Stella Yau alias Stella Moya (1916-2003) was born on 18 July 1916 in Ipoh to a Chinese father (Dr. Yau Ah Chee) and English mother. At the age of 3 she wanted to become a dancer which she excelled in Ipoh Convent during its school concert. At the age of 9, she left for England with her mother while her father remain in charge of the Malaya tin mines. Stella Yau continued her passion for dance and stage training under the tutelage of Jean Anderton and later Viola Compton School.
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| Stella Yau alias Stella Moya (source: NewspaperSG) |
First Malayan to appear in a picture made in British Studios
At the age nineteen, Stella Yau was talent-spotted at a London dance, and became the first Malayan to appear in a film produced in Britain, the 1935 comedy “Stormy Weather”. She played the part of a Chinese girl, Stella Moya, from which she took her stage name. Star dancer in the Tom Walls-Ralph Lynn film "Stormy Weather", she was given the part of Stella Moya, a Chinese girl in the film by Tom Walls-Ralph Lynn film "Stormy Weather". Because her real surname was too difficult to remember, she retained the name of her first film part - Moya. She appeared in a small part, with Mr. George Arliss, in "East Meets West". Other films includes "Underneath the Arches" and "The Scarab Murder Mystery".
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| Stella Moya in Stormy Weather advertisement (source: NewspaperSG) |
Stella Moya - The Jazz Singer
After appearing in several British films, Moya moved on to stage performance and eventually joined jazz musician Nat Gonella (then one of Britain's leading trumpeter) as his band’s singer. Nat Gonella and the New Georgians toured Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Holland and France. She was also known by the stage name Mystella. You can listen to one of their tracks called A-Tisket A-Tasket from the National Archives of Singapore and Yes, my darling daughter (Youtube). More Tracks are available from Internet Archive.
In August 1939, while touring in Europe, war broke out and they had to get back to Britain. The managed to get to Cannes and were there when the Italian axis bombed the town. They left eventually a small boat with other refugees. Narrowly escaping submarine attacks, it arrived in Liverpool. Nat Gonella and Stella Moya married in 1940 but that marriage failed by the time the war ended.
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| Stella Moya (source: NewspaperSG) |
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| Stella Moya (source: NewspaperSG) |
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| Stella Moya (source: NewspaperSG) |
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| Stella Yau / Stella Moya from Ipoh (source: NewspaperSG) |
Thanks to Find A Grave, i found a possible record of Stella Moya passed away on 10 June 2003 at the age of 86 and is interred at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA.
References
Ipoh Girl Becomes Film Star. (1935, November 24). The Straits Times, page 1Film Spotter Impressed. (1937, March 9). The Straits Times, page 13
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| Stella Moya (source: NewspaperSG) |
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