Voting Station

Tsuru Aoki

Please vote to return to collections.

Actress

The Resume

    (September 9, 1892-October 18, 1961)
    Born in Tokyo, Japan
    Also known as Aoki Tsuruko
    Married to Silent era matinee idol, Sessue Hayakawa (1914)
    Acted in 'The Oath of Tsuru San,' 'O Mimi San,' 'The Wrath of the Gods,' 'The Dragon Painter,' 'The Typhoon,' 'The Vigil,' 'The Geisha,' 'The Courageous Coward,' 'The Chinatown Mystery,' 'His Birthright,' 'Breath of the Gods' and 'The Danger Line'

Why she might be annoying:

    Although her film career began before her marriage to Hayakawa, its hard to deny that nepotism didn't have some part in keeping her career afloat (she made forty films with her husband).
    Case in point, she was frequently billed in her films as 'Mrs. Sessue Hayakawa.'
    A majority of her films have either been lost, destroyed, or exist only in fragmented bits, leading to her being virtually forgotten by average moviegoers.
    She was largely typecast in ethnic roles, often reinforcing negative stereotypes about Asian women.
    She allegedly scrapped plans to start her own production company.
    She and her husband became famous for their lavish and extravagant parties.
    She died in the same year as fellow Asian-American superstar Anna May Wong.
    It tends to piss off minority filmgoers when they find out that an Asian-American woman had an easier time becoming a movie star in the Silent Era than in modern films.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was petite.
    She emigrated from Japan to the United States with her family when she was only six.
    By signing on with her husband's production company, Haworth Pictures, she was able to subtly challenge the stereotyping she experienced in Hollywood.
    She allegedly took down eight burly policemen with Jiu-Jitsu during a demonstration for the police force.
    She used her influence to get her husband's start in motion pictures, after working with him in a Japanese acting troupe.
    She was able to avoid the humiliation of trying to adjust to 'talkies' by retiring at the height of her career to devote more time to her family (1924).
    She was the earliest professional Japanese film actress in the United States.
    Her marriage to Hayakawa was a success, lasting almost fifty years until her death.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 57 Votes: 26.32% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying