Lotus Long (born Lotus Pearl Shibata, July 18, 1909 – September 14, 1990[citation needed]) was an Asian-American film actress.

Lotus Long
Born
Lotus Pearl Shibata

(1909-07-18)July 18, 1909
DiedSeptember 14, 1990(1990-09-14) (aged 81)
Other namesKaren Sorrell
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Writer
  • producer
Years active1929–1956
Spouse
James Knott
(m. 1933; died 1989)

Early life

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Long was born in New Jersey to Ishiro Shibata and Blanche Leleu. 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. Due to her professional surname, people generally assumed that she was of Chinese ancestry. During World War II she used this name to avoid incarceration in American internment camps with other persons of Japanese ancestry, which included both legal permanent residents and American citizens.

Career

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She appeared in the MGM docudrama Eskimo (1933) as wife of the main character and under the stage name Lotus Long in the 1934 movie The Mysterious Mr. Wong and 1939's Mr. Wong in Chinatown.[1] She also starred alongside Keye Luke in Phantom of Chinatown as Win Len, Dr. Benton's secretary.

She also was credited under the name Karen Sorrell in the movies Flight into Nowhere (1938), starring Jack Holt and Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938), starring Peter Lorre. She was uncredited in the movie The Real Glory (1939), starring Gary Cooper and David Niven.[2]

One of her more infamous roles was Tokyo Rose in Lew Landers' movie Tokyo Rose (1946), which starred Keye Luke, Edwin Luke, Richard Loo, Byron Barr, and Osa Massen.[3]

Long had a writing and producing credit for the film The Tahitian (1956)[4] made with her husband James Knott. The Tahitian was filmed on location with a largely native cast.[5]

Legacy

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She was a pioneer for future Asian-American actresses in film and also a role model.

In Timothy Tau's short-film bio-pic Keye Luke, Lotus Long is portrayed by Mei Melancon.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. March 29, 2023.
  2. ^ "Karen Sorrell Filmography". Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "Movies". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "SOVA: Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives". siris-archives.si.edu. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  5. ^ Hal Erickson (2012). "Movie Reviews". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  6. ^ Moy, Ed (April 8, 2012). "Writer's Journey: Q&A with 'Keye Luke' Director Timothy Tau". Retrieved September 20, 2018.
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