She went from being a celebrity In South Vietnam to a refugee cleaning out chicken coops before starting a new life in the U.S.
Kieu Chinh was a successful actress in South Vietnam, acting in both Vietnamese and American films alongside Hollywood stars like Burt Reynolds and William Holden. When Saigon fell in 1975, her life was torn apart like so many others as they found themselves fleeing the new communist government.
Her newly released memoir, An Artist in Exile, is filled with colorful stories about her life before the collapse of her nation and the chaos of being a stateless person to her newfound life in the U.S. and career in Hollywood, starring in films such as Joy Luck Club and television shows like M.A.S.H and NCIS: Los Angeles.
In this episode of Storytellers, Mark Larson interviewed Kieu Chinh. She shared some dramatic stories about her experience as a refugee and the phone call to a top Hollywood actress that changed her life.
You can watch or listen to the full podcast below.