Lotus Long
Actor · Died September 14, 1990, aged 81 · Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lotus Long (born Lotus Pearl Shibata, July 18, 1909 – September 14, 1990) was an American actress. Long was born in New Jersey to a father of Japanese ancestry and a mother of Hawaiian ancestry. She came to Southern California during the 1920s to act in Hollywood films, and usually portrayed ethnic Asian female characters in supporting roles. She used the name "Lotus Long" for stage and film. Because of her adopted surname, people generally assumed that she was of Chinese ancestry – something she later relied on to avoid mass incarceration in American internment camps with other persons of Japanese ancestry, both legal permanent residents and American citizens, during World War II. She appeared in the MGM docudrama Eskimo (1933) as wife of the main character. Under the stage name Lotus Long as Moonflower in the 1934 film The Mysterious Mr. Wong and as the murder victim, Princess Lin Hwa, in 1939's Mr. Wong in Chinatown. She also starred alongside Keye Luke in Phantom of Chinatown as Win Len, Dr. Benton's secretary, whereas Keye Luke played Mr. Wong, this time known as Detective James Lee Wong. She was also credited under the name Karen Sorrell in the films Flight into Nowhere (1938) starring Jack Holt and Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938) starring Peter Lorre. She was uncredited as a "native girl" in the film The Real Glory (1939) starring Gary Cooper and David Niven. One of her more infamous roles would be as Tokyo Rose in Lew Landers' film, Tokyo Rose (1946), which also starred Keye Luke, Edwin Luke, Richard Loo, Byron Barr, and Osa Massen. Long had one writing and producing credit, for the film The Tahitian (1956) made with her husband, James Knott. The Tahitian was filmed on location with a largely native cast. In Timothy Tau's short film bio-pic Keye Luke, Lotus Long is portrayed by Mei Melancon, who is also of mixed ancestry (Japanese, Chinese and French), and who was inspired by the real-life figure of Tokyo Rose (Iva Toguri) to get into acting.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 18, 1909
- September 14, 1990 (aged 81)
- Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
- Actor
- 6 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
What are Lotus Long's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 0
Steady 5 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Shapeshifteras Drina in The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)
- Shapeshifteras Win Len in Phantom of Chinatown (1940)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Lotus Long's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Lotus Long's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
18 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
The Tahitian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Rose of the Yukon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Tokyo Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Flying Tigers(1942)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
For Beauty's Sake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Phantom of Chinatown(1940)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Mr. Wong in Chinatown(1939)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
The Mystery of Mr. Wong(1939)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Mysterious Mr. Moto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Flight Into Nowhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Think Fast, Mr. Moto(1937)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
China Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Sea Spoilers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Last of the Pagans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
The Mysterious Mr. Wong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Sing Sing Nights(1934)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Eskimo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
The Peacock Fan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Career shape
Star power in the 55th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 18 titles from 1929 to 1959.
Film career
- 1935Screen debut· The Mysterious Mr. Wong
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Lotus Long's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 43rd percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 6 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Lotus Long work with?
People who share at least 2 of Lotus Long's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hugh Wiley shares the most, 3.
Directors
- William NighShared titles: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 2 shared titles with William Nigh
Writers
- Hugh WileyShared titles: Phantom of Chinatown (1940), Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 3 shared titles with Hugh Wiley
- Scott DarlingShared titles: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Scott Darling
Actors
- Grant WithersShared titles: Phantom of Chinatown (1940), Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 3 shared titles with Grant Withers
- Huntley GordonShared titles: Phantom of Chinatown (1940), Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Huntley Gordon
- Boris KarloffShared titles: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Boris Karloff
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Edward J. KayShared titles: Phantom of Chinatown (1940), Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 3 shared titles with Edward J. Kay
- Harry NeumannShared titles: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Harry Neumann
- Russell F. SchoengarthShared titles: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 2 shared titles with Russell F. Schoengarth
Producers
- Paul MalvernShared titles: Phantom of Chinatown (1940), Sing Sing Nights (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Malvern
- William T. LackeyShared titles: Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939), The Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939)See all 2 shared titles with William T. Lackey