Nancy Kwan

Acting

Nancy Kwan

Born

1939-05-19 (87)

Place of birth

Hong Kong, British Crown Colony [now China]

Known for

Acting

Credits

72 titles

Nancy Kwan Ka-shen (Cantonese: 關家蒨; born May 19, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born American actress, author, and philanthropist. She meteorically rose to fame by starring in the Hollywood films The World of Suzie Wong (1960) and Flower Drum Song (1961), which were among the first to cast Asian actors in major roles. Her dazzling 'oriental' style and signature bob cut became iconic and cemented her status as an exotic sex symbol. Later in life, Kwan became involved in philanthropy for AIDS awareness. In 1997, she published a book about her son who died from the disease and donated its profits to support the promotion of AIDS awareness.

Known for

Film credits

2000s · 7 titles

Hollywood Chinese poster
NR

Hollywood Chinese is a captivating look at cinema history through the lens of the Chinese American experience. Directed by triple Sundance award-winning filmmaker, Arthur Dong, this documentary is a voyage through a century of cinematic delights, intrigues, and treasures. It weaves together a wondrous portrait of actors, directors, writers, and movie icons who have defined American feature films, from the silent era to the current new wave of Asian American cinema. At once entertaining and enlightening, Hollywood Chinese reveals long-untold stories behind the Asian faces that have graced the silver screen, and weaves a rich and complicated tapestry, one marked by unforgettable performances and groundbreaking films, but also by a tangled history of race and representation.

Hollywood Chinese

2007

The Unbeatable Bruce Lee poster
8.4

A look at the life of superstar Bruce Lee.

The Unbeatable Bruce Lee

2001

Mr. Yunioshi:  An Asian Perspective poster
NR

Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective provides some insightful commentary of how far we've come concerning Asian characterizations in Hollywood movies from earlier eras.

Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective

2009

No artwork available
NR

Documentary of Anna May Wong, a Chinese-American woman who endured many hardships and heartaches to become an international star of film, stage and television.

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

2007

Murder on the Yellow Brick Road poster
8.0

A pretty young songbird found murdered on Hollywood Boulevard. The crusty old Private Eye who was in love with her. A smooth-talking seductress who hires him to solve the crime. A bulldog detective with a nose for the truth and a leash held by city hall. A long list of suspects with a long list of alibis. A sprinkling of dirty secrets. A zest of clever lies. These are the ingredients of an homage to the PI films of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Murder on the Yellow Brick Road

2005

You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story poster
NR

The film tells actor Jack Soo's story through a montage of film and television clips, rare footage, interviews with family members, friends, co-workers, and others who knew him best. From his early appearances on programs such as The Jack Benny Show and Valentines' Day, Soo's life is examined both in the historical context of the times, and the grandeur of an earlier Hollywood where stars like Soo succeeded in a multitude of artistic mediums, reminiscent of vaudevillian times. From Soo's early training as an announcer and stand-up comic, to his singing, acting and dancing career on Broadway, culminating with his signature role as Detective Nick Yemana, Soo's unique talent and dedication to his craft are fully explored and captured through a dazzling kaleidoscope of images, music, montages, interviews and stories.

You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story

2009

Ray of Sunshine poster
8.0

Rachael, an aspiring pianist with a troubled past, disguises herself as a boy and searches for her father, a free-wheeling musician who abandoned her when she was a child.

Ray of Sunshine

2006

1990s · 9 titles

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story poster
6.9

This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

1993

Miracle Landing poster
5.8

Based on a real, in-flight incident in 1988, a passenger jet loses a portion of its fuselage in flight over Hawaii and is forced to make an emergency landing.

Miracle Landing

1990

For Life or Death poster
5.3

A man named Kaan Woo (James Lew) is escaping his dark past, having been involved with a cult of brown shroud-wearing, druid-like monk warriors that have mystical powers. He apparently wanted out, because their evil queen, Ling Li (Nancy Kwan), has sent her servant, Sir Xavier (Richard Norton), to do her bidding - i.e., eliminate Woo. During a battle with the dark forces, Woo's soul is transferred into the body of homeless drunkard Earl Stockman (Mark Pellegrino). Now this bum is as surprised as anybody to find out he has mystical kung-fu abilities. Now "Superbum" must take on the evil cult and win the day.

For Life or Death

1996

Cold Dog Soup poster
5.3

A taxi driver (Quaid) pounds Zen parables (if time money, is time the root of all evil?) into his passenger in a high-speed, idiosyncratic tour of their city's ethnic coteries. All the boy wants is to dispose of his date's dead dog and get back to the babe who's so hot she mutters darkly about being a pressure cooker.

Cold Dog Soup

1990

Sally's Beauty Spot poster
6.0

A large black mole above an Asian woman's breast serves as a metaphor for cultural and racial difference in this engaging experimental film. Off-screen women's voices and scenes from THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG parallel and counterpoint Sally's own interracial relationships and emerging self-awareness. A provocative and stylish meditation on Asian femininity.

Sally's Beauty Spot

1990

No artwork available
10.0

The first video to combine international martial arts together with interviews and demonstrations by celebrities of Hollywood.

Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities

1995

No artwork available
7.7

Late stuntman Bernhard Pock wrote, directed, and starred in this gritty modern-day fairy tale about a biker poet on a journey of self-discovery. Pock is Jeremy, a lone wolf who takes on a traveling companion when he happens on a young kidnapped girl. Together the duo crosses the country, meeting an oddball menagerie of characters along the way.

Rebellious

1995

Babies poster
NR

The physical and emotional trauma of three close-knit women trying to have children is explored.

Babies

1990

Mr. P's Dancing Sushi Bar poster
8.0

A film about a small sushi counter in the lobby of a hotel in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, for Japanese commercial employees sent to the United States.

Mr. P's Dancing Sushi Bar

1999

1980s · 8 titles

Angkor: Cambodia Express poster
4.0

In a tale of drama and adventure, young journalist Andy Cameron (Robert Walker) has to get into Cambodia (it is assumed this is during the genocidal reign of Pol Pot). Cameron has to smuggle out his girlfriend Mieng (Nit Alisa) before she is killed (along with the other two million Cambodians), but he cannot manage this alone. He enlists the aid of an American Vietnam vet and the help of a few Khmer men. Eventually, Cameron makes his way into Cambodia where he encounters many dangers, some human and some inhuman.

Angkor: Cambodia Express

1981

Reel Horror poster
3.2

Evil spirits that emerge from cans of old movie film terrorize a neighborhood.

Reel Horror

1985

The Last Ninja poster
3.6

A successful art dealer is sought out by law enforcement after terrorists take some scientists hostage. Finding no possible solution, a law enforcement agent approaches the dealer (Beck). Mr. Cosmo, the agent believes the dealer to be linked to the ninja responsible for tracking down criminals and serving them justice. Mr. Cosmo hopes that the ninja's seemingly supernatural skills will remedy this impossible hostage situation.

The Last Ninja

1983

Blade in Hong Kong poster
9.0

Joe Blade is an unclaimed TV pilot film. An American, Blade works in Hong Kong, the home of his adoptive father Chang Chin-tzu. When Chang Chin-tzu is killed and a wealthy man is kidnapped, Blade springs into action.

Blade in Hong Kong

1985

Walking the Edge poster
5.4

A Los Angeles taxi driver helps a distraught woman on the run from gangsters after they murder her husband and young son.

Walking the Edge

1985

Night Children poster
3.8

A veteran cop (David Carradine) investigates the crimes of an anarchist street gang that causes chaos wherever they go. Meanwhile, his wife (Nancy Kwan), a police counselor, investigates a teenage runaway case which leads to the same gang. Showdowns ensue that pits sides together in a violent series of confrontations.

Night Children

1989

Keys to Freedom poster
4.3

The keys to freedom for citizens of Hong Kong are U.S. passports, as their city quakes with the imminent transition to Chinese Communist rule. A deadly black market for passports is thriving, controlled by Hong Kong's warlords.

Keys to Freedom

1988

Slaying the Dragon poster
8.0

A highly-critical documentary about the history of Asian-American actresses in Hollywood. Features interviews with pioneering Asian-American actresses and clips from classic films, such as "The Thief of Bagdad," "The Good Earth" and "The World of Suzie Wong," interspersed with Asian/feminist sociological commentary.

Slaying the Dragon

1988

1970s · 12 titles

The McMasters poster
4.6

When a black Civil War veteran becomes co-owner of the southern McMasters ranch, the incensed local Confederate veterans come gunning for him and his Indian wife.

The McMasters

1970

Wonder Women poster
4.6

Dr. Tsu is a brilliant surgeon with her own exotic island off the coast of Manila. Using her sexy, all-girl army of martial-arts experts, Tsu kidnaps some of the world's greatest athletes. She is able to transplant any body part, so she uses the athletes for spare parts to sell to the world's richest men. Mike Harber is a womanizing, wise-cracking insurance investigator for Lloyd's of London sent to Manila to investigate the disappearance of a jai-alai player, and becomes involved with Dr. Tsu's mad mission.

Wonder Women

1973

Supercock poster
4.5

An American cowboy in the Philippines gets mixed up in cockfighting.

Supercock

1975

Project: Kill poster
5.1

A former government assassin flees a mind-control program in the Philippines, pursued by his ex-partner, the local police and Asian gangsters.

Project: Kill

1976

No artwork available
NR

Made for German TV documentary about the early craze of Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema. While critical on the subject and not too well informed, it nevertheless offers some interesting insights into the Hong Kong film industry of that days.

Heiße Ware aus Hong Kong

1973

Spring Comes Not Again poster
NR

Spring Comes Not Again is a tragic story of romance and betrayal, set in contemporary Hong Kong. The film opens with a deeply distraught Betty (Nancy Kwan) spinning her red MG convertible in circles on the beach, and cuts away to tell the story of her life in flashback. Nancy Kwan brings a wide variety of emotions to her character in Spring Comes Not Again, and the camera photographs her in many beautiful shots. The film is notable because is Nancy Kwan's only Chinese language feature; all the dialog is in Mandarin. Unfortunately for English speaking viewers, the DVD version of this film is subtitled in Chinese only.

Spring Comes Not Again

1974

Night Creature poster
3.8

A big-game hunter brings a killer leopard to his private island and turns it loose so he can hunt it down. However, unexpected visitors arrive at the island and interrupt his hunt. Meanwhile, the leopard begins to hunt the inhabitants of the island.

Night Creature

1978

That Lady from Peking poster
4.0

Max Foster (Carl Betz), an American newspaper reporter, is in Hong Kong to assist a defecting Russian diplomat. In return for arranging an escape, the diplomat must turn over to Foster a diary revealing the true events taking place in China. While making his escape, the defector is killed ant the diary vanishes. The reporter sets off on a search for it, from Hong Kong to Australia. The chase ends in an action-filled climax, with the journalist finally meeting up with "That Lady from Peking" (Nancy Kwan) - the diplomat's daughter.

That Lady from Peking

1975

No artwork available
8.0

The most expensive message action film ever to hit the screen. An international-geared vehicle showcasing two of Asia's great acting talents.

Fortress in the Sun

1975

The Pacific Connection poster
5.2

Ben is a farm boy who comes into conflict with the Evil Spanish Governor and his two sons. To assist in their oppression the Governor hires a Samurai to teach his son the Japanese Katana sword. To counter this, Ben studies under a blind Franciscan monk to obtain some advanced fighting secrets and develop his warrior senses. Additionally Ben must search for the legendary “Iron Reed”. A mystical stick so strong that grows in the lava of an active Volcano.

The Pacific Connection

1974

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Karioka etchos de America

1971

No artwork available
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Streets of Hong Kong

1979

1960s · 15 titles

Fate Is the Hunter poster
6.5

An airline executive refuses to believe that pilot error, by his friend, caused a fatal crash and persists in looking for another reason.

Fate Is the Hunter

1964

The Wrecking Crew poster
5.7

When Count Contini attempts to destroy the world's economy by masterminding the theft of $1 billion in U.S. gold, ICE chief MacDonald summons secret agent Matt Helm to stop him.

The Wrecking Crew

1968

Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N. poster
5.7

Lt. Robin Crusoe is a navy pilot who bails out of his plane after engine trouble. He reaches a deserted island paradise where he builds a house and begins to adjust to life. He is in for trouble however when a local girl is banished to the island by her father, who then comes after Crusoe.

Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N.

1966

Arrivederci, Baby! poster
5.9

Nick Johnson has wed several times, but all his rich wives were 'accidentally' killed after some time. Now he's married a young Italian widow, but she's not so easy to get rid of, especially when she learns of his plans and tries to turn the tables.

Arrivederci, Baby!

1966

Tamahine poster
5.0

The headmaster of a stuffy British boys' school receives a surprise visit from the now-grown, and very voluptuous, daughter he fathered years earlier in the Pacific islands.

Tamahine

1963

Honeymoon Hotel poster
4.6

A man left at the alter goes on his honeymoon trip anyway, taking his best man along instead.

Honeymoon Hotel

1964

The World of Suzie Wong poster
6.6

A Hong Kong prostitute tries modeling and falls for the artist who's painting her.

The World of Suzie Wong

1960

The Main Attraction poster
4.0

An affable drifter on the lam for a murder he didn't commit hides out in a circus.

The Main Attraction

1962

The Corrupt Ones poster
5.4

Freelance photographer Cliff Wilder (Robert Stack) finds himself the target of various colorful villains in this quest for an ancient Chinese treasure when he accidentally acquires the key to its location, the Peking medallion.

The Corrupt Ones

1967

Flower Drum Song poster
6.3

A young woman arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown, from Hong Kong, with the intention of marrying a rakish nightclub owner, unaware he is involved with one of his singers.

Flower Drum Song

1961

The Girl Who Knew Too Much poster
6.0

A runaway truck containing the corpse of a slain gang leader rolls into a California nightclub owned by Johnny Cain, a hard bitten former free-lance adventurer. The gang threatens to kill Johnny, unless he solves the murder. The CIA also investigates - because it turns out that the slaying was part of a long-range Communist plan to take over the crime syndicate. Cain's search for clues leads him into a maze of beautiful girls, mysterious Oriental statues and murderous spies.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much

1969

The Wild Affair poster
5.3

Young office assistant Majorie will marry soon, however, she's plagued by doubts if her fiance is the right one. On her last day at work, her male colleagues don't miss a chance to comfort her...and flirt.

The Wild Affair

1965

Nobody's Perfect poster
6.3

This military service comedy chronicles the misadventures of the U.S.S. Bustard in Japan. The crew has stolen a Buddha statue from a Japanese village, which if discovered missing, would threaten Japanese/American relations. Doc Willoughby is the ship's petty officer, whose antics are constantly getting him into trouble with his captain. On shore leave, Willoughby falls for a seemingly demure Japanese girl in a kimono shop, who actually turns out to be a Japanese/American nurse in the US Navy, Lt. Tomiko Momoyama. However, it turns out she was betrothed as a child to a traditional Japanese man named Toshi, who fully intends on enforcing tradition. Willoughby divides his time between trying to return the Buddha statue back to the Japanese village it rightfully belongs to, and trying to woo Tomiko from the traditional Japanese man she rightfully belongs to.

Nobody's Perfect

1968

Cocoon poster
7.7

In this pilot film to the "Hawaii Five-0" television series, special law officer Steve McGarrett tracks down Red Chinese operatives and their spy ring in Honolulu.

Cocoon

1968

The Magic Stone poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Magic Stone

1966

Series credits

The Daily Show poster
6.4

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

The Daily Show

1996

ER poster
7.8

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

ER

1994

Knots Landing poster
6.9

The domestic adventures, misdeeds and everyday interactions of five families living on a cul-de-sac in a small California community.

Knots Landing

1979

What's My Line? poster
7.0

Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.

What's My Line?

1950

Golden Globe Awards poster
7.0

An annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign, bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Golden Globe Awards

1944

Hawaii Five-O poster
7.2

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. Jack Lord portrayed Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, the head of a special state police task force which was based on an actual unit that existed under martial law in the 1940s. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Many episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno!", sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one".

Hawaii Five-O

1969

The A-Team poster
7.5

A fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit."

The A-Team

1983

Fantasy Island poster
6.5

A magical island hosted by Mr Roarke and Tattoo where weekly guests learn valuable life lessons in their pursuit of fulfilling their dreams. Not all dreams are fulfilled as expected.

Fantasy Island

1978

The Bob Hope Show poster
7.0

The Bob Hope Show hosted by Bob Hope, debuted on April 9, 1950. During the 1952-1953 season, NBC rotated with other variety shows in a Sunday night block known as "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (Sept. 1950 to Dec. 1955). Also known as, "The Chevy Show with Bob Hope." When the first special debuted in October of 1950 it was the most expensive television program made up to that point - costing an astronomical $1,500 a minute to produce. Bob Hope had his own television show and radio show at the same time. For the next three seasons, The Bob Hope Show was broadcast once a month on Tuesday nights, giving Milton Berle a week off. Bob ended his radio show in April, 1956. Bob Hope also had another show by a similar name, "The Bob Hope Show (All Star Revue)". In addition, he performed in "Specials" for many years. It is the longest running variety program in television's history with a record of 45 years of televised entertainment.

The Bob Hope Show

1950

No artwork available
8.0

V.I.P.-Schaukel is a 45 minute documentary-family-news-talk show starring Margret Dünser as Host. The series premiered on Sun May 09, 1971 on ZDF and Folge 37 - Final Show last aired on Fri May 09, 1980.

V.I.P. Schaukel

1971

Hadleigh poster
7.8

Hadleigh was a British television series made by Yorkshire Television which originally ran from 1969 to 1976. Developed by Robert Barr, it was a sequel to the writer's earlier Gazette for the same company. The theme music was composed by Alan Moorhouse and, from series 3, Tony Hatch. James Hadleigh played by Gerald Harper, was "the perfect squire, paternalistically careful of his tenantry's welfare, beloved in the village, respected in the council." A "knight in a shining white Aston Martin V8, he sets about correcting local injustices." His wife, from a lower-class background, was played by Hilary Dwyer. The series attracted around 17 million viewers at its peak.

Hadleigh

1969

Noble House poster
7.1

Despite its impressive history and reputation, the international trading company Struan's is in trouble. Overextended by the previous management, new tai-pan Ian Dunross has had to issue public stock to improve the company's financial standing. Even this, however, has not given him the capital he needs. As a result, he is courting a private investor, American billionaire Linc Bartlett. Bartlett decides secretly to back Dunross' arch enemy, Quillian Gornt, who will stop at nothing to destroy Struan's. When Dunross realises that Gornt is suddenly strong enough to ruin the Noble House, he must urgently forge new alliances or reshape ancient ones.

Noble House

1988

Partners in Crime poster
6.5

When their ex-husband Raymond winds up murdered, Carole and Sydney set out to find his killer and eventually decide to run the detective agency Raymond has left them.

Partners in Crime

1984

Kung Fu poster
7.7

The adventures of a Shaolin Monk as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.

Kung Fu

1972

Behind the camera