Mia Elliott
Encyclopedia
Mia Elliott was a groundbreaking character and the first protagonist on the American
soap opera
Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was played for the show's first few months by Nancy Hsueh, an American actress of Chinese and Scots-Irish origin.
daughter of the late War correspondent and Korean War veteran, Mark Elliott and Eurasian doctor, Dr. Han Suyin
. She was born from the relationship that her parents had. Like her mother, she too wanted to be a doctor, and to this end, she moved to San Francisco, California
to attend Medical School.
While on the ship that would take her to her new home. She met Paul Bradley, who was also en route to San Francisco. When she arrived, she met her father's brother, Phil and his wife, Helen
, who took her in. She bonded well with her cousin and her father's namesake, Mark Elliott
. She also met the Elliotts' friends, the Donnelly family.
While in San Francisco, she had met and fallen in love with Dr. Jim Abbott. However, during their relationship, she had discovered that Jim had performed an illegal abortion. Because of this, he lost his license to practice medicine, (abortion was still illegal at this time) and he also lost Mia.
Understandably, because of her upbringing and her Asian heritage, she was disgusted by this, and so left San Francisco to return to Hong Kong
. Presumably, Mia is still there to this day, and working as a doctor, much like her mother.
to quit the show in her typical fury.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was played for the show's first few months by Nancy Hsueh, an American actress of Chinese and Scots-Irish origin.
To San Francisco from Hong Kong
Mia was the AmerasianAmerasian
In its original meaning, an Amerasian is a person born in Asia, to a U.S. military father and an Asian mother. The term has sometimes been used to describe a person in the United States of mixed Asian and non-Asian ancestry, regardless of the circumstances....
daughter of the late War correspondent and Korean War veteran, Mark Elliott and Eurasian doctor, Dr. Han Suyin
Han Suyin
Han Suyin , is the pen name of Elizabeth Comber, born Rosalie Elisabeth Kuanghu Chow . She is a Chinese-born Eurasian author of several books on modern China, novels set in East Asia, and autobiographical works, as well as a physician...
. She was born from the relationship that her parents had. Like her mother, she too wanted to be a doctor, and to this end, she moved to San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to attend Medical School.
While on the ship that would take her to her new home. She met Paul Bradley, who was also en route to San Francisco. When she arrived, she met her father's brother, Phil and his wife, Helen
Helen Elliott Donnelly
Helen Elliott Donnelly was a fictional character on the now-cancelled American soap opera, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. She was first played by actress Grace Albertson, who was replaced by actress Gloria Hoye.-Meddling mother:...
, who took her in. She bonded well with her cousin and her father's namesake, Mark Elliott
Mark Elliott (Love Is a Many Splendored Thing)
Mark Elliott is a fictional character in the American soap opera, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. Numerous actors played him during the run of the show, Sam Wade,David Birney,Michael Hawkins,Vince Cannon, Tom Fuccello.- Torn Between Two sisters :...
. She also met the Elliotts' friends, the Donnelly family.
While in San Francisco, she had met and fallen in love with Dr. Jim Abbott. However, during their relationship, she had discovered that Jim had performed an illegal abortion. Because of this, he lost his license to practice medicine, (abortion was still illegal at this time) and he also lost Mia.
Understandably, because of her upbringing and her Asian heritage, she was disgusted by this, and so left San Francisco to return to 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...
. Presumably, Mia is still there to this day, and working as a doctor, much like her mother.
Trivia
Mia was one of the first, and at that time, the only Eurasian character who was involved in a front-burner storyline. Mia was meant to be the main focus of the show, since the show was a sequel to the movie of the same name, and she was the daughter of the movie's main characters; however, the story was quite controversial, (interracial love, which had been the main plotline of the movie) and that had offended several older viewers and the story was censored. This situation had forced the show's creator, Irna PhillipsIrna Phillips
Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:...
to quit the show in her typical fury.