Chin, Tsai (1937–)
Chin, Tsai (1937–)
Chinese actress. Born Zhou Tsai Chin, 1937, in Tianjin, China; raised in Shanghai; dau. of Zhou Xin-Fang (grand master of the Beijing Opera); sister of Michael Chow; paternal aunt of China Chow; was the 1st Chinese student to attend Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London; married and divorced twice.
Came to prominence in London in title role of The World of Suzie Wong (1959); learned that parents had been a target of Madame Mao's (Jiang Qing) Cultural Revolution (her mother was beaten to death by the Red Guard, her father died after a lengthy house arrest in 1974); wrote a play for BBC about Madame Mao and portrayed her in 2 plays; after Jiang Qing's fall, was invited back to China to teach and direct; made Hollywood debut to critical acclaim in The Joy Luck Club (1993); other films include The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), The Cool Mikado (1962), The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966), You Only Live Twice (1967), Red Corner (1997), Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity (2002) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).