Olive Young

Childhood Olive Young was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, to a Chinese-American family. Her father Dr. M. F. Young (Mon Fung Young) was born in California and worked as a doctor, running ads in the newspapers advertising his use of Chinese herbal medicines as cures for female diseases, chronic diseases, sexual weakness, kidney and stomach problems, nervous headaches, and rheumatism. Afterward she attended school for a year in San Francisco and two more in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, before entering Christian College in Excelsior Springs.

She traveled to China in 1922 and while there she got into acting, getting her first opportunity with the China Sun Motion Picture Company. (Apparently released under the title "Trailing Trouble". Same dates and costars as Fools Luck). In her final two films she didn't have named roles. In this clip there is only a glimpse of Olive Young, near the end, playing a young woman. The only other film footage of her is in her American movies, Trailin' Trouble, The Man Who Came Back, and The Mask of Fu Manchu.

British American Tobacco Company, Shanghai 1925 One Dollar (一块钱 Yīkuài qián A Dollar) 1925 The Magical Monk (神僧 Shén sēng God)

Great Wall Film Company, Shanghai Image from A Flapper's Downfall. From left Olive Young, Jiqun Liu, Xiadian Lei, and Hanjun Liu (刘汉钧). 1926 The Ways of Youth or Kule Yuanyang (苦樂鴛鴦 Kǔ lè yuānyāng Bitter Music), (starring role) 1927 A Flapper's Downfall (浪女穷途 Làng nǚ qióngtú A Woman's Poor Way) 1927 The Mystic Fan or Huoyanshan (火焰山 huǒyàn shān Flame Mountain) image2 = Olive Young from Hero Gan Fenchi 1928.jpg width2 = 120 alt2 = Olive Young in Hero Gan Fenchi 大侠甘风池 Dà xiá gānfēngchí caption2 =Olive Young in Hero Gan Fenchi 大侠甘风池, 1928 image1 = Hero Gan Fenchi (大侠甘风池 Dà xiá gānfēngchí).jpg width1 = 120 alt1 = Olive Young in Hero Gan Fenchi 大侠甘风池 Dà xiá gānfēngchí caption1 =Frame from the silent film Hero Gan Fenchi (大侠甘风池 Dà xiá gānfēngchí). Olive Young is front-right. 1928 Kan the Great Knight Errant or Daxia Gan Fengchi (大侠甘风池 Dà xiá gānfēngchí) Kan Feng-chi is the movie's hero, whose self-imposed function was to fight the unkind rich and to help the oppressed poor. Not enough of the movie has survived to make Olive's role clear.

New Century Film Company, Shanghai 1928 Romance in a Poor Village (窮鄉艷遇 Qióng xiāng yànyù Poor town encounter)

Nansing Film Company, Indonesia 1929 Resia Boroboedoer

Hollywood, California 1930 Trailing Trouble, Hoot Gibson Productions/Universal Pictures, Hollywood 1930 Ridin' Law, Biltmore Productions/Big 4 Film Corp. 1931 The Man Who Came Back, Fox Film Corp. (not a named role, plays a maid) 1932 The Mask of Fu Manchu, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (non-credited role as a singer)