Beulah Quo
(1923 - 2002)She was probably the most influential Asian character actress ever. A veteran of TV and films and an actress for over 50 years she even received an Emmy nomination for an appearance on the magnificent TV series “Steve Allen’s Meeting of Minds.” Not only did she give us many memorable performances but she was a sort of Ombudsman for the depiction of Asian men and women in films and on TV. One of her great achievements was the founding of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists, an organization formed to create opportunities for Asian-American actors and actresses and to promote balanced portrayals of Asians on film and stage. As far as her acting experiences, she proved her versatility with the variety of her roles. From the Dowager Empress of China to Asian immigrants and peasants she played the roles with integrity and verve. She appeared in over 20 films and on 100 plus TV series. For a veteran of 50 years this is quite low and it is not for lack of talent but rather for the lack of roles for Asian actors. She was born on April 17, 1923 in Stockton, California. A California native she attended the University of California at Berkeley where she earned a bachelor’s degree in social welfare. She later attended the University of Chicago where she received a master’s degree in Sociology. She was married in the 1940s to Edwin Kwoh and they later had a son, Stewart and a daughter, Mary Ellen. At this point in her life acting was not yet in her future. She went to China after World War II where she taught school. Her and Edwin, along with their infant son, barely escaped back to America on a U.S. destroyer just as the Communists took over. Fate stepped in when she was teaching sociology at a community college. At this time she learned that director Henry Kings was searching for a dialect coach for Jennifer Jones, who was cast as a Eurasian in the film “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.” Quo applied for the job but instead was cast in a small role as Jones’ aunt. She’d been stung by the ‘acting bug’ and abandoned her teaching career to study acting. She claimed that, “most teachers are hams!” In the 1970s she became a producer of Asian-American public affairs programming. She worked often with actor George Takei and they became very close friends. In 1965 she became a co-founder of the East-West Players, a very prestigious Asian-American repertory theatre group. She was a pillar of the Asian-American community and extremely well-liked by her constituents and peers. Her films included: “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” (1955) uncredited, as Third Aunt, her film debut; “Flower Drum Song” (1961) uncredited, as Woman; “Two Weeks in Another Town” (1962) uncredited, as Chinese Woman; “Girls! Girls! Girls!” (1962) as Madam Yung; “The 7th Dawn” (1964) as Ah Ming; “The Sand Pebbles” (1966) with Steve McQueen, as Mama Chunk, Madam at Red Kettle Bar, a memorable role; “Chinatown” (1974) with Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, as Mulwray’s Maid; “MacArthur” (1977) with Gregory Peck, as Ah Cheu; “Yes, Giorgio” (1982) with Luciano Pavarotti, as Mei Ling; “Into the Night” (1985) as Mrs. Yakamura; “Le Palanquin des larmes” (1987) as Mme. Chen; “Bad Girls” (1994) as Chinese Herbalist; “Brokedown Palace” (1999) as Guard Velie and “Forbidden City” (2001) as Mrs. Lee, her final film. She was a regular on the TV series: “Marco Polo” (1982) a mini-series, as Empress Chabi and “General Hospital” (1963-present) as Olin (1985). She also appeared in the TV movies: “If Tomorrow Comes” (1971); “Genesis II” (1973); “The Last Survivors” (1975); “Black Market Baby” (1977); The Immigrants” (1978); “The Children of An Lac” (1980); “The Letter” (1982); “The Lady from Yesterday” (1985); “American Geisha” (1986); “Daniel and the Towers” (1987) and “Forbidden Nights” (1990). She guest starred on many TV series including: “Perry Mason”; “Dr. Kildare”; “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”; “The Wild, Wild West”; “My Three Sons”; “Family Affair”; “Adam-12”; “S.W.A.T.”; “Starsky and Hutch”; “Baretta”; “Meeting of Minds” (1977) as Empress Tz’u Hsi, for which she garnered an Emmy nomination; “The Incredible Hulk”; “Magnum, P.I.”; “MacGyver”; “Scarecrow and Mrs. King”; “Hunter” “E.R.” and “Law and Order; Criminal Intent.” She also was involved, and appeared often, in stage/theatre productions. She changed her married name from Kwoh to Quo because she claimed many people mistook the name for a radio station. She merits a place of honor on any list of great character actors. She died on October 23, 2002 of heart failure in La Mesa, California at age 79.
From Great Character Actors, Page 9.
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