Biography
Nuyen was born in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Her mother was French, her father Vietnamese. During World War II, her mother and grandfather were persecuted by the Nazis for being Gypsies. Nuyen was raised in Marseille by a cousin she calls "an orchidaceae raiser who was the only person who gave a damn about me".
In 1955, while working as a seamstress, Nuyen was discovered on the beach by Life magazine photographer Philippe Halsman. She was featured on the cover of the Oct. 6, 1958 issue of Life magazine.
She became a stage actress and played the lead in the 1958 theatrical production of The World of Suzie Wong, opposite William Shatner. She was originally cast to star in the film production, but was replaced by Nancy Kwan. She worked with Shatner again in an episode of Star Trek, playing Elaan of Troyius, and in an episode of Kung Fu. Her distinctive accent made her recognizable to television audiences.
In 1978, she guest starred with Peter Falk and Louis Jourdan in the Columbo episode "Murder Under Glass". In 1986, she joined the cast of St. Elsewhere as Dr. Paulette Kiem, remaining until the series ended in 1988.
Nuyen appeared in films including South Pacific (1958), Satan Never Sleeps (1962), A Girl Named Tamiko (with Laurence Harvey) (1962), Diamond Head (1963), Dimension 5 (1966), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), and The Joy Luck Club (1993). She continues to appear in films and recently appeared in The American Standards (2007).
Read more about this topic: France Nuyen
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