Chinese at the Oscars

James Wong Howe. [Photo/jmnews.com.cn]

The first Chinese to win the Oscar: James Wong Howe

James Wong Howe (1899-1976), the Chinese American cinematographer, whose movie career spanned Hollywood's golden years, was the first Chinese to win the Academy Award. He was born in Taishan, South China's Guangdong province on August 28, 1899. He immigrated to America at the age of five. During his career he was nominated for an Oscar 10 times and won twice for Best Cinematography in 1955 (The Rose Tattoo) and 1963 (Hud). He filmed over 130 movies in his almost six decade's career, working with many famous studios such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Paramount as well as film masters including Cecil B. DeMille, Barbra Streisand and Josef von Sternberg. The film Anatomy of a Murder he shot in 1959 has been hailed as a textbook of black and white cinematography. He was widely acknowledged for his efficiency, unique style of photography and flexibility who was awarded one of the most influential top ten photographers at the history by the International Film Photographers Association.