Merle Oberon was briefly a Hollywood star in the early days of film, whose biggest role was opposite Lawrence Olivier in Wuthering Heights. Her career fizzled after that, partly because of persistent questions about her background. Her skin was dark, her eyes were almond-shaped. No one knew at the time, but she was the first person of color to be nominated for an Oscar in the acting category — for her role in The Dark Angel (1935). She never revealed her origins, but her story is as dramatic as any Hollywood film. It’s told in author Mayukh Sen ’s new book — Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star. Merle Oberon was born in Mumbai as Estelle Merle Thompson, but she went by the moniker Queenie. And according to her birth certificate, her mom was from Sri Lanka and h

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