Kwan, Nancy (1939—)

Eurasian actress. Born on May 19, 1939, in Hong Kong.

Films include:

The World of Suzie Wong (1960); Flower Drum Song (1961); The Main Attraction (UK, 1962); Tamahine (UK, 1963); Honeymoon Hotel (1964); Fate Is the Hunter (1964); The Wild Affair (UK, 1965); Lt. Robin Crusoe USN (1966); Drop Dead Darling (Arrivederci Baby!, UK, 1966); Nobody's Perfect (1968); The Wrecking Crew (1969); The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969); The McMasters (1970); Wonder Women (1973); Supercock (1975); Project Kill (1976); Devil Cat (Night Creature, 1978); Streets of Hong Kong (1979); Angkor (1981); Fowl Play (1983); Walking the Edge (1983); Night of Children (1989); Stickfighter (1989); Cold Dog Soup (1990); Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993).

Nancy Kwan was born in Hong Kong in 1939 and trained with the British Royal Ballet before entering films. Exotically beautiful, she made a promising Hollywood debut as a Hong Kong prostitute who falls in love with an artist in the romantic melodrama The World of Suzie Wong (1960), co-starring William Holden, then was cast as a lead in the film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical FlowerDrum Song (1961). Kwan's career leveled off during the 1960s and then went into a sharp decline, due at least in part to Hollywood's tendency toward casting myopia. By the late 1970s, she was limited to B movies out of Hong Kong. During the 1990s, Kwan did a series of television infomercials selling beauty products.