Born: 11-11-1951
Birthplace: Saigon
Country: Vietnam
Occupation: Actress and producer
Nickname: Female Bruce Lee
She was born as Thi Thang Nga who grew up in Saigon. Her father Dư Phước Long was a South Vietnamese politician, who was serving as director of the Press in Saigon. The family immigrated to the USA in 1966 after the assassination of President Diệm. They start an new life in Fairfax in the state Virgina. Her father worked as Cultural Attaché for the U.S. allied administration of President Ngô Đình Diệm at the South Vietnamese Embassy in Washington D.C. He studied at the Georgetown University’s Diplomatic School and the Johns Hopkins University’s Graduate School of Advanced International Studies. He adopted the name Patrick Du Long and became scriptwriter and newscaster for the Voice of America.
She studied at the Fairfax High School in Virginia and fulfills her childhood dream to act and dance in Hollywood. She authored the book ''The Dream Shattered: Vietnamese Gangs in America'' and was candidate for the California State Assembly in 1998.
She is introduced to oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant by Bruce Lee. She becomes close friends with Stirling and the couple starts an relation. The pair marry on 04-07-1974 and the wedding was broadcasted by CBS News at the Chasen’s Restaurant in West Hollywood. Stirling had prostate cancer and died on 26-04-1996 in Bangkok (Thailand). He made numerous of TV shows for Bruce Lee and writes the biggest part of all episodes of the acclaimed television series ''Route 66'' (1960-1964). He won the Oscar for best screenplay with the feature film ''In the Heat of the Night'' (1988).
Martial Arts
She is trained in martial arts since young age and has a black belt in karate. Jhoon Rhee introduced her to Bruce Lee at Master Jhoon Rhee’s Nationals Tournament in Virginia. She became the first female student of Bruce Lee with the nickname Tiana Karate Princess. She is the only woman who trains with Bruce Lee and is his female protege in martial arts.
Action Movie Career
She made her action movie debut as Tommie in the martial-arts movie ''The Killer Elite'' (1975). Mike Locken (played by James Caan) is leader of an freelance group of spies. The group works for an significant portion for the C.I.A. Mike get the job to protect a person, but this assignment fails when someone of his friends shoots him in the elbow and knee. He is nearly crippled but does everything to complete his assignment.
She plays narcotics officer Checkers Goldberg from San Francisco who also martial arts expert is in ''Catch the Heat'' (1987). Checkers goes undercover as stripper in South America, in an attempt to stop a drug lord and his operations. They smuggle drugs into the United States and her assignment is to involve herself in the operations. She undergoes a breast-altering operation to smuggle the goods into the States. Checkers does everything to catch the violent criminals with her hot looks and prowess.
Action Documentary
She presents together with martial arts champion Eric Lee the documentary ''Karatix'' (1986). She's the innovator of the unique exercise and self-defense training program named Karatix. It combines elements of dance and combat art disciplines to develop self defense skills which the beginner can learn through regular practice. She instructs a aerobics class in an studio setting with 80's pop music that was sung and written by herself. Eric Lee helps her with demonstrations and fight technics.
She's the producer and writer of the documentary ''From Hollywood to Hanoi'' (1995). The documentary was broadcasted in 1995 on the HBO Cinemax “Vanguard Cinema”. This was the first American documentary filmed in Vietnam on location with Oliver Stone as executive producer. She is searching for answers on questions about her identity in Vietnam. She shows the post-war glory where old beliefs still ferment, where historical context different is from ours, where every aspect of the war has resulted in a generation of people with vastly differing views of what occurred. The documentary is surprising and interesting and reveals more than intended. She interviewed several former enemies of the U.S. who occupies high seats of power. She interviewed politician Phạm Văn Đồng and diplomat Lê Đức Thọ (He was awarded for the Nobel Peace Prize which he declined) during the filming in Vietnam. ''From Hollywood to Hanoi'' was nominated for the “Best Non-Fiction Film” at the Sundance International Festival. The documentary was named “Best of the Fest” at the Telluride Film Festival. The program was screened in order to help Senator John Kerry with the lift of the trade embargo at Capitol Hill.
She appears in the short documentary ''Women's Day: The Making of a Bill'' (1998). This show is the first official recorded bill ever for International Women's Day in America in 1994. Remarkable women from different walks of life are honored through an annual celebration on a day, that is known for nearly a century in most countries around the world.
Other Activities
Pulitzer prize winning journalist Peter Arnett, photographer/journalist Nick Ut and the local Vietnamese youth culture are featured in her documentary at the 30th Anniversary Reunion of Associated Press War Photographers in Ho Chi Minh City (2005). She went on world tour with Oscar & Tony winning author Christopher Hampton in 2007. She helps him with the promotion of his feature film ''Atonement'' and Christopher is honored with 50 plays and screenplays. She organizes the Tony Award Celebration in 2009 with the successful Broadway show ''God of Carnage''.
Her newest project ''The General & Me'' focuses on her friendship of 25 years with General Võ Nguyên Giáp, a recently deceased Ho Chi Minh’s trusted military strategist. He was the leader of the North Vietnamese Army, who was victorious against the French and Americans in the Indochina and Vietnam Wars. She was the first Westerner who has interviewed Võ Nguyên after the Vietnam War. She returns to Vietnam several times for interviews with him and his wife Co Ha. She hears the news that General Võ Nguyên Giáp (age 102) is died and returns to Hanoi for the final shooting of her feature documentary "The General & Me".
She and director Oliver Stone have founded the Indochina Film Arts Foundation in 1993. The foundation starts with workshops in order to make the skills of aspiring Vietnamese filmmakers better. They give cooperative workshops in fine arts, theater, film, education and radio broadcast. Current operations are at the Hanoi Cinematique and the Riva Studios in Ho Chi Minh City. The workshops are presented at the Viet Nam Cinema Dept. & Filmmakers Association in Hanoi, The Asian American Film Festivals in New York City and Los Angeles, The Cinéma Festival du Réel at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, The Directors Guild of America in Hollywood and the Washington Project for the Arts in Washington DC. Tiana was appointed as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Film Studies at the Dartmouth college in 1993.
Achievements
- She was one of the first Asian-American women who has joined the Screen Actors Guild.
- She posed on the cover of Inside Karate magazine ''1985 december editon''.
Action Movie Filmography
- Catch the Heat (1987)
- The Killer Elite (1975)
Action Documentary
- Women's Day: The Making of a Bill (1998)
- From Hollywood to Hanoi (1992)
- Karatix (1986)
