Anna May Wong

Anna May Wong (1905–1961) was Hollywood’s first Chinese American star actress. Born and raised in the United States, she set her heart on film from childhood, and in an era when Asian actors were hard to find, she became a presence who commanded attention with confidence on the screen.

On the reverse of the coin is engraved the image of Anna May Wong resting her chin on one hand as if lost in thought. Around her are the sparkling lights of a theater marquee. The lights that brightly illuminate the front of a movie theater surround her as if symbolizing her life as an actress.

The lights of the theater marquee show, just as it was, the world of film she lived in. She was active for a long time, from the era of silent film through the era of films with sound, and she was a leading actress who made her face known in many works.

But in the era when she stood as an actress, the roles given to Asian Americans were very limited. Though it was hard to land good roles and she often ran up against prejudice, she did not give up and held on to her place. In that way, she little by little widened the stage on which the next generation of Asian actors could stand.

Gazing at her amid the sparkling theater lights on the coin, we recall the image of an actress who never let go of her dream toward the screen, even before the wall of prejudice. Anna May Wong is honored today as a pioneer who first knocked on the door of Hollywood.