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When Lisa Lu, star of Crazy Rich Asians, acted opposite Marlon Brando and James Stewart early in her Hollywood career
- Lisa Lu, best known internationally for her work in films like The Joy Luck Club and Crazy Rich Asians, began acting in America in the 1950s
- She starred in The Mountain Road with James Stewart, filmed scenes with Marlon Brando for One-Eyed Jacks that were cut, and was in dozens of TV Westerns
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Veteran actress Lisa Lu Yan is best known internationally for her work in films like The Joy Luck Club and Crazy Rich Asians.
But for Hongkongers, she made an indelible mark as the ageing Yang general in the 1972 Shaw Brothers martial arts drama The 14 Amazons, and shone as the scheming Empress Dowager in two films directed by the legendary Li Hanxiang.
Less well known is that Lu, who was born in Beijing in 1927 but moved to the United States with her family in her early 20s, had a prolific film career in America before she started working in Hong Kong in 1968.
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Lu featured in films with stars such as Victor Mature and James Stewart, and even worked with Marlon Brando.
I would say that Chinese people would never do it that way, they would do it this way. But, of course, no one listened to me.
She was also a popular choice for roles in the cowboy series which ruled American television screens in the 1950s and 1960s.
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Lu regularly appeared in the television parody series Have Gun, Will Travel, in which she had a recurring role as Hey Girl, although she was often given more substantial parts through guest appearances in shows such as Bonanza.
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