Barbara Lee (4 November 1933/1938 – 6 April 1997), who used the stage name Barbara Yu Ling, was a Singapore-born actress of stage, screen, and television who was based in Britain from the 1950s. One of the first Singaporean Chinese actresses to gain attention in Europe, she appeared in productions of ''Madame Butterfly'' and '' The World of Suzie Wong''. Among the films she appeared in were ''

The Satanic Rites of Dracula ''The Satanic Rites of Dracula'' is a 1973 British horror film directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is the eighth film in Hammer's ''Dracula'' series, and the seventh and final one to feature Christopher Lee as Dra ...

'' (1973), ''

Ping Pong Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of two, players ...

'' (1986), and '' Peggy Su!'' (1997).

Biography

Lee was born in Singapore. Her father was a schoolteacher, and her mother died young. A protégée of

Malcolm MacDonald Malcolm John MacDonald (17 August 1901 – 11 January 1981) was a British politician and diplomat. He was initially a Labour Party (UK), Labour Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP), but in 1931 followed his father ...

, Britain's Commissioner-General to Southeast Asia, she worked as a teacher before moving to England in 1955 to study at London's Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. MacDonald introduced Lee to Dame

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her h ...

, who aided Lee with her performing career. Her sister Dorothy Lee, who joined her in England, later became the wife and collaborator of illustrator Paul Goble. Lee married British theatre producer

Ian Albery Ian Bronson Albery (born 21 September 1936) is an English theatre consultant, manager, and producer. He is a former chief executive of Sadler's Wells Theatre (1994-2002), and was in charge of the Donmar Warehouse from 1961 to 1989.

in 1966; the couple had two sons before the marriage ended in divorce. She died of cancer at her home in London on 6April 1997.Death certificate: Barbara Yu Ling Albery. Camden, London. Register A43A, Entry 128.

General Register Office General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The GRO is the government agency r ...

, 1997.

Acting career

Lee's first major acting role was the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's 1957 television production of the opera ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' as Suzuki, although the actors' singing was dubbed by professionals. In 1958 she toured Italy in the supporting cast of ''Sayonara Butterfly'', a parody of ''Madame Butterfly'' written by

Marcello Marchesi Marcello Marchesi (; 4 April 1912 – 19 July 1978) was an Italian author, screenwriter and film director. He wrote more than 60 films between 1939 and 1977. He also directed six films between 1951 and 1952. He was born in Milan and died in ...

, Renzo Punzoni and

Italo Terzoli Italo Terzoli (18 January 1924 – 13 May 2008) was an Italian author, playwright, screenwriter, television and radio writer. Born in Milan, Terzoli started his career as a playwright in the early 1950s, collaborating first with Carlo Silva and ...

. She co-starred with Tsai Chin in the British production of '' The World of Suzie Wong'' that ran at London's

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

from 1959 to 1961. In 1966 she had a co-starring role with

Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Ki ...

in the

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

-shot film '' Strange Portrait''. She played a ballerina and girlfriend of the main character played by Hunter. The film was never released and is now believed lost. According to director Jeffrey Stone, the film was suppressed by the Hong Kong censors because of a scene in which Lee appeared partially nude. In 1973 she had her most prominent film role, as cult leader Chin Yang in ''

'' (released in the U.S. as ''Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride''). Author Paul Meehan commented that stars

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Lee became known as an actor with a deep and commanding voice who often portrayed villains in horr ...

and

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...

were "ably assisted by the quirky portrayals of

Freddie Jones Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for ...

and Barbara Yu Ling in supporting roles." In the 1980s she played the part of May in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation / British Broadcasting Corporation co-production '' Tenko'', and appeared in ''

'' (1986), the first film to be shot in London's

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

. In 1990 she was in the Richard Stanley's science-fiction film '' Hardware''.The Fright Sit
Hardware
/ref> Her final film appearance was a supporting role in 1997's '' Peggy Su!'', a romantic comedy about a Chinese teenager (played by Pamela Oei) and her family set in 1960s Liverpool, England.

Filmography

Film

* ''

Windom's Way ''Windom's Way'' is a 1957 British thriller film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Peter Finch and Mary Ure. Made in Eastman Color, it is set during the Malayan Emergency. Neame said it "wasn’t a very good film." Premise Dr Alec Windom ...

'' (1957) as Nurse (unbilled) * '' Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst'' (1957) as Sampan woman (unbilled) * ''

The Camp on Blood Island ''The Camp on Blood Island'' is a 1958 British World War II film, directed by Val Guest for Hammer Film Productions and starring André Morell, Carl Möhner, Edward Underdown and Walter Fitzgerald. The film is set in a Japanese prisoner o ...

'' (1958) as Woman prisoner (as Barbara Lee) * ''

55 Days at Peking ''55 Days at Peking'' is a 1963 American epic historical war film dramatizing the siege of the foreign legations' compounds in Beijing (then still Peking, in English) during the Boxer Uprising, which took place in China in the summer of 1 ...

'' (1963) (unbilled extra) * '' The World Ten Times Over'' (1963) as Georgia (unbilled) * '' Strange Portrait'' (1966) (unreleased) * '' Koroshi'' (1968) (TV Movie) as Hostess * ''

'' (U.S. title: ''Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride'') (1973) as Chin Yang * ''

'' (1986) as Cherry * '' Hardware'' (1990) as Chinese Mother * '' Peggy Su!'' (1997) as David's Mother

Television

* ''Madame Butterfly'' (1957) as Suzuki * ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'' (1960-1968) – Series 1 (1961), Episode 22: "The Honeymooners" as Maid (as Barbara Lee) * ''

The Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

'' (1961-1969) – Season 3 (1963), Episode 11: " The Golden Fleece" as Mrs Kwan (as Yu Ling) * ''Danger Man'' – Series 3 (1965), Episode 2: "A Very Dangerous Game" as Second Hostess (as Yu Ling) * ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan portrays Number Six (The Prisoner), Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a The Village (The Prisoner), mysteri ...

'' (1967-1968) – Episode 1: "

Arrival Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to: Film * ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film * ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film * ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...

" as Taxi Driver * ''

Jackanory ''Jackanory'' was a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in Reading (activity), reading. The programme was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the ...

'' (1965-1996) – Season 2 (1967), Episode 186: "The Inn of Donkeys" as Third Lady * ''Danger Man'' – Series 4 (1968), Episode 2: "Shinda Shima" as Hostess * '' The Troubleshooters'' (1965-1972) – Season 5 (1969), Episode 7: "You're Not Going to Believe This, But..." as Jenny Kwong * ''

Shirley's World ''Shirley's World'' is a television series aired first by ABC during the 1971–72 television season. The sitcom was co-produced by the British ITC Entertainment and American producer Sheldon Leonard, with English producer-director Ray Au ...

'' (1971-1972) – Episode 15: "Figuratively Speaking" as Choa Chun * ''

Gangsters A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level ...

'' (1978 series) – Episode 5: "Enter the White Devil" as Rosie * '' Tenko'' – Series 2 (1982) Episode 5; Series 3 (1984) Episodes 5 & 8; as May

Theatre roles

* ''Sayonara Butterfly'' (Italy, 1958–1959) * ''The World of Suzie Wong'' (London, 1959–1961) as Typhoo * ''The Professor'' (by

Hal Porter Harold Edward "Hal" Porter (16 February 1911 – 29 September 1984) was an Australian novelist, playwright, poet, and short story writer. He is known for his 1963 memoir, ''The Watcher on the Cast Iron Balcony''. The Hal Porter Short Story Comp ...

) (London, 1965) as Katsura

Radio credits

* ''Shopping'' (1991) –

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

play by Kevin Wong.

Notes

References

External links

*
Barbara Yu Ling at Aveleyman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ling, Barbara Yu 1930s births 1997 deaths 20th-century British actresses 20th-century Chinese actresses 20th-century Singaporean actresses Age controversies Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama British film actresses British television actresses Deaths from cancer in England Expatriate actresses in the United Kingdom Singaporean expatriates in the United Kingdom Singaporean people of Chinese descent