James Wang (actor)

James Wang
Born	1863 Zhili, China
Died	April 20, 1935 Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation(s)	Actor, casting agent

James "Jim" Wang was a Chinese actor and casting agent who worked in Hollywood from the 1910s to the 1930s. He is known for discovering actress Anna May Wong.

Biography

Wang arrived in San Francisco around 1878 at the age of 18. He told reporters he had been raised by missionaries in China, and that when he came to the United States, he began working as a minister at churches in Boston and New York City.

He was accused of being a member of the Hip Sing Association — a Chinese-American street gang — in the early 1900s, although he was also an advocate for reform in New York City's Chinatown neighborhood, and offered up evidence that led to a number of police raids.

Eventually he made his way to Los Angeles, where he pursued a career as an actor and a casting agent. He was often called on to procure Chinese talent by the major studios, and it was in this capacity that he discovered a young Anna May Wong in Los Angeles's Chinatown neighborhood.

Selected filmography

• China Seas (1935)
• The Painted Veil (1934)
• Men of the Night (1934)
• The Cat's-Paw (1934)
• Charlie Chan's Courage (1934)
• The Hell Cat (1934)
• Ever Since Eve (1934)
• The Secrets of Wu Sin (1932)
• Roar of the Dragon (1932)
• Charlie Chan's Chance (1932)
• Are These Our Children (1931)
• The Black Camel (1931)
• Welcome Danger (1929)
• Old San Francisco (1927)
• The Yankee Clipper (1927)
• Never the Twain Shall Meet (1925)
• The Eagle's Feather (1923)
• Desert Driven (1923)
• East Is West (1922)
• Lotus Blossom (1921)
• The City of Dim Faces (1918)