Tsai Chin Biography
Tsai Chin, born on September 1st, 1937, is a multifaceted Chinese actress, singer, director, teacher, and author, best recognized internationally for her performance as Auntie Lindo in the film The Joy Luck Club.
Tsai Chin has an illustrious career spanning more than six decades and three continents. Her early appearances in international cinema include The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), where she provided the voice of “Tokyo Rose,” Yangtse Incident (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), and Violent Playground (1958).
Tsai Chin appeared in multiple Toho Studio’s monster films, such as The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), Invasion (1966), and The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966). She also starred in two James Bond films 39 years apart, first as Bond girl Ling, who sets Sean Connery up to stage his murder in You Only Live Twice (1967) and then as poker player, Madam Wu alongside Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006).
Chin is also known for her contribution as the first acting instructor to be invited to teach acting in China after the Cultural Revolution, when the universities reopened. In China, Tsai Chin is recognized for her role as Grandmother Jia in the 2010 TV drama series The Dream of Red Mansions.
Some other popular movies and TV shows in which Tsai Chin has appeared include The Joy Luck Club (1993), Red Corner (1997), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006), and Lucky Grandma (2019).
She has also made guest appearances on various TV shows, including Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005), Grey’s Anatomy (2005), and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014). Tsai Chin’s autobiography, Daughter of Shanghai, has been published in ten languages.
