Anna Leonowens

Anna Leonowens (November, 1831 - 1915) is chiefly famous for being the British governess portrayed in the musical The King and I. The play, based on adaptations of her factually slipshod memoirs, provides a fictionalised look at her life in the royal court of Siam (present-day Thailand).

Anna Leonowens in fiction and film

It was only after Margaret Landon's "novelisation" of the original Leonowens memoirs that the story of Anna and her stay in Siam became popular. It was quickly made into a film, Anna and the King of Siam, which took liberties with the plot; and the musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein followed not long afterwards, making even more drastic changes. In the 1990s, Jodie Foster starred in Anna and the King and a cartoon version of The King and I was released. Revived many times on stage, the musical has remained a favourite of the theatre-going public, and the actresses who have played the part have never given a hint of Anna's alleged Welsh origins -- let alone her actual mixed-race background.

Related Topics:
Margaret Landon - Anna and the King of Siam - Rodgers - Hammerstein

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