Francesca Tu
- Actress
Born Shiu-Yung in China, she was raised by a German stepmother and spent much of her later acting career in Germany. Having taking ballet classes at the Hanover Opera House, Francesca studied at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Aged nineteen, she moved to London where she worked briefly at a cousin's auction house and then as an advertising model. With further training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art to her credit, she was offered her first screen acting job at BBC TV in 1966.
Initially billed as 'Poulet Tu', she appeared in small film roles during the second half of the 60s, best remembered as Lotus, handmaiden of the eponymous arch villain (played by Christopher Lee) in the trilogy The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966) and The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968). She had a tiny cameo as Osato's secretary in the James Bond thriller You Only Live Twice (1967), was featured as one of several glamorous ladies involved in the sub-par heist picture Diamonds for Breakfast (1968) and played a scientist's daughter in the Gregory Peck cold war thriller The Chairman (1969).
Now credited as 'Francisca Tu', she popped up on British television in Department S (1969) (incongruously cast as a Turkish nurse) and the spin-off series Jason King (1971). In 1973, she returned to Germany for an episode of Tatort (1970). After an eight-year hiatus, she resumed regular appearances on German TV, including a recurring role as a veterinarian working at Seaworld, Orlando, in the family drama series Florida Lady (1994). Francesca Tu's final screen credit was in 2014.
Initially billed as 'Poulet Tu', she appeared in small film roles during the second half of the 60s, best remembered as Lotus, handmaiden of the eponymous arch villain (played by Christopher Lee) in the trilogy The Face of Fu Manchu (1965), The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966) and The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968). She had a tiny cameo as Osato's secretary in the James Bond thriller You Only Live Twice (1967), was featured as one of several glamorous ladies involved in the sub-par heist picture Diamonds for Breakfast (1968) and played a scientist's daughter in the Gregory Peck cold war thriller The Chairman (1969).
Now credited as 'Francisca Tu', she popped up on British television in Department S (1969) (incongruously cast as a Turkish nurse) and the spin-off series Jason King (1971). In 1973, she returned to Germany for an episode of Tatort (1970). After an eight-year hiatus, she resumed regular appearances on German TV, including a recurring role as a veterinarian working at Seaworld, Orlando, in the family drama series Florida Lady (1994). Francesca Tu's final screen credit was in 2014.
