Lisa Lu was born in Beijing, in 1927, at a time when the city was still referred to as Peking, China. Legend has it that she was one of the brightest stars to explore the world of Opera as a child. It wasn’t surprising to some of her contemporaries in Beijing that Lu, after emigrating to the United States, would find success in her career as an actor.

During the period of 1958-59, Lu starred in the reoccurring series entitled Yancy Derringer, which was filmed in the city of New Orleans at the time. Her role as Ms. Mandarin was the first introduction of Lisa Lu to an all American audience. Shortly after her success, Lu began appearing in numerous television roles, appearing in films like The Virginian, Hawaiian Eye, Bonanza and several others.

Lu’s career took off during the 1970’s when she appeared in widely publicized films like Demon Seed and Peter Bogdanovich’s “Saint Jack.” It was during this period that Lu began to receive acclaim for the Chinese-language films that she had co-starred in such as The Arch, Empress Dowager and The Fourteen Amazons. She went on to subsequently receive three Golden Horse Awards for best actor.

Beyond alternating between film and theatre, it has been said that Lu may be best remembered for her role in the Joy Luck Club, which received widespread exposure among American audiences. In addition to her work in theater and on film, Lisa Lu is also known as an extraordinary producer of numerous documentaries. As a woman of letters and of history, she is truly a legend of this great city.