Lotus Long

Born: 1909-07-18

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lotus Long (born Lotus Pearl Shibata, July 18, 1909 – September 14, 1990) was an American actress. Long was born in New Jersey to a father of Japanese ancestry and a mother of Hawaiian ancestry. She came to Southern California during the 1920s to act in Hollywood films, and usually portrayed ethnic Asian female characters in supporting roles. She used the name "Lotus Long" for stage and film. Because of her adopted surname, people generally assumed that she was of Chinese ancestry – something she later relied on to avoid mass incarceration in American internment camps with other persons of Japanese ancestry, both legal permanent residents and American citizens, during World War II. She appeared in the MGM docudrama Eskimo (1933) as wife of the main character. Under the stage name Lotus Long as Moonflower in the 1934 film The Mysterious Mr. Wong and as the murder victim, Princess Lin Hwa, in 1939's Mr. Wong in Chinatown. She also starred alongside Keye Luke in Phantom of Chinatown as Win Len, Dr. Benton's secretary, whereas Keye Luke played Mr. Wong, this time known as Detective James Lee Wong. She was also credited under the name Karen Sorrell in the films Flight into Nowhere (1938) starring Jack Holt and Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938) starring Peter Lorre. She was uncredited as a "native girl" in the film The Real Glory (1939) starring Gary Cooper and David Niven. One of her more infamous roles would be as Tokyo Rose in Lew Landers' film, Tokyo Rose (1946), which also starred Keye Luke, Edwin Luke, Richard Loo, Byron Barr, and Osa Massen. Long had one writing and producing credit, for the film The Tahitian (1956) made with her husband, James Knott. The Tahitian was filmed on location with a largely native cast. In Timothy Tau's short film bio-pic Keye Luke, Lotus Long is portrayed by Mei Melancon, who is also of mixed ancestry (Japanese, Chinese and French), and who was inspired by the real-life figure of Tokyo Rose (Iva Toguri) to get into acting.


Placeholder

Flying Tigers

as Children's Matron (uncredited)
Released: 1942-10-08

Jim Gordon commands a unit of the famed Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group which fought...

Movie page

Mysterious Mr. Moto

as Lotus Liu
Released: 1938-09-17

The Japanese detective rounds up a league of assassins for Scotland Yard.

Movie page

Last of the Pagans

as Lilleo
Released: 1935-12-20

Two South Sea Islanders fall in love, followed by a hurricane.

Movie page

The Mystery of Mr. Wong

as Drina
Released: 1939-03-08

Detective James Lee Wong must find the "Eye of the Daughter of the Moon," a priceless but cursed...

Movie page

Eskimo

as Iva (uncredited)
Released: 1933-11-14

The happy life of an Eskimo is disastrously changed when he mingles with an unscrupulous white...

Movie page

Sea Spoilers

as Marie
Released: 1936-09-30

Bob Randall, temporarily in command of the Coast Guard vessel Niobe, expects a promotion and the...

Movie page

Mr. Wong in Chinatown

as Princess Lin Hwa
Released: 1939-08-01

A pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a...

Movie page

Think Fast, Mr. Moto

as Lela Liu
Released: 1937-07-23

When his import/export business infiltrated by international diamond smugglers, Mr. Moto must...

Movie page

For Beauty's Sake

as Ann Kuo
Released: 1941-06-06

A woman-hater who inherits a beauty salon gets a new perspective on females after capturing a...

Movie page

Phantom of Chinatown

as Win Lee, Benton's Secretary
Released: 1940-11-18

In the middle of a pictorial lecture on his recent expedition to the Mongolian Desert, Dr. John...

Movie page

The Peacock Fan

as Feliti--prologue
Released: 1929-08-01

A bumbling detective sent to investigate a murder at a wealth home is replaced by a sneering...

Movie page

Rose of the Yukon

as Eskimo girl
Released: 1949-01-05

Major Geoffrey Barnett, U. S. Army Intelligence Service, is sent to Alaska, to apprehend a...

Movie page

The Mysterious Mr. Wong

as Moonflower
Released: 1935-01-25

Mr. Wong is a "harmless" Chinatown shopkeeper by day and relentless blood-thirsty pursuer of the...

Movie page

Flight Into Nowhere

as L-Ana
Released: 1938-04-19

When headstrong pilot Bill Kellogg disobeys orders and takes a plane to photograph potential...

Movie page

China Passage

as Lia Sen
Released: 1937-03-12

Americans Tommy Baldwin and Joe Dugan are hired to transport a fabulous diamond from Shanghai to...

Movie page

Tokyo Rose

as Tokyo Rose
Released: 1946-02-08

Lotus Long plays the title role, an American-educated Japanese woman broadcasting enemy...

Movie page

Sing Sing Nights

as Li Sung
Released: 1934-12-14

A respected war correspondent is found murdered, with three bullets--from three different...

Movie page