Comprehensive information and links about Nancy Kwan

Nancy Kwan (born May 19, 1939 in Hong Kong) (pinyin: Guān Jiāqiàn, Cantonese: Kwan Ka Shin, Chinese: 關家蒨Nancy Kwan is a Eurasian actress.

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Biography

Born to a Chinese father, architect Kwan Wing Hong and Scottish mother, model Marquita Scott. She was considered to be a Eurasian sex symbol in the 1960s.

Kwan's family luckily left Hong Kong in 1941 and went to England, for in December 1941, the Japanese Army invaded Hong Kong. They returned to Hoing Kong at the end of the World War II. She later studied at the Royal Ballet School in England including performances in Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty at Covent Garden. She completed her studies with a certificate to teach ballet.

While in England , producer Ray Stark spotted her. At the age of 18, she received the starring role of a free-spirited Hong Kong prostitute who captivates artist Robert Lomax (William Holden) in the film adaptation of (1961) and became one of Hollywood's most visible Eurasian actresses. She spent the 1960s commuting between the United States and Europe for film roles. She married Austrian ski instructor Peter Pock and gave birth to son Bernhard. Kwan returned to her native Hong Kong in 1972 to be with her critically ill father. After his death, she married director-producer Norbert Meisel and returned to the United States.

Since returning to the USA in 1979, she has had guest appearances and co-starring roles on numerous television productions, like ER. Today she is politically active as the spokeswoman for the Asian American Voters Coalition.

Historymaker for Excellence in the Performing Arts - Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, California