Happy 71st birthday today to the marvellous Nancy Ka Shen Kwan! (Who? I hear you ask...)
Nancy Kwan was a ground-breaking and influential actress in Hollywoodland. Although Hong Kong born and British Empire educated, she broke the mould of stereotypical "Oriental" screen portrayals as a genuinely Chinese screen temptress in The World of Suzie Wong, and went on to great acclaim as (probably) the first Asian sex symbol in America. Her iconic style and glamour, and in particular her "asymmetrical bob" hairstyle by Vidal Sassoon, became the stuff of legend and was endlessly emulated and copied throughout the 1960s.
In spite of her long and glamorous career, and many film and TV appearances over six decades, it is mainly for one significant role that aficionados of musical campness most appreciate this diva. For it was Rodgers & Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song [the first all-Asian mainstream movie in cinema history] that allowed the lady to shine at her very brightest, and [despite her vocals being dubbed] it is for this song we will always remember Miss Nancy Kwan!
Nancy Kwan website
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