Francisca "Francesca" Tu (born 1943) is a Chinese-born German

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and television actress.

Career

Francisca Tu took ballet lessons at the Hanover Opera House and trained at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. At the age of 19, she went to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where she stayed with a cousin and assisted him in an auction house. During this time, Francisca learned a lot about Chinese art and also worked as a model for an advertising agency. She continued her artistic education at the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

. On her 21st birthday, Francisca auditioned for 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 ...

and was immediately a job in a TV drama. Shortly thereafter, roles followed in

Jürgen Roland Jürgen Roland, born Jürgen Schellack (25 December 1925 – 21 September 2007) was a German film director. Roland was described as the "father of German TV crime shows". He directed about 80 TV productions and 30 movies. Life and career Rol ...

's Hong Kong thriller ''Lotus Blossoms'' and a small role of Mr. Osato's secretary alongside

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

in the James Bond movie '' You Only Live Twice'' and as Lotus, the personal secretary of Denis Nayland Smith, the main opponent of the Chinese master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu (

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 ...

). In the second half of the 1960s, she had minor roles alongside

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

in ''The Spinner'',

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (26 September 1924Come da lui stesso dichiarato a 1'10" dquesta intervista/ref> – 19 December 1996) was an Italian actor. He is generally regarded as one of Italy's most iconic male performers of the 20t ...

in ''Diamonds for Breakfast'',

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

in ''The Most Dangerous Man in the World'', and

Peter Lawford Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford (né Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 26 December 1984. He was a member of the "Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president Jo ...

and

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

in '' Salt and Pepper''. In later film roles she co-starred with

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (January 30, 1930 – ) was an American actor. Hackman made his credited film debut in the drama ''Lilith (film), Lilith'' (1964). He later won two Academy Awards, his first for Academy Award for Best Actor, Best Actor for ...

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, macho image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the ...

and

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards as the title character on '' Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also known for her role as Shirley Schmi ...

and regular television commitments in popular multi-part or series like ''Death is Behind'' and The ''Offender on the Track''.

Selected filmography

Film

* '' The Face of Fu Manchu'' (1965) * '' The Brides of Fu Manchu'' (1966) * '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967) * '' Lotus Flowers for Miss Quon'' (1967) * '' Diamonds for Breakfast'' (1968) * ''

Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River ''Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River'' is a 1968 British comedy film directed by Jerry Paris and starring Jerry Lewis, Terry-Thomas and Jacqueline Pearce. It was written by Max Wilk based on his 1961 novel of the same title, with the or ...

'' (1968) * ''

The Blood of Fu Manchu ''The Blood of Fu Manchu'' (, ), also known as ''Kiss of Death'', ''Kiss and Kill'' (U.S. title) and ''Against All Odds'' (original U.S. video title), is a 1968 British adventure crime film directed by Jesús Franco, based on the fictional A ...

'' (1968) * '' Salt and Pepper'' (1968) * '' The Chairman'' (1969) * '' Liebling, sei nicht albern!'' (1970) * '' Welcome to the Club'' (1971) * '' The Hunting Party'' (1971)

Television

* ''

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 ...

'' (1965, 1 episode) * '' Take a Pair of Private Eyes'' (1966, 1 episode) * '' Callan'' (1967) (A Magnum for Schneider) * '' Hugh and I Spy '' (1968, 1 episode) * '' Department S'' (1969, 1 episode) * '' The Troubleshooters'' (1969, 1 episode) * '' Jason King'' (1972, 1 episode) * ''

Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...

'' (1973, 1 episode)

References

Bibliography

* Peter Shelley. ''Gene Hackman: The Life and Work''. McFarland, 2018.

External links

* 1943 births Living people German film actresses Chinese film actresses German television actresses Chinese television actresses Actresses from Wenzhou {{Germany-screen-actor-stub