As a film star in the 1920s through the 1950s, Anna May Wong appeared on movie screens around the world. Now her face can be found somewhere else—on quarters.
This past fall, the U.S. Mint, the federal government agency in charge of producing coins, began rolling out 300 million quarters featuring Wong’s image. This makes the actor the first Asian American to appear on U.S. currency.
Wong was selected to appear on the quarter as part of the Mint’s American Women Quarters Program, which honors trailblazing women in U.S. history.
Wong was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1905 to Chinese American parents. By the time she was a teen, the U.S. movie industry was starting to boom in her hometown. Movie scenes were often filmed in Chinatown, the neighborhood where she lived. Wong became fascinated with acting as she watched the crews work.
At age 14, she began landing small parts in films. She acted in her first starring role at 17 and went on to appear in more than 60 movies.
But as the first Chinese American movie star, Wong faced intense discrimination. At the time, few parts were available to non-White actors, and non-Asian women were often chosen over her to play Asian characters. She also was frequently cast in stereotypical roles, such as a scheming villain. She did not accept these injustices quietly, however. Until her death in 1961 at age 56, Wong spoke out on behalf of actors of Asian descent.
The film star was “a courageous advocate who championed for increased representation . . . for Asian American actors,” says Mint director Ventris C. Gibson.