Noel Toy

Noel Toy (born Ngun Yee, the "Chinese Sally Rand") (December 27, 1918 – December 24, 2003) was an American burlesque performer famous for her fan dance and bubble dance, initially at the Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco, California. Later, she acted in films and on television.

Noel Toy
Noel Toy circa 1942
Born
Ngun Yee

December 27, 1918
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
DiedDecember 24, 2003(2003-12-24) (aged 84)
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesNoel Toy Young
Occupationexotic dancer, actress
Spouse(s)
Carleton Young
​
​
(m. 1945; died 1994)​

Early years and career

Toy was born in San Francisco, California. She was the first of eight children born to parents who immigrated from Canton, China. Toy's parents opened a laundry in Inverness, California, where they were the only Chinese residents.[1]

She performed her routines at the Stork Club and other venues in New York City, before returning to San Francisco, where she was most famous at the Forbidden City nightclub.[2] In her later years, Toy had many small parts in films and television, including a role in Big Trouble in Little China and frequent portrayals of Korean villagers in M*A*S*H.[2]

Personal life

Toy met and a soldier and actor named Carleton Young in 1945, who became enamored with the dancer after seeing her perform at Latin Quarter nightclub in New York. Their engagement was announced in June 1945, however it was called off a few weeks later.[3] Nevertheless, they married later that year, on December 19, 1945, in New York City.[4] They remained married until her husband's death in 1994. They had no children.[5]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1951Anne of the IndiesSlave GirlUncredited
1955Soldier of FortuneLuanUncredited
1955How to Be Very, Very PopularCherry Blossom Wang
1955The Left Hand of GodWoman in SarongUncredited
1981S.O.B.
1986Big Trouble in Little ChinaMrs. O'Toole
1992Frame-Up II: The Cover-UpDavid's Grandmother
1999Midnight Temptations 2Bea

References
  1. "Famed Chinese-American exotic dancer of the 1940s dies". Associated Press. 23 January 2004.
  2. Chuck Squatriglia (January 23, 2004). "Noel Toy: famed exotic dancer of '40s". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  3. "30 Jul 1945, 10 - Appeal-Democrat at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  4. "6 Dec 1945, 297 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  5. Miller, Stephen (27 January 2004). "Noel Toy, 84, Fan Dancer Billed as 'Chinese Sally Rand'". The New York Sun. p. 16.
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