Etta Lee
From a 1923 magazine
Born
Etta Lee Frost

(1906-09-12)September 12, 1906
Kauai, Hawaii
DiedOctober 27, 1956(1956-10-27) (aged 50)
Eureka, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1921–1935
Spouse
Frank Robinson Brown
​
​
(m. 1932⁠–⁠1956)​

Etta Lee Frost (September 12, 1906 – October 27, 1956) was an American silent film actress, known for supporting roles.

Early life

Etta Lee Frost was born on September 12, 1906, in Kauai, Hawaii, as the daughter of Martin B. Frost. Her father was a Chinese medical doctor and her mother was of French ancestry.[1][2] She had a sister, Ella Deverill, and grew up in California and went on to get her degree in education at Occidental College in Los Angeles.[3] Lee moved back to Hawaii to be a teacher, before returning to Los Angeles to begin her career as an actress.[3]

Career

Lee's first film was A Tale of Two Worlds in 1921, where she played Ah Fah, a Chinese maid. She played another Chinese maid named Liu in the 1923 film The Remittance Woman, a maid in The Untameable (1923), A Thief in Paradise (1925), The Trouble with Wives (1925), and International House (1933). Other so-called exotic roles she was cast in included The Slave of the Sand Board in The Thief of Bagdad (1924).[4][5][6] In 1923, she was called the only Eurasian girl in films.[1]

Lee directly commented on the lack of diversity in her roles in an article in 1924. She noted that "I am equipped…to show oriental impulse and emotional complexities. But in this field I have not yet had opportunity."[7] She went on to discuss that even in terms of getting roles meant for Chinese women, she was often turned down because she was of mixed race and did not look Chinese enough.

She made her first stage debut in the summer of 1927, with a production of The Scarlet Virgin in Los Angeles.[8]

Personal life

In 1932, Lee married Frank Robinson Brown, a Welsh-born radio announcer and columnist,[9] and retired from acting afterward. She became active in her community following retirement, becoming chairwoman of the Eureka Woman's Club. She was also an active member of the Episcopal Church.

Lee died at her residence in Eureka, California, on October 27, 1956, at the age of 50.[3][10] She was survived by her husband, sister, and two nephews.[3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1921 A Tale of Two Worlds Ah Fah
1922 The Toll of the Sea Gossip
The Infidel[1] Chinese Girl Lost film [11]
East is West Uncredited role
1923 The Remittance Woman Liu Po-Yat Lost film
The Untameable Ah Moy
1924 The Thief of Baghdad Slave of the Sand Board Uncredited role
1925 A Thief in Paradise Rosa's Maid Lost film
The Dressmaker from Paris Mannequin Uncredited role
Lost film
Recompense Dancing Girl Lost film
The Trouble with Wives Maid Lost film
1926 Camille Mataloti Incomplete film
1927 The Chinese Parrot Girl in Gambling Den Lost film
1929 Manchu Love Empress Tzu Hsi
1933 International House Peggy's Maid Uncredited role
1934 The Mysterious Mr. Wong Lusan - Moonflower's Attendant
1935 Clive of India Slave Girl Uncredited role
Let's Live Tonight Manicurist Uncredited role

References

  1. 1 2 3 Clark, Barrett (June 1923). "Half-Chinese and Wholly Lovely". Motion Picture Classic. Vol. XVII, no. 4. pp. 41, 76.
  2. ↑ Cho, Jenny; Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (2013). Chinese in Hollywood. Arcadia Publishing. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7385-9973-1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Etta Lee Brown, former film star, dies in Eureka". The Times Standard. (Eureka, Calif.). October 27, 1956.
  4. ↑ Exhibitor's Trade Review 1923: 1227. Print.
  5. ↑ Photoplay 1925: 395. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
  6. ↑ Variety 1923. Print.
  7. ↑ Jungmeyer, Jack (July 15, 1924). "Etta Lee is Rare Screen Type". The Bismarck Tribune. NEA. p. 4.
  8. ↑ "Stage wins almond-eyed heroines". Brownsville Herald. Associated Press. October 17, 1927. p. 3.
  9. ↑ Variety Radio Directory. Variety, Inc. 1940. p. 889.
  10. ↑ "Etta Lee Brown". Variety. October 31, 1956. p. 71.
  11. ↑ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Infidel
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