Wayne Wang (born January 12, 1949) is an Asian-American filmmaker.
Born in Hong Kong, China, and named after his father's favorite movie star, John Wayne, Wang was originally sent by his parents to the United States at 17 to go to medical school. Instead, he became interested in film, going to film school in Oakland. In 1982 he directed his first film, Chan Is Missing, the first film directed by an Asian-American to get wide distribution in the United States. Throughout his career, Wang has alternated between low-budget films and more mainstream films, and has consistently made films about the Asian-American experience, with his best-remembered film probably being The Joy Luck Club, which was the biggest hit film with a (mostly) Asian cast until Crazy Rich Asians.
Wang is married to actress Cora Miao, and alternates between San Francisco and New York City.
Films directed by Wayne Wang with their own page:
- Chan Is Missing (1982)
- The Joy Luck Club (1993)
- Smoke (1995)
- Chinese Box (1997)
- The Center of the World (2001)
- Maid in Manhattan (2002)
- Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)
- Last Holiday (2006)
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)
