| Etta Lee | |
| Birth Name: | Etta Lee Frost |
| Birth Date: | 12 September 1906 |
| Birth Place: | Kauai, Territory of Hawaii, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Eureka, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1921 - 1935 |
Etta Lee Frost (September 12, 1906 – October 27, 1956) was an American silent film actress, known for supporting roles.
Etta Lee Frost was born on September 12, 1906, in Kauai, Territory of Hawaii (now Hawaii), as the daughter of Martin B. Frost. Her father was a Chinese medical doctor and her mother was of French ancestry.[1] She had a sister, Ella Deverill, and grew up in California and went on to get her degree in education at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Lee moved back to Hawaii to be a teacher, before returning to Los Angeles to begin her career as an actress.[2]
Lee's first film was A Tale of Two Worlds in 1921, where she played Ah Fah, a Chinese maid. She played another Chinese maid named Liu in the 1923 film The Remittance Woman, a maid in The Untameable (1923), A Thief in Paradise (1925), The Trouble with Wives (1925), and International House (1933). Other so-called exotic roles she was cast in included The Slave of the Sand Board in The Thief of Bagdad (1924).[3] [4] [5] In 1923, she was called the only Eurasian girl in films.[6]
Lee directly commented on the lack of diversity in her roles in an article in 1924. She noted that "I am equipped…to show oriental impulse and emotional complexities. But in this field I have not yet had opportunity."[7] She went on to discuss that even in terms of getting roles meant for Chinese women, she was often turned down because she was of mixed race and did not look Chinese enough.
She made her first stage debut in the summer of 1927, with a production of The Scarlet Virgin in Los Angeles.[8]
In 1932, Lee married Frank Robinson Brown, a Welsh-born radio announcer and columnist,[9] and retired from acting afterward. She became active in her community following retirement, becoming chairwoman of the Eureka Woman's Club. She was also an active member of the Episcopal Church.
Lee died at her residence in Eureka, California, on October 27, 1956, at the age of 50.[10] She was survived by her husband, sister, and two nephews.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | A Tale of Two Worlds | Ah Fah | |
| 1922 | The Toll of the Sea | Gossip | |
| The Infidel[11] | Chinese Girl | Lost film [12] | |
| East is West | Uncredited role | ||
| 1923 | The Remittance Woman | Liu Po-Yat | Lost film |
| The Untameable | Ah Moy | ||
| 1924 | The Thief of Baghdad | Slave of the Sand Board | Uncredited role |
| 1925 | A Thief in Paradise | Rosa's Maid | Lost film |
| The Dressmaker from Paris | Mannequin | Uncredited role Lost film | |
| Recompense | Dancing Girl | Lost film | |
| The Trouble with Wives | Maid | Lost film | |
| 1926 | Camille | Mataloti | Incomplete film |
| 1927 | The Chinese Parrot | Girl in Gambling Den | Lost film |
| 1929 | Manchu Love | Empress Tzu Hsi | |
| 1933 | International House | Peggy's Maid | Uncredited role |
| 1934 | The Mysterious Mr. Wong | Lusan - Moonflower's Attendant | |
| 1935 | Clive of India | Slave Girl | Uncredited role |
| Let's Live Tonight | Manicurist | Uncredited role |