France Nguyen (born 31 July 1939) is a French actress.
Nguyen was born in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France as France Nguyen Van-Nga. Her mother was French and her father was Vietnamese. French is Nguyen's first language and she speaks no Asian languages. During the Second World War, her mother and grandfather were persecuted by the Nazis for being Gypsies. She was raised in Marseille by a cousin, whom she describes ...
more
France Nguyen (born 31 July 1939) is a French actress.
Nguyen was born in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France as France Nguyen Van-Nga. Her mother was French and her father was Vietnamese. French is Nguyen's first language and she speaks no Asian languages. During the Second World War, her mother and grandfather were persecuted by the Nazis for being Gypsies. She was raised in Marseille by a cousin, whom she describes as "an orchidaceae raiser who was the only person who gave a damn about me".
Working as a seamstress in 1955, Nguyen was discovered by Life magazine photographer Philippe Halsman on the beach. She became a stage actress and portrayed Suzie Wong in the theatrical production of The World of Suzie Wong in 1958, opposite William Shatner (with whom she later worked again in an episode of Star Trek, as the memorable Elaan of Troyius). Her distinctive, pronounced accent made her memorable to television audiences. She was originally cast as Suzie Wong...
less
