France Nuyen
| France Nguyen | |
|---|---|
France Nguyen in Satan Never Sleeps, publicity still (1962)
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| Born |
France Nguyen Van-Nga 31 July 1939 Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France |
| Occupation | Actress, Psychological Counselor |
| Years active | 1958–2008 |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Thomas Gaspar Morell (1963–1966) 1 child Robert Culp (1967–1970) |
France Nguyen Van-Nga (born 31 July 1939) is a Vietnamese-French actress and model, best known for her film and television appearances.
Nguyen was born in Marseille, France. Her mother was French, her father was Vietnamese. During World War II, her mother and grandfather were persecuted by the Nazis for being Roma. Nguyen was raised in Marseille by a cousin she calls "an orchidaceae raiser who was the only person who gave a damn about me". Having left school at the age of eleven, she began studying art and became an artist's model.
In 1955, while working as a seamstress, Nguyen was discovered on the beach by Life magazine photographer Philippe Halsman. She was featured on the cover of the October 6, 1958, issue of Life magazine.
She became a film actress in 1958. In her first role she played Liat, daughter of "Bloody Mary" (played by Juanita Hall) in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. Later that year she was originally cast to star in the The World of Suzie Wong, but was replaced by Nancy Kwan. She worked with William Shatner in 1968 in an episode of Star Trek, playing title character Elaan of Troyius, and in 1974 in an episode of Kung Fu.
Nuyen appeared in films including The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961) Satan Never Sleeps (1962), A Girl Named Tamiko (1962), Diamond Head (1963), Dimension 5 (1966), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), and The Joy Luck Club (1993).
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