The Academy Awards always bring with them a series of firsts. First Black man to win for best costume design (Paul Tazewell). First openly trans actor to be nominated for an Oscar (Karla Sofía Gascón). First Latvian film to win an Oscar (“Flow”).

But one first that’s often overlooked is Merle Oberon’s. In 1936, Merle became the first Asian actress to be nominated for an Oscar for her role in “The Dark Angel.” There was, however, no barrage of splashy news headlines to follow.

This was because Merle wasn’t widely known to be a person of color: Years before, as she was beginning her career, she decided to pass as white, hiding her South Asian identity to make it in an industry that was resistant to anything else.

“The inspiring thing about Merle is that she succeeded in a system that was stacked against her at every turn,” said Padma Lakshmi, the host of the Hulu documentary series “Taste the Nation.” “That subterfuge that she engaged in regarding her identity was a necessary tactic that she needed to employ.”

In February, when Mindy Kaling received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, many news publications reported that she was the first South Asian woman to be given the honor — but 65 years prior, Merle was awarded a star. In 2023, ahead of Michelle Yeoh becoming the Academy’s first Asian best actress winner, some articles incorrectly stated that she was also the first person of Asian descent to be nominated.

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Merle was just one of several actresses — Carol Channing and Raquel Welch were among others — for whom success also meant not being able to publicly embrace their heritage, or hiding it altogether.Credit…Masheter Movie Archive/Alamy

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