Eugenia Yuan
{{short description|American actress}}
{{autobiography|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Eugenia Yuan
| image = Eugenia Yuan in "She Has A Name".jpg
| caption = Yuan in She Has a Name, 2016
| native_name = {{zh |t=原麗淇}}(Yuan Lai-Kai)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age |1976|10|26}}
| birth_place = Inglewood, California, U.S.
| other_names = Lai-Kai Yuan, Lai-Kei Yuan, Eugenia Lai-Kai Yuan
| occupation = Actress
| mother = Cheng Pei-pei
| known_for = Member of U.S. National Rhythmic Gymnastics team.
}}
Eugenia Yuan is an American actress and former rhythmic gymnast who has won a Hong Kong Film Award.
Early life
On January 22, 1976, Yuan was born in Inglewood, Los Angeles county, California.{{cite web |url=https://www.meniscuszine.com/articles/20060501499/eugenia-yuan-interview-2006-tribeca-film-festival/ |title=Eugenia Yuan Interview - 2006 Tribeca Film Festival |publisher=meniscuszine.com |first=Yuan-Kwan |last=Chan|date=May 1, 2006 |access-date=November 15, 2018}}{{cite web |url=http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article/21554 |title=Eugenia Yuan: Queen of Quirk |publisher=international.UCLA.edu |first=Ada |last=Tseng |date=February 28, 2005 |access-date=November 15, 2018}} Yuan's mother is Cheng Pei-pei, an actress who is known for being a Shaw Brothers Studio alumnus and the role of Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yuan grew up in San Marino, California.{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-04-17-we-228-story.html |title=U.S. on Move in Rhythmic Gymnastics
|website=Los Angeles Times |first=Ray |last=Ripton |date=April 17, 1986 |access-date=October 19, 2020}}
Career
= Gymnastic =
Yuan began her career as a rhythmic gymnast for the U.S. Olympic Team and was ranked #4 in the world. Yuan was a member of the U.S. National Rhythmic Gymnastics team for about seven years.
= Entertainment =
Yuan's first screen role was acting alongside her mother in Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger (2002), a martial arts movie. Yuan co-starred in the 2002 drama Charlotte Sometimes which won the best first feature award at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Yuan returned to Hong Kong to star in one segment of Three where she was named "Best Newcomer" in the Hong Kong Film Awards. Hollywood director Doug Liman chose her for the title role of the mockumentary Mail Order Wife, for which she was named as a "Rising Star/Screen Acting Discovery" at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
She was nominated at Hong Kong's Golden Horse Awards for her starring role in 2004's The Eye 2 and had roles in the John Dahl film The Great Raid and the Oscar-winning Memoirs of a Geisha. The jewelry retailer Me & Ro created a special edition hair ornament inspired by Yuan's character in the movie.{{cn|date=June 2023}}
Yuan continues to travel back and forth between Los Angeles, New York City and Hong Kong{{cn|date=June 2023}} to take studio, Chinese-language and American independent roles alike including the 2007 Gotham Awards winning film Choking Man. She also co-stars with Tony Leung Ka Fai in the Kenneth Bi film, The Drummer, and Erica Leerhsen in Slaughter. Most recently she has appeared in the Australian television drama Secret City.
Filmography
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.alivenotdead.com/eugeniayuan Eugenia Yuan at AliveNotDead.com]
- [http://www.meniscuszine.com/articles/20060501499/eugenia-yuan-interview-2006-tribeca-film-festival/ Meniscus Magazine interview with Eugenia Yuan]
- [http://www.ifilm.com/video/2802086/collection/18066/channel/movies iFilm 2006 Gotham Awards interview]
- [http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/LIFESTYLE05/701180358/1042/LIFESTYLE05 Detroit News]
- {{IMDb name|1067699}}
- [http://chinesemov.com/actors/Eugenia-Yuan.html Eugenia Yuan at Chinesemov.com]
- {{Rotten Tomatoes person|eugenia_yuan}}
{{Best New Performer HKFA}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuan, Eugenia}}
Category:21st-century Hong Kong actresses
Category:American film actresses
Category:American actresses of Chinese descent
Category:American television actresses
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:Hong Kong film actresses
Category:People from San Marino, California
Category:21st-century American actresses