[Music] at a time when white actors painted their faces to play ethnic characters shameful stereotyping limited the careers of minority actors and interracial kissing in the movies was against the law anna mae wong broke down doors to become the first asian american movie star in history born wang song in la's chinatown district in 1905 wong grew up in a country where chinese people were forbidden citizenship and chinese workers were barred from entering the country by law bullied at school because of her ethnicity she found escapism in the movies and dreamed one day of becoming a star when she was 14 wong made her first steps into cinema as an extra in the red lantern and three years later landed a lead role in one of the very first films ever shot in technicolor but wong soon realized that she had become typecast as an exotic temptress or scheming villain unable to be hired in a starring role she traveled to europe where she stunned audiences as the lead in the acclaimed silent drama piccadilly in the 1930s wong was featured in a number of american movies that showed chinese characters in a positive light for the very first time and following the second world war which she spent raising money to help chinese people affected by the war she made history as the first asian american lead in a u.s television show the gallery of madame lude song throughout the course of her career wong starred in over 50 movies but sadly died from a heart attack aged just 56 today she's remembered as a pioneer someone who pushed back against racial injustice to open doors for asian american actors in what ways does hollywood still stereotype people today [Music]