) finds himself the target of various colorful villains in this quest for an ancient Chinese treasure when he accidentally acquires the key to its location, the Peking medallion.
Drop Dead Darling
Baby
Nick tries to kill his wife to get her money, but when learning of this, she plans the same for him!
Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N.
Wednesday
Lt. Robin Crusoe is a navy pilot who bails out of his plane after engine trouble. He reaches a deserted island paradise where he builds a house and begins to adjust to life. He is in for trouble however when a local girl is banished to the island by her father, who then comes after Crusoe.
The Magic Stone
Mei Ching
The Wild Affair
Marjorie Lee
Young office assistant Majorie will marry soon, however she's plagued by doubts if her fiance is the right one. On her last day at work, her male colleagues don't miss a chance to comfort her... and flirt.
Fate Is the Hunter
Sally Fraser
A man refuses to believe that pilot error caused a fatal crash, and persists in looking for another reason. Airliner crashes near Los Angeles due to unusual string of coincidences. Stewardess, who is sole survivor, joins airline executives in discovering the causes of the crash.
Honeymoon Hotel
Lynn Hope
A man left at the alter goes on his honeymoon trip anyway, taking his best man along instead.
Tamahine
Tamahine
The headmaster of a stuffy British boys' school receives a surprise visit from the now-grown, and very voluptuous, daughter he fathered years earlier in the Pacific islands.
The Main Attraction
Tessa
An affable drifter on the lam for a murder he didn't commit hides out in a circus.
Flower Drum Song
Linda Low
A young woman arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown from Hong Kong with the intention of marrying a rakish nightclub owner, unaware he is involved with one of his singers.
The World of Suzie Wong
Suzie Wong
A Hong Kong sex worker tries modeling and falls for the artist who's painting her.