Katherine Hepburn in Dragon Seed

Yellowface is the practice in cinema, theatre, and television where East Asian characters are portrayed by white actors, often while wearing heavy makeup in order to approximate "Asian" or "Oriental" facial characteristics. Directors and film studios employed this practice for a variety of reasons, the most common being the lack of English-speaking Asian actors during the earlier decades of cinema. The most controversial reason was the desire to avoid onscreen romantic interaction between white and Asian actors in intimate contexts. Comparable to blackface, yellowface was once a commonly accepted practice in the motion picture industry, with many legendary Hollywood actors launching their careers by playing yellowface roles. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... For the ethnic group, see White people. ... The term the Orient - literally meaning sunrise, east - is traditionally used to refer to Near, Middle, and Far Eastern countries. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ...

Well-known examples of yellowface include Boris Karloff in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), Peter Lorre in the Mr. Moto film series (1937-1939), Katharine Hepburn in Dragon Seed (1944), Jennifer Jones playing real-life doctor Han Suyin in Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955), and Mickey Rooney as a Japanese landlord in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). The Swedish-born actor Warner Oland played several yellowface roles throughout his career, including the comic book villain Fu Manchu and the fictional detective Charlie Chan in a series of eponymous films. Other examples include Henry Silva who played Mr. Moto in The Return of Mr. Moto and Chunjin in Manchurian Candidate, and David Carradine in the Kung Fu television series and sequels. Yellowface can also be seen in a large number of pastiches, such as the Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (London, November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who immigrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and the creation of Frankensteins monster in 1931s Frankenstein. ... An adventure/horror film released in 1932, featuring Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu and his capture of the sword and armour (including the mask) of Ghengis Khan. ... See also: 1931 in film 1932 1933 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events Shirley Temples film career begins Disney released Flowers and Trees their first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film. ... Peter Lorre (June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964), born László Löwenstein, was an Hungarian[1] - Austrian - American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner. ... Mr. ... See also: 1936 in film 1937 category:1937 films 1938 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US. May 7 - Shall We Dance premieres in the US. Top grossing films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Conquest Damaged Lives... The year 1939 in film involved some significant events. ... It has been suggested that Tom Hepburn be merged into this article or section. ... Dragon Seed is a 1944 war drama film starring Katharine Hepburn. ... // July 20 - Since You Went Away is released. ... Jennifer Jones (born as Phylis Lee Isley on March 2, 1919) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American actress. ... Han Suyin (Chinese: 韩素音; pinyin: Hán Sùyīn) (born September 12, 1917), is the pen name of Elizabeth Comber, born Rosalie Elisabeth Kuanghu Chow (Chinese: 周光湖, pinyin: Zhōu Guānghú). She is a Chinese-born author of several books on modern China, novels set in East Asia, and autobiographical... Love is a Many-Splendored Thing is a 1955 film which tells the story of an American reporter who falls in love with a Eurasian doctor, only to encounter prejudice from both of their families. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Actor Mickey Rooney speaks at the Pentagon in 2000 during a ceremony honoring the USO. Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule, Jr. ... For other uses of Breakfast at Tiffanys, see Breakfast at Tiffanys (disambiguation). ... The year 1961 in film involved some significant events. ... Warner Oland (October 3, 1879 - August 6, 1938) was a Swedish actor most remembered for his role as Charlie Chan. ... This article is about the fictional literature character. ... 1938 titlecard Number One Son with the seat of his pants on fire in Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers, reportedly in part under inspiration from the career of Chang Apana. ... An eponym is a person (real or fictitious) whose name has become identified with a particular object or activity. ... Henry Silva (born September 15, 1928) is an actor of Puerto Rican descent who has played a wide variety of movie roles. ... Mr. ... The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a Cold War political thriller film adapted from the 1959 thriller novel, by Richard Condon, directed by John Frankenheimer, and features Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, and Janet Leigh. ... David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine on December 8, 1936 in Hollywood, California) is an American actor. ... Kung Fu (1972-1975) was an award-winning American television series which starred David Carradine. ... This article is about the television series. ... The Talons of Weng-Chiang is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from February 26 to April 2, 1977. ...

Sources

• "Yellowface: Asians on White Screens", by Yayoi Lena Winfrey, IM Diversity.com.
• "A Certain Slant." by Robert B. Ito, Bright Lights Film Journal.