Lucy Liu

Lucy Alexis Liu (born December 2, 1968) is an American actress.

She has received several accolades including a Critics' Choice Television Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Seoul International Drama Award, in addition to a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award.

As a member of the Basement Arts student-run theater group, she auditioned in 1989 for the University of Michigan's production of Alice in Wonderland during her senior year of college.

Although she had originally tried out for only a supporting role, Liu was cast in the lead.

While in line to audition for the musical Miss Saigon in 1990, she told The New York Times, "There aren't many Asian roles, and it's very difficult to get your foot in the door."

In May 1992, Liu made her New York stage debut in Fairy Bones, directed by Tina Chen.

Liu had small roles in films and TV, marking her debut.

In 1992, she made her big-screen debut in the Hong Kong film Rhythm of Destiny, which starred Danny Lee and Aaron Kwok.

In 1993, she appeared in an episode of L.A. Law as a Chinese widow giving her evidence in Mandarin.

Liu starred on the sitcom Pearl, which lasted one season.

Shortly after the end of Pearl's run in 1997, Liu was cast in a role on Ally McBeal.

Liu originally auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter (played by Portia de Rossi), and the character Ling Woo was later created specifically for her.

Liu's part on the series was originally temporary, but high audience ratings secured Liu as a permanent cast member.

Additionally, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series.

Liu has starred as Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal (1998–2002), Alex Munday in two Charlie's Angels films (2000 and 2003), and Joan Watson in the crime-drama series Elementary (2012–2019).

Her film work includes starring in Payback (1999), Shanghai Noon (2000), Chicago (2002), Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Watching the Detectives (2007), The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), and Set It Up (2018).

In 2000, Liu starred in Charlie's Angels along with Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz.

In 2001, Liu was the spokeswoman for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser, which raises money for breast cancer research and education.

In 2002, Liu played Rita Foster in Vincenzo Natali's Brainstorm.

She appeared as O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film, Kill Bill.

While in negotiations for Kill Bill with Tarantino the two joined to help produce the Hungarian sports documentary Freedom's Fury.

Her other voice credits include Maya & Miguel (2004–2007), Mulan II (2004), as well as the English and Mandarin-dubbed versions of Magic Wonderland (2014) and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013).

She also voiced Callisto Mal in the Disney-animated film Strange World (2022).

Most recently, she starred as Kalypso in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and directed the Disney show American Born Chinese.

Lucy Liu was born in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens.

In high school, she adopted a middle name, Alexis.

She is the youngest of three children born to Cecilia, who worked as a biochemist, and Tom Liu, a civil engineer who sold digital clock pens.

Liu's parents originally came from Beijing and Shanghai and immigrated to Taiwan as adults before meeting in New York.

She has an older brother, John, and an older sister, Jenny.

Her parents had many jobs while Lucy and her siblings were growing up.

Liu has stated that she grew up in a diverse neighborhood.

She learned to speak Mandarin at home and began studying English when she was five.

She studied the martial art kali-eskrima-silat as a hobby when she was young.

Liu attended Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145), and graduated from Stuyvesant High School.

She later enrolled at New York University and transferred to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority and studied Asian languages and cultures.

At the age of 19, while traveling on the subway, Liu was discovered by an agent.

She appeared in one commercial as a result.

In 2004 Liu was appointed an ambassador for U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

She traveled to Pakistan and Lesotho, among several other countries.

She voice acted as Master Viper in the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2008–2016) and Silvermist in the Tinker Bell series (2008–2014).