Beulah Quo

Beulah Quo (April 17, 1923 – October 23, 2002) was a Chinese-American actress and activist born in Stockton, California. The spelling of her last name changed from Kwoh to Quo because she was constantly asked if KWOH was a radio station.[2] She starred in many films and television series beginning in the mid-1950s, and was best known for her appearances in General Hospital (1963), Chinatown (1974), and Brokedown Palace (1999).[3] She was also an advocate of more and better screen roles for Asian actors, and founded several organizations in pursuit of that goal.

Beulah Quo
Born
Beulah Ong

April 17, 1923
Stockton, California, U.S.
Died (aged 79)
La Mesa, California, U.S.
OccupationActress, activist
Years active1955–2002
Spouse(s)Edwin Kwoh
ChildrenStewart Kwoh
Mary Ellen Shu [1]

Early life

Quo received a bachelor's degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley and a master's degree from the University of Chicago. In the 1940s, while she was working in China as a teacher, Quo escaped Communism on a U.S. destroyer along with her husband, Edwin Kwoh, and infant son. After resettling, she also worked at the Chinese YWCA building, which is now the Chinese American National Museum and Learning Center.[4]

Television and film career

While teaching sociology at a community college in Los Angeles, California, director Henry King was looking for an Asian dialect coach and instead hired Quo to play a small role in Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1953). She played over 100 roles in television movies and series, as well as film. One of her notable television roles was in General Hospital, where she stayed for six years and played a housekeeper and confidante named Olin starting in 1985. Uncredited appearances that she made throughout her career in her earlier work included her first film, Love is a Many-Splendored Thing, Two Weeks In Another Town (1962), and Gypsy (1962). Her final featured film role was in Forbidden City in 2001 as Mrs. Lee; her last television appearance was in a 2002 episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.[5]

Quo co-starred in a made-for-television drama, An Apple, An Orange a story of two immigrants and their differences in cultural, sociological and philosophical viewpoints while in midlife.[6] The program, produced by Maryland Public TV in association with Baltimore's Center Stage was telecast nationally in prime time on PBS. It aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting. The author and dramatist, Diane Johnson, won an O. Henry Award for the story on which it was based.[7]

Activism

In 1965, The East West Players, the first Asian-American repertory theater in the U.S., was co-founded by Quo and eight other actors, including James Hong.[8] The East West Players continues to advocate for diverse representation and elimination of stereotypes of Asian-Americans in Hollywood and across mass media.

Quo was heavily involved in the high-profile and racially driven Vincent Chin case, producing a play to honor him entitled Carry The Tiger To The Mountain in July 1998.[9] It was based on a true story of a Chinese-American man who was beaten to death in Detroit, Michigan, in 1982 by two white men who had mistaken him for a Japanese man. It premiered in West Virginia; Quo played Chin's mother, Lily Chin. The play was later performed in Los Angeles by the East West Players.

In 1997, Quo commissioned a musical project called "Heading East: California Asian Pacific American Experience" to promote and commemorate the history of Asian-Pacific Americans in California for the past 150 years.[10]

Quo continued to dismiss any statements that Asians in leading roles are not "bankable", pointing out that Haing S. Ngor, cast in The Killing Fields (1984), won the Oscar for best supporting actor, while Pat Morita was nominated for the same award for his role in The Karate Kid (1984).[2]

Awards, nominations and honors

1978: Nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by a supporting actress in Meeting of Minds. Quo also co-narrated the audiobook version.[11][12]

1990: "The Jimmie" Lifetime Achievement Award by the Asian Pacific American Artists, for her outstanding work on The Sand Pebbles (1966), MacArthur (1977), and Chinatown (1974). She also won a local Emmy award for her achievements on "James Wong Howe – The Man and His Movies", a documentary on the award-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe.[13]

Death

On October 23, 2002, Beulah Quo died of heart failure during emergency cardiac surgery in La Mesa, California at the age of 79. The East West Players have a Beulah Quo and Edwin Kwoh Endowment set up to promote theater education.

Filmography

Films and television appearances are from IMDb.

YearTitleRoleNotes
1955Love Is a Many-Splendored ThingThird AuntFilm, Uncredited
1961AdaWife of Chinese Restaurant ProprietorFilm, Uncredited
1961Flower Drum SongWomanFilm, Uncredited
1962Two Weeks in Another TownChinese WomanFilm, Uncredited
1962GypsyWaitressFilm, Uncredited
1963Girls! Girls! Girls!Madam YungFilm
1964The 7th DawnAh MingFilm
1966The Sand PebblesMama ChunkFilm
1970–1971The Bill Cosby ShowSecond Teacher / Mrs. RogersTV Series
1971The Rome with LoveMrs. OkadaTV Series
1971If Tomorrow ComesMidoriTV movie
1972The Smith FamilyAnnaTV Series
1973Voyage of the YesNative NurseTV movie
1973Hawaii Five-OMadame SouvangTV Series
1973Genesis IIPrimus Lu-ChanTV movie
1974Love, American StyleLu SeeTV Series
1974ChinatownMaidFilm
1973–1974Adam-12Mrs. Tohito / Mrs. Hong ToyTV Series
1975Police StoryThe SupervisorTV Series
1975The Last SurvivorsMrs. PetersTV movie
1973–1975Kung FuMadam Chun / Mai Chi / Soong's WifeTV Series
1976S.W.A.T.Madame YangTV Series
1976City of AngelsunknownTV Series
1977Starsky and HutchDr. QuoTV Series
1977BarettaMrs. ChuTV Series
1977MacArthurAh CheuFilm
1977Black Market BabyMrs. YamatoTV movie
1978Meeting of MindsTz'u-Hsi / Empress Tz'u-HsiTV Series
1978The ImmigrantsSo-ToyTV movie
1979How the West Was WonAh KamTV Series
1979SamuraiHana Mitsubishi CantrellTV movie
1980The Children of An LacMadame NgaiTV movie
1981The Incredible HulkHuynTV Series
1982The LetterOng's MotherTV movie
1982Yes, GiorgioMei LingFilm
1982Quincy M.E.Mrs. InokoTV Series
1982Magnum, P.I.Mrs. Iko TamuraTV Series
1982–1983Marco PoloEmpress ChabiTV Mini-Series
1985AirwolfMae's MotherTV Series
1985Street HawkAuntie PearlTV Series
1985Into the NightMrs. YakamuraFilm
1985The Lady from YesterdayMai Ling LuongTV movie
1985–1991General HospitalOlinTV Series
1986MacGyverMrs. ChungTV Series
1986Scarecrow and Mrs. KingunknownTV Series
1986Alfred Hitchcock PresentsHerbalistTV Series
1986Beverly Hills MadamLil's maidTV movie
1986American GeishaKangoro's MotherTV movie
1987Daniel and the TowersLynn ChowTV movie
1987Le palanquin des larmesMime ChenFilm
1988HunterMrs. ChinTV Series
1990Forbidden NightsVice Dean YinTV movie
1994Bad GirlsChinese HerbalistFilm
1995Bless This HouseOld WomanTV Series
1996Suddenly SusanDr. NiTV Series
1998BrimstoneLandladyTV Series
1999ERGrandma FongTV Series
1999Brokedown PalaceGuard VelieFilm
2000Chicago HopeGrandmother WangTV Series
2000The Michael Richards ShowMaiTV Series
2001Forbidden CityMrs. LeeShort
2002Law & Order: Criminal IntentCecilia WangTV Series, (final appearance)

Notes
  1. McLellan, Dennis (25 October 2002). "Beulah Quo, 79; Actress Started East West Players". Retrieved 20 November 2017 – via LA Times.
  2. "Beulah Quo, 79; Actress Started East West Players". Los Angeles Times.
  3. "Beulah Quo Biography - Fandango". Fandango.
  4. Wong, Gerrye (November 6, 2002). "Community Mourns Sudden Death of APA Actress: Beulah Quo; April 17, 1923 – Oct 23, 2002". Asian Week.
  5. "Beulah Quo". IMDb.
  6. "Eugene Register-Guard - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
  7. "The O. Henry Prize Stories". www.randomhouse.com. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  8. "About". East West Players.
  9. Horwitz, Jane, Washington Post "Taming the 'Tiger,' In Shepherdstown, WVA, Beulah Quo Sinks Her Teeth Into a Fiercely Demanding Role", 7/21/1998
  10. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/jaas/summary/v003/3.1liu.html Liu, Judith, "Heading East: California's Asian Pacific Experience," Journal of Asian American Studies. Vol 3, No.1, Pages 122-123 (2000)
  11. "Meeting of Minds: Volume 7 by Steve Allen on Audio Download". learnoutloud.com.
  12. "Beulah Quo". Television Academy.
  13. "Articles about James Wong Howe - Los Angeles Times". latimes.com.
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