Merle Oberon 1911 – 1979

Biography

Merle Oberon was a British actress who became one of the great beauties of Hollywood’s golden age. Born in Bombay in 1911 to a mother of South Asian descent, she concealed her origins throughout her career, presenting herself as Tasmanian-born to survive the prejudices of the film industry. She came to attention in The Private Life of Henry VIII and became the first actress of Asian origin to be nominated for an Academy Award, for The Dark Angel in 1935. Her greatest role was Cathy in Wuthering Heights in 1939, opposite Laurence Olivier. She went on to star in films on both sides of the Atlantic for three more decades. The secret of her heritage remained hidden until after her death in Malibu in 1979. Her story has since been reclaimed as a pioneering one, and she is now recognised as a trailblazer who broke barriers for actors of Asian heritage.