Actress Anna May Wong to be first Asian American featured on U.S. currency

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Mint said it will begin shipping coins bearing the image of early Hollywood movie star Anna May Wong later this month, making her the first Asian American to appear on U.S. currency.

The quarters featuring the silent movie actress, recognizable by her iconic bangs, will ship on Oct. 24, the U.S. Mint said earlier this week.

A close-up image of Wong resting her head on her hand and surrounded by the bright lights of a marquee sign is featured on the tail side of the quarter and was designed by Mint Artistic Infusion Program Designer Emily Damstra and sculpted by Mint Medallic Artist John McGraw.

"The quarter is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishments by Anna May Wong, who overcame challenges and obstacles she faced during her lifetime," Mint Director Ventris Gibson said in a statement.

A Los Angeles native born in 1905 to Chinese America parents, Wong was a trailblazer for Asian American women in the film industry.

Born Wong Liu Tsong, the actress would appear in more than 50 movies during her five-decade career, which was cut short in 1961 when she died at the age of 56.

Among her accolades include being the first Asian American to land a leading role in a U.S. television series, staring as the titular character in 1951's The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong. In 1960, she was also the first Asian American woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The coin is the fifth and final of the U.S. Mint's American Women Quarters program, which honors five prominent American women, including poet Maya Angelou, who also became the first Black woman on U.S. currency through this initiative.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised the coin late Tuesday, stating it was fitting that Wong will grace the face of a quarter that also is inscribed with the American creed E Pluribus Unum, which translates to "out of many, one."

"Anna May Wong was a dazzling, trailblazing talent on the silver screen & a courageous advocate for representation in cinema -- inspiring generations of AAPI actors," she tweeted, referring to the common initialism meaning Asian American and Pacific Islanders.

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said he was "thrilled" to learn that Wong will be U.S. currency.

"As the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, she faced constant discrimination, frequently being typecast and passed over for lead roles in favor of non-Asian actresses. In the face of adversity, she kept going and became an internationally renowned actress," he said in a statement. "She is remembered not only as a great actress but also an advocate for increased representation of Asian Americans in film and media."