Hidden History by Eesha

After watching Wuthering Heights (1939), I came across the profile of Merle Oberon, who played Cathy in the film. Looking at the images of her, I thought she resembled some Bollywood actresses from the ’60s/’70s, so I began reading more into Merle, who she was and her heritage. What I found was shocking!

Born in 1911, Merle Oberon was born in Mumbai, India, to a British father and an Indian mother who had Sri Lankan and Maori heritage. Merle moved to England in 1928, and eventually, she was able to pursue a career in acting. Her career kickstarted in the 1930s, and some of her most famous films occurred during that time.

However, despite her fame and popularity, Merle had to hide her heritage her entire acting life due to the fear of discrimination. The truth was only revealed after she had passed away. Keeping her heritage and ethnicity hidden for almost forty years was not easy. However, Oberon’s fair complexion allowed her to keep her heritage hidden from the world and claim that she was born in Tasmania, Australia.

During her lifetime, Merle acted in over forty films and starred opposite actors such as Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando. Oberon was also an Oscar nominated actress for her role in The Dark Angel (1939). She was the first Asian actress to be nominated for an Oscar.

During her lifetime, Merle married four times and had two children. Questions about her heritage had always been a worry for Oberon. However, in the decade before she passed away, she became increasingly concerned as the questions surrounding her heritage and ethnicity continued to rise. Due to this, she reduced her public appearances and eventually retired in the early 1970s. She then passed away in 1979.

Over forty years after her death, people are still talking about her legacy (although not enough!). Her South Asian heritage is a revelation to many and speaks to how difficult being a minority in Hollywood was (and still is).

Merle was a talented actress, and it saddens me to learn she had to hide who she truly was in order to be accepted. It also makes me think about the many talented ethnic minorities during the mid-1900s who were unable to succeed due to their race and ethnicity.

Although many barriers have been lifted since the 1930s, the racist nature of Hollywood had unfor continued as minorities still struggle to make a name for themselves within the film industry.