Yellowface in the Family

Why my father never wanted to talk about his Hollywood years

Maurice Liu, 1936, Hollywood

I was cleaning out my father’s office after his death when I discovered the history of his movie years, stuffed into a soft red and gold Moroccan leather folio. This trove of yellowing newspaper clippings and gauzy headshots thrilled me. Here at last was the archive that would help me piece together Dad’s unlikely acting care…