Lisa Lu


Lisa Lu Yan is a Chinese-born American actress and singer. She won the Golden Horse Awards three times in the 1970s.

Early life

On July 8, 1927, Lu was born in Beijing, China.

Career

During Lu's teen years, she was active in Chinese opera, or Kunqu, before emigrating to the United States, where, beginning in the 1950s, she enjoyed a long career in television.
During the 1958-59 television season, she had a recurring role as Miss Mandarin on the cult western show Yancy Derringer, set in New Orleans in 1868. In 1961 she had a recurring role as "Hey Girl" on the television series Have Gun – Will Travel. She made numerous other appearances on television, with guest starring roles on Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Richard Boone Show, The Virginian, Hawaiian Eye, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Rebel, Cheyenne, and other shows.
In 1960, she was the female lead in the antiwar film The Mountain Road, which starred James Stewart and which was based on the novel of the same name by the China war correspondent Theodore H. White. Her film career took off in the 1970s with supporting roles in films like Demon Seed and Peter Bogdanovich's Saint Jack. During this time, she received three Best Actress Golden Horse Awards for her Chinese-language films The Arch, The Empress Dowager, and The Fourteen Amazons.
For the remainder of her career, Lu alternated between theater and film. She may be best known by English-speaking audiences for her roles in the 1988 TV miniseries Noble House, and the films The Last Emperor, The Joy Luck Club, and Crazy Rich Asians.

Filmography

Film

Television

Chinese opera

Lu attempted to popularize Chinese opera in the United States, touring universities and performing in English.

Recordings

Personal life

Lu's husband was Shelling Hwong.