Anna May Wong will be the first Asian-American actress to be featured on U.S. money.
She will be featured as part of an initiative to put important women on U.S. currency.
Wong, who is regarded as the first Chinese-American film star in Hollywood, is the fifth and last woman to be highlighted solo on a coin this year.
On Monday, the quarter will enter general circulation.
On one side will be President George Washington and on the other, Wong.
The director of the United States Mint, Ventris Gibson, described Wong as “a brave crusader who fought for more representation and more complex roles for Asian American performers.”
“This quarter is intended to symbolize the breadth and depth of Anna May Wong’s accomplishments, who overcame challenges and barriers throughout her life,” she said.
Wong was born in Los Angeles to Chinese immigrant parents in 1905. Her birth name was Wong Liu Tsong, but she later acquired the stage name Anna May Wong, which was made by combining her English and family names.
At age 14, she was cast as an extra in the film The Red Lantern, and she continued to play supporting roles until 1922 when she starred in The Toll of the Sea.
She appeared in almost 60 films throughout her career, including silent pictures and one of the earliest technicolor films.
Wong was also the first Asian American to portray a Chinese investigator in an American television series, The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.
After suffering discrimination in the United States, she traveled to Europe to work on films in English, French, and German.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, and she passed away at the age of 56 the following year.
Gemma Chan, well known for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel’s Eternals, will play Wong in a forthcoming biopic on the actress’s life.
This year marks the beginning of the American Women Quarters Program, which will showcase five women annually through 2025. Edith Kanaka’ole, a Native Hawaiian hula instructor, has been nominated as one of the 2023 nominees.
