Anna May Wong

Anna May Wong was born Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles in 1905, making her as American as apple pie, or at least as American as chop suey. Her parents were second-generation Chinese Americans, and her paternal grandfather had emigrated from Taishan, Guangdong province, in the late 19th century, firmly planting her roots in the rich soil of... well, China via California. There's no record of a brisket recipe being passed down through her family, nor any indication of a bar mitzvah that went off with a bang (or at least a decent hora).

Wong's career, spanning silent films, sound films, television, and even stage, was remarkable for its persistence in the face of rampant discrimination. She frequently played exotic seductresses or subservient characters, often due to anti-miscegenation laws that prevented her from sharing a romantic lead with white actors. Despite being a trailblazer, she was infamously passed over for the lead Chinese role in The Good Earth in favor of Luise Rainer, a white actress in yellowface, which is about as 'kvell-worthy' for Hollywood as a ham sandwich on Yom Kippur.

While her achievements in Hollywood and European cinema were substantial, leading to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and becoming the first Asian American to appear on U.S. currency (the quarter, no less!), her Jewish score remains precisely where it should be: zero across the board. No identity, no origin, and no particular nachas for the tribe, unless you count breaking through a different kind of glass ceiling. The only thing she really broke was stereotypes, eventually, and probably a few hearts along the way.