As this year's Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month draws to a close,

we bring you the story of a pioneering actress, considered to be the first major Asian American

star despite the limits imposed by

Hollywood's racism.

Good morning angels.

Before there was Lucy Liu.

Oh boy.

She will write that check. Boy.

Aquafina, she will write that check.

They do that around here.

Or Michelle Yo,

thousands of emblems.

There was Anna Me Wong, considered Hollywood's first Asian American film star.

She appeared in more than 60 movies beginning in the silent era,

but racism meant that in most of them she played stereotyped supporting roles while

white actresses in Yellowface got top billing. It wasn't until she went to Europe in the late

1920s that she was cast as a leading lady starring in British, French, and German films.

Wong Liu Tzong was born in Los Angeles in 1905, one of seven children of American-born owners and operators of a laundry business.

As a teenager, she skipped school to go to the movies and to watch scenes being shot on the streets

of Chinatown. She landed a role as an extra and quickly rose through the ranks.

Over her parents objections, she dropped out of high school to pursue an acting career. When she was 17, Wong landed her first major role. It was in a

largely forgotten silent retelling of Puccini's Madam Butterfly called The Toll of the Sea.

...