Lisa Lu

She is the only person who is a member of both the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On May 5, 2025, Lu became the oldest person to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. • Illustration — Lu in 1960

• Name — Lisa Lu • Birth Name — Lu Pingxiang (盧萍香) • Native Name — 盧燕 • Born — 19 January 1927 • Birthplace — Beijing, Republic of China • Citizenship — United States • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1958–present • Spouse — Shelling Hwong • Children — 3, including Lucia Hwong • Awards — Full list

Lu was born in Beijing in 1927, and was the adopted daughter of noted Chinese opera (Kunqu) performer Mei Lanfang. Her mother, Li Guifen, was also a Kunqu singer. Lu followed in her parents footsteps and began performing in Kunqu as a teenager. She attended a primary school run by English missionaries, and became adept in the English language from an early age. In 1945 Lu attended St. John's University, Shanghai and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. However, her studies were interrupted by the Chinese Civil War and in 1947 she and her family immigrated to the United States. She studied financial management at the University of Hawaiʻi, as well as drama and speech. During her studies, she worked as an accountant, laboratory technician, radio announcer, and translator in Honolulu. In 1956, Lu and her family moved to Los Angeles, and she joined the Pasadena Playhouse. She made her professional stage debut in 1958, in a production of The Teahouse of the August Moon.

During the 1958–59 television season, she had a recurring role as Miss Mandarin on the cult western show Yancy Derringer, set in New Orleans in 1868. In 1961 she had a recurring role as "Hey Girl" on the television series Have Gun – Will Travel. She made numerous other appearances on television, with guest starring roles on Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Richard Boone Show, The Virginian, Hawaiian Eye, The Rebel, Cheyenne, Bat Masterson, Kentucky Jones, and other shows. In 1960, she was the female lead in the antiwar film The Mountain Road, which starred James Stewart and which was based on the novel of the same name by the China war correspondent Theodore H. White. Her film career took off in the 1970s with supporting roles in films like Demon Seed and Peter Bogdanovich's Saint Jack. During this time she achieved prominence in the Mandarin-language Hong Kong film industry, winning two Best Actress Golden Horse Awards for the films The 14 Amazons and The Last Tempest. She became known during this time for playing the Qing Empress Dowager Cixi, in The Empress Dowager and The Last Tempest, which would become her signature role. Years later, she would play the same character in the Best Picture Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor (1987) and the Chinese television series Qianlong Dynasty. For the remainder of her career, Lu alternated between theatre and film. She may be best known by English-speaking audiences for her roles in the 1988 TV miniseries Noble House, and the films The Last Emperor (1987), The Joy Luck Club (1993), and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). Lu also attempted to popularise Chinese opera in the United States, touring universities and performing in English.

Lu was married to Shelling Hwong until his death in 1996. They had three children, including composer Lucia Hwong.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1958 — Have Gun - Will Travel - "Hey Boy's Revenge" — Kim Li • 1958-59 — Yancy Derringer — Miss Mandarin — Recurring role • 1959 — Bachelor Father - "Peter Meets his Match" & "Peter Gets Jury Notice" — Linda Toy — Love interest for Peter Tong (Sammee Tong) • 1960 — The Rebel - "Blind Marriage" — Quong Lia — Played daughter of Quong Lee (Philip Ahn) • 1960 — Hawaiian Eye - "Jade Song" — Lin Ming — Appeared alongside George Takei • 1961 — Have Gun - Will Travel — Hey Girl — Recurring Role (Season 4) • 1961 — Bonanza - "Day of the Dragon" — Su Ling — Appeared alongside Philip Ahn, Benson Fong, Richard Loo, and Victor Sen Yung • 1961 — The Dick Powell Show - "Three Soldiers" — The Prisoner • 1961 — Bat Masterson - "Terror of the Trinity " — Hsieh-Lin • 1962 — Cheyenne - "Pocket Full of Stars" — Mei Ling • 1964 — My Three Sons - "The Lotus Blossom" • 1965 — Kentucky Jones - "The Victim" — Su Ling • 1968 — Family Affair - "The Great Kow-Tow" — Betty Chang • 1968 — The Big Valley - "Run of the Cat" — Chinese girl • 1970 — Mission: Impossible - "Butterfly" — Mioshi Kellem • 1986 — China Hand • 1988 — Noble House — Ah Tam • 2001 — NYPD Blue - "Fools Russian" • 2002 — Qianlong Dynasty (乾隆王朝) — Empress Dowager Chongqing • 2011 2012 2015 — General Hospital — Mrs. Yi • 2023 — American Born Chinese — Ni Yang — Episode: "Rockstar Status" • 2024 — Death and Other Details — Celia Chun