The World of Nancy Kwan: My Life in Hollywood and Beyond

A Hollywood icon and Asian superstar shares the inspiring story of her groundbreaking career.

When Nancy Kwan burst onto the scene in the early 1960s, Asian characters in film were portrayed by white actors in makeup playing ＂yellowface,＂ and those minor roles were the stuff of cliché shopkeepers, maids, prostitutes, servants. When--against all odds--Nancy landed the lead role in the much-anticipated 1960 film The World of Suzie Wong, she became an international superstar and was celebrated for her beauty, grace, authenticity, and spunk: a ＂Chinese Garbo,＂ the ＂Asian Bardot.＂ From Hong Kong to London, Hollywood and beyond, The World of Nancy Kwan charts Nancy’s journey. The obstacles she faced, the prejudices she overcame, and how her success created paths for others.

Never allowing show business to change her, Kwan persevered in an industry where everything was stacked against her, breaking through barriers and becoming a beacon of hope to generations of Asians who aspired to be seen. The World of Nancy Kwan is a multi-faceted personal history of an iconic actress whose triumphant rise and resilience illuminates the broader history of Hollywood and how the only way forward is to stay true to oneself.

From her unforgettable starring role in The World of Suzie Wong to her spectacular performance in the musical Flower Drum Song, Nancy Kwan was the first Chinese actress to achieve fame in Western cinema, and has made dozens more films from the sixties to today. In November 2021, she was granted the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian Hall of Fame, and was their 35th Inductee. For more, visit http: //www.nancy-kwan.com.

Deborah Davis, Kwan’s collaborator, has written eleven books, including Tina Turner’s bestselling memoir, My Love Story; Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X; Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball; The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy; and Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, TheodoreRoosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation, which won the Phillis Wheatly Award for best work of history in 2013 and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.