Lisa Lu

She has appeared in an amazing amount of films and television shows. Born in Shanghai in 1927, Lisa Lu (Yen Chun Lu) is still working in film, CRAZY RICH ASIANS for one. Her film career began in 1958 with a slew of American TV shows, and then continued on, with some of her early cinema films being THE MOUNTAIN ROAD (with James Stewart), WOMANHUNT and RIDER ON A DEAD HORSE. She continued working on television, and even did films for Hong Kong cinema, THE 14 AMAZONS being one of the most notable. Through the 80s and beyond, she continued to appear in Chinese films and American television shows and films. She must hold some kind of record.

 

Laura Gemser

She's not thought of as an "Asian actress," but Laura Gemser (Laurette Marcia Gemser) is indeed one, though as far as I known none of her interviews or articles make a political point about her coming from the Far East (Indonesia). Everything that I read about her seems that she is apolitical and, embarrassing to some, that she frequently starred in exploitation films and was very open about doing modeling shoots that showed nudity. She is one of the actresses who passes "under the radar" for those who wish to make a political point about Asian actresses. Yet she is well known to a certain group who appreciate the films she made and the photos she shot.

This February, a few of her films were even shown at New York's Quad Cinema, primarily to showcase the Emmanuelle series with Sylvia Kristel, with a nod to the "Black Emanuelle" films of Laura Gemser, one "m" for the Gemser series. Living close by, I had to see these Gemser films, though two were from prints whose color had turned.

I will have more to write about Gemser. In the meantime, here are some more photos, without nudity:

Judy Dan

After a few months departure from the blog, it is back with a lovely shot of Judy Dan, an actress who was born in Shanghai, China in 1930. She played in several films here, and was seen a lot on television. The photo is a promo shot for THE SPIRAL ROAD, a 1962 film with Rock Hudson and Burl Ives.