Nancy Kwan

Nancy Kwan Headshot

Actress

Birth Name: Ka Shin Kwan

Birth Date: May 19, 1939

Age: 85 years old

Birth Place: Hong Kong

As a young girl growing up in postwar Hong Kong, Nancy Kwan was physically active. She was a bit of a tomboy and excelled at sports and Tai Chi. At age 12, she was sent to England to study ballet; she went on to dance in productions of "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" and eventually to earn her teaching certificate. One day, at the age of 18, when she was visiting her home country for summer holidays, she had a big break. Director Ray Stark was searching for a Chinese actress to play the title character in his upcoming film, an adaptation of the Richard Mason novel "The World of Suzie Wong," the story of a romance between a struggling American artist and the daughter of a wealthy Chinese businessman, set in Hong Kong. Kwan was chosen out of 500 applicants, despite her lack of acting experience.

Her success in that part immediately opened the door to further opportunities, and the next year she was putting her dancing skills to work in the lead role of the film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway hit "Flower Drum Song," another interracial romance, set in San Francisco. In the 1980s, Kwan made a push into television where she appeared on many of the staples of the day such as "The A-Team" and "Fantasy Island." She eventually started her own commercial production company and is now mostly widely recognized for her role in infomercials for the beauty product Pearl Cream.

Credits

The New Face of Hollywood -- A Soul of a Nation Presentation

Self
Show
2023

A Life in Ten Pictures

Self
Show
2021

Bruce Lee: Be Water

Actor
Show
2020

Window Horses

Voice
Gloria
Movie
2016

Paint It Black

Actor
Margaret
Movie
2016

Hollywood Chinese

Actor
Movie
2007

Anna May Wong, Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend

Narrator
Movie
2007

Murder on the Yellow Brick Road

Actor
Natalie Chung
Movie
2005

Mr. P のダンシングスシバー

Actor
Movie
1999

Soul of the Avenger

Actor
Ling Li
Movie
1997

Glass Mountain

Actor
Joni Mitchell
Movie
1995

ERStream

Guest Star
Mrs. Chen
Series
1994

Dragon: The Bruce Lee StoryStream

Actor
Gussie Yang
Movie
1993
74%

Peligro en el Aire

Actor
Movie
1990

Miracle Landing

Actor
C.B. Lansing
Movie
1990

Babies

Actor
Dr. Liu
Movie
1990

Cold Dog Soup

Actor
Madame Chang
Movie
1990

Night Children

Actor
Deborah
Movie
1989

Keys to Freedom

Actor
Dr. Lao
Movie
1988

Blade in Hong Kong

Actor
Lily
Movie
1985

Walking the Edge

Actor
Christine Holloway
Movie
1985

Partners in Crime

Guest Star
Anna Chen
Series
1984

The A-TeamStream

Guest Star
Lin Wu
Series
1983

The Last Ninja

Actor
Noriko Sakura
Movie
1983

Le Dernier Ninja

Actor
Movie
1983

Chicago Story

Guest Star
Show
1982

Trapper John, M.D.

Guest Star
Series
1979

Streets of Hong Kong

Actor
Movie
1979

Fantasy IslandStream

Guest Star
Series
1978

Night Creature

Actor
Leslie
Movie
1978

Proyecto Matar

Actor
Movie
1978

Project: Kill

Actor
Lee Su
Movie
1977

Assassins of Revenge

Actor
Movie
1976

Supercock

Actor
Yuki Chan
Movie
1975

Fortress in the Sun

Actor
Maria
Movie
1975

The Deadly and the Beautiful

Actor
Dr. Tsu
Movie
1973

Wonder Women

Actor
Dr. Tsu
Movie
1973

Kung FuStream

Guest Star
Series
1972

Karioka etchos de America

Actor
Movie
1971

That Woman From Peking

Actor
Sue Ten Chan
Movie
1971

The McMasters

Actor
Robin
Movie
1970

That Lady From Peking

Actor
Sue Ten Chan
Movie
1970

The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Actor
Revel Drue
Movie
1969

En Cada Puerto Una Pelea

Actor
Movie
1968

Nobody's Perfect

Actor
Nurse Tomiko Momoyama
Movie
1968

The Wrecking CrewStream

Actor
Yu-Rang
Movie
1968

Hawaii Five-0

Actor
Rosemary Quong
Movie
1968

The Corrupt Ones

Actor
Tina
Movie
1967

Arrivederci, Baby!

Actor
Baby
Movie
1966

Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.

Actor
Wednesday
Movie
1966

La Morena de Tahiti

Actor
Movie
1964

Honeymoon Hotel

Actor
Lynn Hope Jenley
Movie
1964

Fate Is the Hunter

Actor
Sally Fraser
Movie
1964
40%

The Wild Affair

Actor
Marjorie Lee
Movie
1963

The Main Attraction

Actor
Tessa
Movie
1963

Tamahine

Actor
Tamahine
Movie
1963

Flower Drum SongStream

Actor
Linda Low
Movie
1961
79%

Au rythme des tambours fleuris

Actor
Movie
1961

The World of Suzie WongStream

Actor
Suzie Wong
Movie
1960
38%

What's My Line?Stream

Guest
Game Show
1950