M.A.R.A.

Ruby Neilam Salvador Adams

(aka Neile McQueen-Toffel) is a Filipino-American actress, singer, dancer born in the Philippines, July 10, 1936, and is of German, Spanish, English, Chinese, and Filipino descent. Adams spent 18 months during WWII imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines. [Family photo above via]

Adams gained national attention by age 20 when she starred in Bob Fosse’s Broadway production of “The Pajama Game”. A string of legends such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, hand selected her to star in their Broadway productions. Film and television features soon followed.

Adams’ MGM publicity photo c. 1960 [via]

Adams married actor Steve McQueen just four months after they met in 1956. Adams wrote about her 15-year marriage and 24-year friendship with McQueen in her book, My Husband, My Friend.

[via]

In 1963, McQueen told LIFE magazine, “With strangers, I can’t breathe…But I dig my old lady…”

MCQeen and Adams in a Sulphur bath, Big Sur, 1963. Photo by John Dominis.

McQueen and Adams stylin 60s mod [via]

McQueen and Adams in Taipei 1965 [via], photo by Doris Nieh

McQueen and Adams at home [via]

McQueen and Adams poolside in their Palm Springs bungalow, 1963.
Photo by John Dominis. [via]

Sources & more: Life, book excerpts, book press release, Wiki, IMDb
Other Keywords: famous filipinos, famous asians, famous asian dancers, famous asian singers, famous asian actors, chinese-filipino, mestizo actors, steve mcqueen’s wife, steve mcqueen’s love, formidable asian women, asian female performers, asians in broadway, 1960’s mod photos, famous filipino-americans, mixed asian, hapa

Who’s the Asian Temple boss on ‘Lost: The Final Season’?

Are we supposed to surmise he’s Japanese because he keeps a Bonsai Tree and won’t speak English because the language tastes bad in his mouth? (Ok, fine. He speaks Japanese too.)

(This is from tonight’s episode ‘What Kate Does”)

So…he’s also barefoot. Why is everyone barefoot? Is that supposed to add to the mystery? Or make them more earthy and hippie-like? Eh. Iz cool. I’m down. Let’s see what happens…

(So is this one!)

This new badass Temple boss is Dogen, played by veteran actor and only Japanese actor ever to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company Hiroyuki Sanada. You might recognize him from his roles in films such as The Last Samurai, Sunshine, and Rush Hour 3. Sanada will next star opposite Anthony Hopkins in James Ivory’s The City of Your Final Destination, out in March 2010.

Other Keywords: japanese actors, famous asians, famous asian, hiro sanada, new asian guy on lost, bossy asian guy on lost, new japanese guy on lost
Photos: Lost publicity photos via TVign
Info: IMDB, TVign, LostTV

Daniel Dae Kim stays on the island for Hawaii Five-O remake

Congrats!!! to Korean talent (and hottie) Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Jin Kwon on ABC’s hit show Lost, for landing one of the leading roles in CBS’ remake of the groovy classic Hawaii Five-O. Kim will play Detective Chin Ho Kelly while Moonlight star Alex O’Loughlin continues to be in talks for the part of Detective Steve McGarrett.

Kim’s POV on Asians in acting per the latest issue of DaMan magazine:

“I take a little bit of pride in that I don’t feel like I’ve taken any roles that I regret in terms of cultural representation…I’ve never done the stereotypicalAsian nerd or anything like that. But that’s not to say that there isn’t that kind of dynamic in Hollywood. There is definitely a categorization of Asian males, in particular. What I mean to say is though the roles might not be overtly offensive, they are definitely secondary and exist only to serve another character. For instance, a lot of roles that I have played have been in support of the leads and I was there to deliver exposition. They’re not stereotypical roles but they are representative of a ceiling that a lot of us face.”

The remake features writers and “Fringe” co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and “CSI: NY” executive producer/co-showrunner Peter Lenkov.

THR reports that Kim is the “first actor from the show’s core cast to book a new series project this pilot season as the ABC mystery drama heads to its May finale.” The 2nd episode of this 6th and FINAL (sigh) season airs tonight on ABC @ 9pmET.

More Info: Daniel Dae Kim on IMDB, Wiki, Official Website
Other Keywords: famous asians, famous asian actors, famous koreans, korean americans, korean actors, hawaii 5, lost final season, 6th season, jj abrams, jin kwon

Aziz Ansari

-currently plays Tom Haverford on NBC’s Parks & Recreation, which airs Thursdays at 8:30pm-that’s TONIGHT!!! (Also starring Saturday Night Live veteran, Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation is brought to you by the producers of The Office.)

-also starred in films such as I Love You, Man and Observe and Report. He was most recently in Judd Apatow’s Funny People, with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, and is shown below on Jimmy Kimmel (July 2009) promoting the movie.

-writes for and performs in the MTV sketchcomedy series, The Human Giant.

-was born in Columbia South Carolina to Muslim Tamil Indian parents on February 23, 1983 and obtained an MBA in Marketing from NYU’s Stern School of Business in 2004. He began stand up comedy while at NYU, often performing at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, won a bunch of awards for being funny, and you can read the rest here.

Related Posts: Indian
Keywords: Aziz Ansari, Funny People, Parks & Recreation, The Human Giant, Live on Jimmy Kimmel, comedian, UCB
[photos 1, 2, 3,4]

Harry Shum Jr.

currently plays one pop-and-locking Mike Chang in the Fox hit series Glee, which airs Wednesdays (TONIGHT!!!) at 9pm. (See Fall TV Schedule of shows with Asians on primetime & regular network)

He will reprise the role of Cable in the next installment of the Step Up film series. Step Up 3-D will be in theaters 2010. (I actually saw part of this being filmed in NYC’s Grand Central a couple of months ago.) Shum Jr. has appeared as a dancer in several other films including 2004’s You Got Served.

Shum Jr. was born April 28, 1982 in Limon, Costa Rica and has not confirmed his ethnicity on any medium I can find. Definitely Asian, but not sure which heritage. From his name I’d guess Chinese, but I would really need to confirm before taking him out of the ‘suspected’ category.

UPDATE: Harry Shum JR. is Chinese

as of October 31, 2009…Harry Shum Jr. confirms on his twitter he is Chinese!

Shum Jr. started dancing with his high school company and continued formal training with several dance studios in San Fransisco. His dance career really began to take off when he was recognized for being the only male dancer on BET’s Comic View.

Have you noticed I’ve posted a bunch on Glee? It’s not only because the show happens to have cast not 1 or 2, but at least 6 Asians in main roles…SIX ASIANS, ONE SHOW, MAJOR NETWORK…How many primetime TV productions have done that?

Besides Mike Chang, there’s the football coach, Glee Club lead singer, OB/GYN Doc Wu, Principal Figgins, and pharmacy/CVS-type stock guy. Former 3 done, latter 3 to go…

Also, Jane Lynch’s delivery of Sue Sylvester’s lines are not to be missed. She’s brilliant in this role and her lines are priceless. Check out a 3 minute funny…

Related Posts: Chinese, Suspected, In TV Film, Dancer
Keywords: Famous Asians, Asian guy in Glee
[Shum Jr’s IMDB, photo]

BD Wong

is a Tony Award-winning American actor of Chinese descent born in San Francisco on October 24, 1960. Wong is best known for his current role as Dr. George Huang on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which airs Wednesdays, 9pm (Tonight!)

Wong garnered mainstream attention for his leading role, opposite John Lithgow, in Broadway’s M. Butterfly. Wong is “notable as being the only actor to have been honored with the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award,^[2]Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theatre World Award for the same performance.^[3]“ Wong performed 10 different characters in a rave-reviewed one man musical, Herringbone, in 2008.

Per Wiki: “Wong, who is openly gay, began a long-term relationship with talent agent Richie Jackson in 1988.^[4] In 2000, the couple had twin sons together: Boaz Dov, who died 90 minutes after birth, and Jackson Foo Wong. They were born through a surrogate surrogacy titled mother, using Wong’s sperm and an egg donated by Jackson’s sister. In 2003, Wong wrote a memoir about his experiences with Following Foo: the Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man. Wong and Jackson ended their relationship in 2004.^[4]”

More on Wiki and IMDB

[photos top via 1, 2]

[photos via: 1, 2, 3, 4]

Mark Dacascos

Born on February 26, 1964 Dacascos is an American actor and martial artist from Hawaii who is of Filipino (paternal), Japanese and Irish (maternal) descent. With So You Think You Can Dance finalist, Lacey Schwimmer, Dacascos is currently a contestant on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. He has also been “The Chairman” on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America since 2005.

DWTS is on ABC/8pm, Mondays (tonight!) - other Famous Asians on DWTS this season - dancer Cheryl Burke (L), contestant and Olympic gold medalist, Natalie Coughlin (R) - both women are part Filipino.

[Via DWTS: Cheryl with Tom Delay, Natalie with Alec Mazo]

Fame this weekend?

Baby look at me
And tell me what you see
You ain’t seen the best of me yet
Give me time
I’ll make you forget the rest….

I can catch the moon in my hand
Don’t you know who I am
Remember my name

Fame!
I’m gonna live forever
I’m gonna learn how to fly
High!

I’m gonna make it to heaven
light up the sky like a flame
Fame!

Rememba
Rememba
Rememba

Remember?!?!?

Fame may be a remake of the old story, but with 25 year-old dance prodigy and famed choreographer to Madonna and Britney Spears, Kevin Tancharoen, directing, Debbie Allen, Bebe Neuwirth, Megan Mullally, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle in the ensemble…we may have a new cast of contending talent to be excited about. Check out the trailer on you tube.

PS - Researching Kevin’s ethnic background, I found that he is the brother of one ‘Maurissa Tancharoen’…yeah and? Who the heck is ‘Maurissa’? (her name was literally in quotes…do single quote marks mean the referenced is also famed?)

Turns out ‘Maurissa’ is Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon, contributing writer to Dollhouse and sister-in-law of its genius writer, producer, director, Joss Whedon, also of Firefly and Serenity magnificence. Maurissa identifies Tancharoen as having Thai roots. Rock on, Maurissa and Joss, for writing such intriguing and thought-provoking female roles…not to mention casting beauteous, talented actors to portray them.

Related Posts: Homage to Firefly in Battlestar Galactica scene, Firefly in Sci-Fi blog, Mo Tancharoen’s Twitter, Nathan Fillion’s Twitter
[photos via: 1, 2, 3]

★ M.A.R.A.★