Biography - Lucy Liu

Popular Asian-American actress Lucy Liu found fame as the spunky Ling Woo on the quirky series “Ally McBeal”, and ever since has captivated audiences with her mysterious charm in a variety of big-screen roles.

Born on December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York, Liu’s parents were Chinese immigrants and raised their three children in New York City. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Italian, Liu graduated from the famous Stuyvesant High School in 1986 before moving on to a year at New York University. She then transferred to University of Michigan at Ann Arbor where she earned a degree in Chinese Language & Culture. In addition to her academic pursuits Liu was involved in dance, fine arts, vocal training, and acting. An audition for a college production of “Alice in Wonderland” unexpectedly landed her the lead role, which convinced her to move to L.A. upon graduation to start an acting career.

Liu worked odd jobs while living in L.A. and eventually received a walk-on part in “Beverly Hills, 90210” in 1991, and later guest spots on “ER”, “L.A. Law”, “The X-Files”, and “Home Improvement”, among others. Liu also starred in the early Darren Aronofsky short “Protozoa” in 1993. Though Liu appeared briefly in the Tom Cruise starrer “Jerry Maguire” and continued acting in small parts on television programs, “Ally McBeal” was her big break. Liu spent four years on the show, and had so impressed creator David E. Kelly that her bizarre but endearing character was created specifically for her, as she had originally auditioned for the part that eventually went to Portia de Rossi. Liu was able to nab more prominent roles due to the success of “Ally McBeal”, and soon appeared as a dominatrix in the Mel Gibson vehicle “Payback” in addition to roles in “Play it to the Bone”, Clint Eastwood’s “True Crime”, and the Jackie Chan actioner “Shanghai Noon”.

It was her performance in 2000’s blockbuster remake “Charlie’s Angels” alongside Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz that catapulted her onto the A-list. The film’s 2003 sequel didn’t fare nearly as well, and in between the two action-comedies she starred in the ill fated “Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever” with Antonio Banderas and in a memorable supporting role in the Oscar-winner “Chicago”. With the failure of “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” behind her, Liu received wide acclaim for her role as Tokyo gang leader O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”. Liu gave an intense performance in the film, in addition to showing off her intimidating martial arts skills.

Since “Kill Bill” the gorgeous star has appeared in “Domino” and the sitcom “Joey”, and is currently on screen as Josh Hartnett’s muse in “Lucky Number Slevin”. Her upcoming films include “The Cleaner”, “Rise”, and the first installment in a major Hollywood remake of the Charlie Chan series. Truly one of the most unpredictable and entertaining actresses working today, Liu is also a UNICEF Ambassador, a commendable patron of the arts, and an advocate of Asian-American cultural awareness.