Irene Tsu
Encyclopedia
Irene Tsu is a Chinese American
actress who started in the film adaptation Flower Drum Song
in 1961
and has had many subsequent roles in TV and films. She was featured playing the wiki wiki girl in the Wiki wiki dollar
advertising campaign for Chevron Corporation
in the 1960s.
She speaks English and three different dialects of Chinese.
, China
to Z.M. and Dulcie Lynn Tsu. Her father was a banker and her mother a painter. After political changes in China in the 1940s, the family left for Taiwan
, then Hong Kong
. Her father remained behind in Hong Kong while in 1957 she and the rest of her immediate family (sister and mother) emigrated to Larchmont, New York
, a suburb of New York City, where her aunt lived. Irene attended Mamaroneck Elementary School in Mamaroneck, New York
and studied ballet.
In the late 1950s. she auditioned for a dancing job in Broadway's Flower Drum Song
. A staff member of the producer David Merrick
's office saw the performance and auditioned her for the Broadway musical "The World of Suzie Wong" and Tsu got a part. In 1960, Nancy Kwan
, the star of "The World of Suzie Wong
" got Tsu a part in the upcoming film adaptation of the musical Flower Drum Song. The choreographer Hermes Pan
brought Irene to Hollywood and she was a teenage dancer in the film Flower Drum Song
(1961), directed by Henry Koster
. He gave her her first speaking role as a teenage prostitute in his next film, Take Her, She's Mine
(1963) starring James Stewart
and Sandra Dee
, which started her acting career.
She studied acting with Ned Maderino, Lee Strasberg
and Peggy Feury and attended Los Angeles City College
, UCLA Film School, and California State University, Los Angeles
.
Tsu was a New York entry who won a "Miss Chinatown USA
" (San Francisco) beauty pageant in 1961.
She made numerous guest appearances on popular '60s television shows such as I Spy, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
, and The Wild Wild West
. She was tested for, but didn't get the female lead of The Sand Pebbles
.
Tsu once had dated Frank Sinatra
in the 1960s and later married director Ivan Nagy
in 1971.
Since 1990 Irene has been a realtor for Coldwell Banker
in Beverly Hills, California
. She is a single mother to her daughter, Yasmine, and a yoga practitioner for more than 25 years. Irene studied for many years directly with yoga master Bikram Choudhury
and is featured in his book, Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class. She teaches Bikram yoga at Bikram Yoga College of India in Encinitas, California
. She teaches weekly yoga classes at the Bikram headquarters and for the Beverly Hills Department of Parks.
In addition to these new ventures, Tsu has continued to act in TV and film roles over the years, although after she adopted her niece from China as her daughter, she concentrated primarily on being a mother.
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
actress who started in the film adaptation Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song (film)
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...
in 1961
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
and has had many subsequent roles in TV and films. She was featured playing the wiki wiki girl in the Wiki wiki dollar
Wiki wiki dollar
A wiki wiki dollar was a giveaway promotion in the United States from the Chevron gasoline company during the 1960s. The advertising campaign featured a wiki wiki girl, played by dancer Irene Tsu, dressed in a grass skirt and performing a brisk hula while standing on a gasoline pump.The Hawaiian...
advertising campaign for Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
in the 1960s.
She speaks English and three different dialects of Chinese.
Early life and career
Born in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to Z.M. and Dulcie Lynn Tsu. Her father was a banker and her mother a painter. After political changes in China in the 1940s, the family left for Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, then Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Her father remained behind in Hong Kong while in 1957 she and the rest of her immediate family (sister and mother) emigrated to Larchmont, New York
Larchmont, New York
Larchmont is a village in Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,864 at the 2010 census. It is located within the town of Mamaroneck, on the shore of Long Island Sound, northeast of Midtown Manhattan...
, a suburb of New York City, where her aunt lived. Irene attended Mamaroneck Elementary School in Mamaroneck, New York
Mamaroneck (town), New York
Mamaroneck is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Mamaroneck...
and studied ballet.
In the late 1950s. she auditioned for a dancing job in Broadway's Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
. A staff member of the producer David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
's office saw the performance and auditioned her for the Broadway musical "The World of Suzie Wong" and Tsu got a part. In 1960, Nancy Kwan
Nancy Kwan
Nancy "Ka Shen" Kwan is a Eurasian-American actress, who played a pivotal role in the acceptance of actors of Asian descent in major Hollywood film roles...
, the star of "The World of Suzie Wong
The World of Suzie Wong
The World of Suzie Wong is a 1957 novel written by Richard Mason. The main characters are Robert Lomax, a young British artist living in Hong Kong, and Suzie Wong, the title character, a Chinese woman who works as a prostitute...
" got Tsu a part in the upcoming film adaptation of the musical Flower Drum Song. The choreographer Hermes Pan
Hermes Pan (choreographer)
Hermes Pan was an American dancer and choreographer, principally celebrated as Fred Astaire's choreographic collaborator on the famous 1930s movie musicals starring Astaire and Ginger Rogers.-Early life:...
brought Irene to Hollywood and she was a teenage dancer in the film Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song (film)
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...
(1961), directed by Henry Koster
Henry Koster
Henry Koster was born Hermann Kosterlitz in Berlin, Germany. He became a film director and later moved to Hollywood. Koster's father, a salesman, left home when Henry was a young man...
. He gave her her first speaking role as a teenage prostitute in his next film, Take Her, She's Mine
Take Her, She's Mine
Take Her, She's Mine is a 1963 comedy film starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee. The film was written by Henry Ephron, Phoebe Ephron, and Nunnally Johnson, with Dee's character based on the then 22-year-old Nora Ephron, and directed by Henry Koster...
(1963) starring James Stewart
James Stewart
James Stewart was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart may also refer to:-Noblemen:*James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland*James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn James Stewart (1908–1997) was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart...
and Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular...
, which started her acting career.
She studied acting with Ned Maderino, Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
and Peggy Feury and attended Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
, UCLA Film School, and California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles is a public comprehensive university, part of the California State University system...
.
Tsu was a New York entry who won a "Miss Chinatown USA
Chinatown, San Francisco, California
San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. Since its establishment in 1848, it has been highly important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants to the United States and North America...
" (San Francisco) beauty pageant in 1961.
She made numerous guest appearances on popular '60s television shows such as I Spy, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an American science fiction film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released by 20th Century Fox in 1961. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett. Walter Pidgeon starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson, with Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane...
, and The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
. She was tested for, but didn't get the female lead of The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles (film)
The Sand Pebbles is a 1966 American period war film directed by Robert Wise. It tells the story of an independent, rebellious U.S. Navy Machinist's Mate aboard the fictional gunboat USS San Pablo in 1920s China....
.
Tsu once had dated Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
in the 1960s and later married director Ivan Nagy
Ivan Nagy (director)
Ivan Nagy is a Hungarian film and television director best known for directing films such as Bad Charleston Charlie, Skinner, and Deadly Hero...
in 1971.
Later career
From 1978 until 1989, Tsu was Chief Operating Officer and head designer for her own leisure apparel company, The IT Company/Irene Tsu Designs.Since 1990 Irene has been a realtor for Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker is a large real estate franchise founded in 1906 in San Francisco.Coldwell Banker has an international presence, with offices on six continents, 46 countries and territories...
in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. She is a single mother to her daughter, Yasmine, and a yoga practitioner for more than 25 years. Irene studied for many years directly with yoga master Bikram Choudhury
Bikram Choudhury
Bikram Choudhury is a multi-millionaire Indian yoga guru and the founder of Bikram Yoga, a form of hot yoga performed in a series of 26 hatha yoga postures done in a hot environment. Choudhury is a student of Bishnu Ghosh...
and is featured in his book, Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class. She teaches Bikram yoga at Bikram Yoga College of India in Encinitas, California
Encinitas, California
Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...
. She teaches weekly yoga classes at the Bikram headquarters and for the Beverly Hills Department of Parks.
In addition to these new ventures, Tsu has continued to act in TV and film roles over the years, although after she adopted her niece from China as her daughter, she concentrated primarily on being a mother.
Film
- Flower Drum SongFlower Drum Song (film)Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y...
(1961) - Take Her, She's MineTake Her, She's MineTake Her, She's Mine is a 1963 comedy film starring James Stewart and Sandra Dee. The film was written by Henry Ephron, Phoebe Ephron, and Nunnally Johnson, with Dee's character based on the then 22-year-old Nora Ephron, and directed by Henry Koster...
(1963) - How to Stuff a Wild BikiniHow to Stuff a Wild BikiniHow to Stuff a Wild Bikini is a 1965 beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverly Adams...
(1965) - Paradise, Hawaiian StyleParadise, Hawaiian StyleParadise, Hawaiian Style is a 1966 musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was the third and final motion picture that Presley filmed in Hawaii. The film reached #40 on the Variety weekly box office chart, earning $2.5 million in theaters....
(1966) - Women of the Prehistoric PlanetWomen of the Prehistoric PlanetWomen of the Prehistoric Planet is a 1966 film. It was featured in the first season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1989.-Plot:A spacefaring crew from an advanced civilization is preparing to return home after an extended voyage...
(1966) - Seven Women7 Women7 Women, also known as Seven Women, is a 1966 film drama made by MGM. It was directed by John Ford, produced by Bernard Smith and John Ford, from a screenplay by Janet Green and John McCormick, based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts. The music score was by Elmer Bernstein and the...
(1966) - Caprice (1967)
- The Green BeretsThe Green Berets (film)The Green Berets is a 1968 war film featuring John Wayne, George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton and Aldo Ray, nominally based on the eponymous 1965 book by Robin Moore, though the screenplay has little relation to the book....
(1968) - The Yin and the Yang of Mr. GoThe Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go- Plot summary :An American draft dodger and aspiring writer named Nero Finnigan becomes involved with the notorious Mr. Go , an oriental organized crime mastermind. They conspire to blackmail an American weapons scientist into providing secrets to Mr. Go's organization for resale to the highest...
(1970) - Airport 1975Airport 1975Airport 1975 is a 1974 disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film Airport. It stars Charlton Heston and Karen Black and is directed by Jack Smight....
(1974) - Three the Hard WayThree the Hard Way (film)Three the Hard Way is a 1974 action blaxploitation film starring Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, and Jim Kelly, written by Eric Bercovici and Jerrold L. Ludwig and directed by Gordon Parks, Jr....
(1974) - Hot PotatoHot Potato (film)Hot Potato is a 1976 action film written and directed by Oscar Williams. The film was a Weintraub and Heller production starring Jim Kelly. Jim Kelly also arranged his own fight scenes. Hot Potato was filmed on location in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is a follow-up to Black Belt Jones. The film was...
(1976) - Damien's Island (1976)
- Steele JusticeSteele Justice-Taglines:"When the police needed someone to stop the Vietnamese Mafia, there was only one choice...""You don't recruit John Steele. You unleash him.""The only law is the Black Tiger's. The only justice is John Steele's."-Plot:...
(1987) - SnapdragonSnapdragon (film)Snapdragon is a 1993 film starring former Playboy Playmate Pamela Anderson. Pamela Anderson, just coming off the success of her Playboy layouts, has her first starring film role.- Plot summary :...
(1993) - Widow's Kiss (1994)
- Comrades: Almost a Love StoryComrades: Almost a Love StoryLachlan Brock is a 1996 Hong Kong film starring Maggie Cheung, Leon Lai, Eric Tsang, and Kristy Yang. It was directed by Peter Chan.-Plot:...
(1997) - Golden ChickenGolden ChickenGolden Chicken is a 2002 Hong Kong film directed by Samson Chiu starring Sandra Ng and involving cameo appearances from Andy Lau and Eric Tsang.It was followed by a sequel: Golden Chicken 2 in 2003.-Synopsis:...
(2002)
Television
- Perry MasonPerry Mason (TV series)Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
TV series, episode: The Case of the Floating Stones (21 November 1963) as Juli Eng - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
TV series, episode: The Hong Kong Shilling Affair (15 March 1965) as Jasmine - I Spy TV series, episode: A Cup of Kindness (22 September 1965)
- Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
TV series, episode: The Peacemaker (November 21, 1965) as Su Yin - My Three SonsMy Three SonsMy Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
, TV series, episode: Robbie and the Slave Girl (20 January 1966) as Terry - The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV series, episode: The Five Daughters Affair: Part II (7 April 1967) - Reikko
- Mission: ImpossibleMission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
TV series, episode: Double Dead (12 February 1972) as Penyo - Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
TV series, episode: Engaged to Be Buried (27 February 1973) as Alia - Future CopFuture Cop (TV series)Future Cop is an American science fiction television series which starred Ernest Borgnine and Michael Shannon. It was based on the TV movie of the same name and predated RoboCop by ten years. The series was aired on ABC in 1976 and was re-piloted as "Cops and Robin" on NBC in 1978...
TV series (1977) as Doctor Tingley - The Rockford FilesThe Rockford FilesThe Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, TV series, episode: Irving the Explainer (18 November 1977) as Daphne Ishawaharda - Trapper John, M.D.Trapper John, M.D.Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986....
, TV series, episode: Heart and Seoul (28 January 1986) as Dr. Julie Lok - Noble HouseNoble House (TV miniseries)Noble House was an American television miniseries that was produced and broadcast by NBC in 1988. Based upon the novel Noble House by James Clavell, it featured a large cast headlined by Pierce Brosnan as business tycoon Ian Dunross and was directed by Gary Nelson...
(1988) all four episodes - Tell Me No Secrets, (1997) TV movie
- Star Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, TV series, episode: Author, AuthorAuthor, Author (Star Trek: Voyager)"Author, Author" is an episode of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, the twentieth episode of the seventh season.-Plot:A new method of communications allows Voyager to contact home for 11 minutes each day with live sound and pictures as opposed to the previous sound and data only...
(April 18, 2001) as Mary Kim - Cold Case, TV series, episode: Chinatown (22 November 2009) as Da Chun Lu
- Law & Order: LA TV series, episode: Angel's Knoll (25 May 2011) as Christina Yu
External links
- Irene Tsu Facebook page
- Irene Tsu Fan Page - Facebook