France Nuyen

France Nuyen, born France Nguyễn Vân Nga on July 31, 1939, in Marseille, is a French-American actress, model, and psychological counselor. Her father, whom Nuyen identifies as Chinese or Hoa, came from French Indochina and abandoned the family when she was young. Her mother was Romani French, and during World War II, Nuyen's mother and grandfather were allegedly persecuted by the Nazis for their Romani heritage. Nuyen was raised in Marseille by a cousin she has described as an orchid grower. After leaving school at age eleven, she began studying art and working as an artist's model.

Nuyen moved to New York City at age sixteen after signing with Candy Jones' agency. In 1955, Life photographer Philippe Halsman discovered her while she was modeling at the Beaux Arts School, and she later appeared on the cover of the October 6, 1958 issue of Life magazine.

Her Broadway career began in 1958 when, at age nineteen, she originated the title role in The World of Suzie Wong opposite William Shatner. The production ran for more than 500 performances. For her performance, Nuyen received the Theatre World Award in 1959, an honor Shatner also collected at the same ceremony. The role established her as a notable presence in American theater.

Nuyen's screen career launched the same year as her Broadway debut. Her first film role was Liat, daughter of Bloody Mary, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, with Bloody Mary portrayed by Juanita Hall. She subsequently appeared in Satan Never Sleeps and A Girl Named Tamiko, both released in 1962, as well as Diamond Head in 1963. Decades later, she played Ying-Ying St. Clair in The Joy Luck Club in 1993. Additional film credits include The Last Time I Saw Archie, Dimension 5, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes, among others.

Her television work was equally extensive. She appeared as the title character Elaan in the Star Trek episode "Elaan of Troyius" in 1968, reuniting with Shatner. The two worked together again in the 1973 television film The Horror at 37,000 Feet and in a 1974 episode of Kung Fu. Nuyen also guest-starred alongside Peter Falk and Louis Jourdan in the 1978 Columbo episode "Murder Under Glass," and appeared in four episodes of I Spy. From 1986 to 1988, she was a regular cast member on St. Elsewhere, playing Dr. Paulette Kiem for the duration of the series.

In her personal life, Nuyen had a relationship with Marlon Brando in 1960. She was married to New York psychiatrist Thomas Gaspar Morell from 1963 to 1966; the couple have a daughter, Fleur, who works as a film makeup artist in Canada. Nuyen met her second husband, actor Robert Culp, while filming four episodes of I Spy, and they married in 1967 before divorcing three years later.

In 1986, Nuyen earned a master's degree in clinical psychology and began working as a counselor for abused women and children and for women in prison. She received a Woman of the Year award in 1989 in recognition of that work. As of 2019, she resides in Beverly Hills.