Toshia Mori

Toshia Mori (トシア・モリ) (January 1, 1912 – November 26, 1995) was a Japanese-born American actress who had a brief Hollywood film career during the late 1920s and 1930s. Born as Toshiye Ichioka (市岡俊恵) in Kyoto, Mori moved to the United States when she was 10.

Early life and career

Mori began her film career in silent films in the late 1920s. In Mr. Wu (1927) she was credited as Toshia Ichioka. In Streets of Shanghai (1927), she was credited as Toshiye Ichioka. In The Man Without a Face, she was also credited as Toshiye Ichioka, her birth name. (The film is presumed lost.) Finally, she entered the sound era as Toshia Mori.

Mori played Miss Ling in The Hatchet Man (1932). In the same year, she played another Chinese character, "Butterfly", in Roar of the Dragon, an action-melodrama produced by David O. Selznick. The storyline consisted of a group of Occidentals turning to an alcoholic riverboat captain Chauncey Carson (Richard Dix) for help when they are trapped at a hotel in a Mandarin town under siege.

In 1932, Toshia became the only actress of Asian descent and person of color to be selected as a WAMPAS Baby Star, an annual list of young and promising film actresses. WAMPAS may have led to the most significant film role of her career, for shortly afterward, she appeared in Frank Capra's film The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), a role that was originally scheduled for Anna May Wong. The story involved the erotically charged relationship between a missionary (Barbara Stanwyck) and a Chinese warlord (Nils Asther). The script also featured a vital character, Mah-Li, a concubine whose scheming throws a spanner into the plots of those around her. Capra and Columbia Pictures, both extremely happy with Mori's work, awarded her third billing. Time 's favorable review read: "Stanwyck is satisfactory but the most noteworthy female member of the cast is Toshia Mori, a sloe-eyed Japanese girl…"

Mori returned to minor characters in her subsequent films. In The Painted Veil (1934), starring Greta Garbo, she materializes as the centerpiece of "The Moon Festival" sequence. In Chinatown Squad (1935) she played "Wanda". She appeared in Charlie Chan at the Circus in 1936, and in Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937), Lee (Keye Luke) becomes involved with Ling Tse (Toshia Mori), an employee of the Hottentot Club.

Post-cinema life In 1930, Mori married Allen Jung, a Chinese-American actor from San Francisco. After her film career ended, Mori worked as a researcher for Robert Ripley on his short films, Ripley's Believe It or Not!. She died in The Bronx in New York City, aged 83.

Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1926 The Non-Stop Flight uncredited 1926 The House Without a Key uncredited Lost film 1927 Mr. Wu credited as Toshia 1927 Streets of Shanghai credited as Toshyie Lost film 1928 The Man Without a Face credited as Toshiye Ichioka. Lost film 1932 The Secrets of Wu Sin 1932 The Hatchet Man Miss Ling, Secretary 1932 Tiger Shark Oriental Lady Barber (uncredited) 1932 Roar of the Dragon Butterfly 1933 The Bitter Tea of General Yen Mah-Li, Concubine 1933 Blondie Johnson Lulu 1933 Fury of the Jungle Chita 1934 The Painted Veil Centrepiece centrepiece of "The Moon Festival" sequence 1935 Chinatown Squad Wanda 1936 Charlie Chan at the Circus Su Toy, contortionist credited as Shia Jung 1937 Charlie Chan on Broadway Ling Tse, receptionist