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Anna Leonowens

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Educator

The Resume

    (November 5, 1831-January 19, 1915)
    Famous for travelling to the country of Siam to educate the children of King Rama IV (King Mongkut).
    Lived in the court of King Rama IV for 6 years (1862 - 1868)
    Tutor of crown prince Chualalongkorn
    Had two children: Louis and Avis
    Author of books 'English Governess at the Siamese Court,' 'Favorite of the Harem,' 'Romance of the Harem,' and 'Siamese Harem Life'
    Basis of Margaret Landon's book 'Anna and the King of Siam'
    Basis of films, 'Anna and the King of Siam (1946),' 'The King and I (1956),' and 'Anna and the King (1999)'

Why she might be annoying:

    She claimed that she was born in Carnarvon, Wales in 1834, however historians have concluded that she had no birth record. It has been suggested that she was born in India around 1831.
    She married Thomas L. Leonowens at age 17.
    She never mentioned the name of her son in any of her books, instead she would refer to him as 'boy.'
    There are some historians who believe she had absolutely no relation to the royal family of Siam, had only come to Siam to help at a local school, and that she never set foot in the royal palace. This might explain many of her inaccurate depictions of the palace, such as underground dungeons, burnings behind palace walls, etc.
    She claimed to have had a romance with the king of Siam, however if this were true, she would have had a romance with a 60 year old man.
    She claimed to speak fluent Thai, but she gave a poor demonstration of this in her books.
    Her exaggerations have brought three movies, a Broadway musical and a TV series.
    All three movies have been banned from Thailand because of historical inaccuracies and offensive stereotypes of the siamese people.
    She intensely exaggerated about her importance in the court of Siam.
    She may have lied about her husband being in the army.
    She created unnecesary controversy about the authenticity of her stories.
    She was pretentious.
    Her stubborn and defiant attitude probably led to her becoming a Women's Rights Suffragette.
    She was a liar.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She defied her stepfather's wishes for her to marry a man twice her age.
    She expressed her disapproval of the King's Harem in several of her books.
    She was not unfamiliar with the Asian customs as depicted in the films, since when she arrived in Siam, she had lived in parts of India, Australia, and Singapore.
    She has been portrayed by three of the most critically acclaimed actresses: Irene Dunne, Deborah Kerr, and Jodie Foster.
    Deborah Kerr received an Oscar Nomination for playing her.
    Her exaggerations made Siam look more exciting than it actually was.
    She is great aunt to the legendary Boris Karloff.

Credit: Buddy


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 115 Votes: 70.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 22 Votes: 81.82% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 12 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 23 Votes: 60.87% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 42 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 25 Votes: 72.00% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 76 Votes: 76.32% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 126 Votes: 59.52% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 231 Votes: 68.83% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 61 Votes: 54.10% Annoying