Jocelyne LaGarde | Asian American women Women Who Conquered Hollywood
AAPI Heritage Month: Miyoshi Umeki first Asian Oscar, Jocelyne LaGarde trailblazers. Celebrating influential AAPI women in entertainment history
Jocelyne LaGarde | Asian American women Women Who Conquered Hollywood
Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month: Trailblazing Women in Entertainment
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, honoring the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders throughout U.S. history. We're spotlighting influential AAPI women like Miyoshi Umeki and Ming-Na Wen who've shattered barriers in Hollywood.
✨ From Lucy Liu to Ming Na Wen, these AAPI heritage trailblazers have made significant contributions to the entertainment industry and the AAPI community. Join us in celebrating their accomplishments!
AAPI Heritage Month is held every May to reflect on and celebrate the work and impact of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders throughout history.
Celebrate AAPI Month with us as we highlight the achievements of influential women in entertainment! From Miyoshi Umeki's historic Oscar win to Lucy Liu's impact on pop culture, we're recognizing the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by spotlighting these amazing women and Ming Na Wen.
Jocelyne LaGarde
Jocelyne LaGarde's role in her first and only film, "Hawaii," earned her an Academy Award nomination. Native Tahitian actress Jocelyne LaGarde is the first Indigenous and Polynesian person to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Jocelyne Bredin LaGarde (24 April 1924 – 12 September 1979) She was a Native Tahitian actress. She earned the nomination for best supporting actress for her first and only acting role in 1966's motion picture, "Hawaii," starring Julie Andrews. For her portrayal of Queen Malama Kanakoa, LaGarde also won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture.
The film Hawaii was a big-budget drama based on the best-selling novel of the same name by James A. Michener that tells the story of 19th-century white missionaries bringing Christianity to the island natives. LaGarde was a Polynesian woman who fit perfectly the physical attributes of an important character in the film. Although she had never acted before, and could not speak English (speaking only fluent Tahitian and French), she was hired by Mirisch Productions and given a coach who taught her enough English to handle her character's dialogue.
As "Queen Malama Kanakoa, Aliʻi Nui of Hawaii", LaGarde's personality and facial beauty, combined with a reported 300-pound (140 kg) frame, brought a commanding presence to the screen. Surrounded by a cast of Hollywood all-stars, she stole the show not only with the audience but with the professional members of the film industry.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated her for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the only performer in the film so nominated. She was the first Polynesian and first Indigenous person ever nominated for an Academy Award.
In 1972, she travelled back to Honolulu to receive medical treatment for complications of diabetes which resulted in the amputation of one foot. She died at her home in Papeete, Tahiti, in 1979, without a reported cause of death.
