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111:, the daughter of Shu Chong Moy and Jessica Whitehurst. Her father was born in China and her mother in Virginia. She was later raised by a foster father, Jin Fuey Moy, who was born in China, trained as a physician in the United States, and faced repeated legal difficulties involving his personal relationships, narcotics, and human trafficking. She was raised in
178:
magazine; the 1918 feature, and similar accounts, included various stories fabricated to increase her exotic appeal, such as a mentions of her being born in China, and attending medical school (or law school, or, in some accounts, both). Mentions of her athletic prowess, however, seem to have had a
118:
Moy is described as "multiracial". Being of
Chinese ethnicity from her father's side and of mostly white European descent on her mother's side, she was identified as white in the 1910 census. Her Chinese ancestry was often emphasized in films and film publicity; through her mother she also had some
127:
Moy appeared on the
American vaudeville stage as Lady Tsen Mei as early as 1915, and into the mid-1920s. One of her vaudeville acts involved singing to imitate various birds. She toured in Australia and China as a singer and actress in 1916 and 1917, and in England and France in 1919. She sang the
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She was featured in several
American-made silent films, in roles and with publicity that emphasized her Chinese ancestry. She played a Chinese freedom fighter in
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Moy married twice and had a daughter. She was widowed when
Archibald E. Kramer died in 1971, and she died
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141:(1918, now lost), a film made by the Betzwood Film Company in Pennsylvania. She held top billing in
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324:. Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 7, 16.
134:, though a critic commented that "her vocal means are slight and technically hampered."
380:
Yellowface: Creating the
Chinese in American Popular Music and Performance, 1850s-1920s
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Lady Tsen Mei was the first actress of color given a full-page feature in
741:"Dr. Ramona Curry on Lady Tsen Mei, the First Chinese-American Film Star"
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147:(1921), a drama set in historical China, co-directed and co-written by
219:. World Photographic Publishing Company. October 5, 1918. p. 38.
157:(1929), an early talking picture, Lady Tsen Mei appears alongside
266:"Death Takes Dr. Moy, Who Was Principal in Notorious Opium Case"
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in 1985, aged 97 years. In recent years, American film scholar
782:, a film starring Jeanne Eagels and featuring Lady Tsen Mei.
715:"Charming Young Woman from the Orient Delights Theatregoers"
195:
has reconstructed the life and career of Lady Tsen Mei.
427:"Lady Tsen Mei on Loew's Vaudeville Bill for All Week"
89:(March 28, 1888 – July 1985), known professionally as
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murder drama set in
Singapore. She was also seen in
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Pin-Up Grrrls: Feminism, Sexuality, Popular
Culture
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21:
8:
505:. Indiana University Press. pp. 75–76.
792:
527:"National Films Score Big in Coast Houses"
29:
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502:Chinese Looks: Fashion, Performance, Race
383:. Rutgers University Press. p. 155.
670:"Tells About the People of the Screen".
549:"Lady Tsen Mei Back to Native Role Now"
476:Peyser, Herbert F. (November 1, 1919).
204:
35:Lady Tsen Mei, from a 1918 publication.
649:. Duke University Press. p. 164.
624:Carson, Norma Bright (December 1918).
850:American actresses of Chinese descent
291:"Local Chinese Will Observe New Year"
7:
313:
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72:Tsen Mei, Sen Mei, Josephine Kramer
643:Buszek, Maria Elena (2006-05-31).
632:: 37 – via Internet Archive.
107:Josephine Augusta Moy was born in
14:
739:Spitzzeri, Paul R. (2018-03-26).
719:The Central New Jersey Home News
128:title role in a 1919 revival of
835:20th-century American actresses
604:Los Angeles Evening Post-Record
575:"Lasky Signs More Stage Actors"
377:Moon, Krystyn R. (2004-11-03).
845:American vaudeville performers
830:American silent film actresses
573:Kingsley, Grace (1928-11-01).
478:"'Geisha' Revival Worth While"
349:Park Ridge, Bergen, New Jersey
1:
236:. Hong Kong: Earnshaw Books.
499:Metzger, Sean (2014-04-25).
820:Actresses from Philadelphia
728:– via Newspapers.com.
703:– via Newspapers.com.
613:– via Newspapers.com.
600:"Chinese Star is Versatile"
588:– via Newspapers.com.
562:– via Newspapers.com.
465:– via Newspapers.com.
440:– via Newspapers.com.
304:– via Newspapers.com.
279:– via Newspapers.com.
230:Seligman, Scott D. (2012).
139:For the Freedom of the East
96:For the Freedom of the East
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694:The Ellis Review-Headlight
51:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
690:"Doctor, Lawyer, Actress"
626:"Lady Tsen Mei, of China"
537:: 176. December 17, 1921.
28:
840:American stage actresses
721:. 1919-05-04. p. 11
555:. 1929-03-09. p. 10
458:. 1927-05-29. p. 30
433:. 1924-01-24. p. 11
359:; Enumeration District:
217:The Moving Picture World
179:stronger basis in fact.
825:American film actresses
696:. 1920-09-24. p. 1
606:. 1930-05-07. p. 6
531:Exhibitors Trade Review
415:: 106. August 13, 1921.
297:. 1912-12-27. p. 5
272:. 1924-05-05. p. 2
270:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
678:: 924. June 20, 1918.
579:The Los Angeles Times
452:"Chinese Nightingale"
87:Josephine Augusta Moy
45:Josephine Augusta Moy
456:The Pittsburgh Press
321:Chinese in Hollywood
295:The Pittsburgh Press
233:Three tough Chinamen
318:Cho, Jenny (2013).
745:The Homestead Blog
167:Daughter of Heaven
119:African ancestry.
656:978-0-8223-3746-1
512:978-0-253-01568-6
431:The Dayton Herald
390:978-0-8135-4122-8
363:; FHL microfilm:
331:978-0-7385-9973-1
243:978-988-16162-8-9
189:Norfolk, Virginia
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790:Find a Grave
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193:Ramona Curry
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109:Philadelphia
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815:1985 deaths
810:1888 births
804:Categories
778:The Letter
750:2020-11-21
725:2020-11-21
700:2020-11-21
610:2020-11-22
585:2020-11-22
559:2020-11-22
462:2020-11-22
437:2020-11-21
301:2020-11-22
276:2020-11-22
199:References
154:The Letter
131:The Geisha
113:Pittsburgh
103:Early life
77:Occupation
252:811349295
175:Photoplay
99:(1918).
60:July 1985
365:1374882.
355:; Page:
353:T624_869
351:; Roll:
169:(1930).
163:pre-Code
161:, in a
80:Actress
780:(1929)
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123:Career
151:. In
772:IMDb
651:ISBN
507:ISBN
488:: 4.
385:ISBN
361:0033
345:1910
326:ISBN
248:OCLC
238:ISBN
57:Died
41:Born
788:at
770:at
357:19A
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.