Some sad news out of Hollywood... Sumi Sevilla Haru, longtime leader of the Screen Actors Guild who paved the way for Asian Americans actors to get better TV and film roles, died last week in Los Angeles. She was 75.
Sumi Sevilla Haru, Former Interim Screen Actors Guild President, Dead at 75
Haru served as the interim Screen Actors Guild president in 1995, and was the first and only woman of color to hold the position. She joined SAG in 1968 and AFTRA in 1972 and served as a national board member for both organizations, often working to address the lack of opportunities and roles for Asians Americans.
In her own acting career, she refused to audition for stereotypical roles, like the maid or the dragon lady, and spoke out against the discrimination Asian actors and the racist practice of yellowface in Hollywood.
