American actress Lucy Liu was born on December 2, 1968 in New York City. She was a very studious kid, at the insistence of her parents; she eventually attended New York University for a year before moving to the University of Michigan. There, she auditioned for a production of Alice in Wonderland and got the lead role despite auditioning for another role. After her acting debut in 1989, she began picking up small roles in film and television, including guest roles in The X Files and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
In 1998, Liu joined the cast of the hit series Ally McBeal. Originally auditioning for the role of Nelle Porter (which went to Portia de Rossi), she was later given the role of Ling Woo, the feisty, if not !$#!#y, associate at Cage and Fish. Originally intended as a guest role, fans loved the character, and she was later promoted to a permanent cast member. This is widely considered as her breakthrough role, and cemented her reputation for “bad girl” roles. Her performance in the series earned her nominations from the Emmys and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Liu also had numerous memorably film roles. In the film adaptation of Charlie’s Angels, she played feisty agent Alex Munday, a role that she’d later reprise in the sequel Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. She played the Japanese villainess O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino’s hit Kill Bill Vol. 1. Other smaller, yet memorable, films include Chicago, Domino, Lucky Number Slevin, Payback and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever.
Liu still appears as a guest on several television shows. These include Joey, Ugly Betty and Dirty Sexy Money. She also provided her voice to characters in The Simpsons, Futurama and the film Kung Fu Panda. Her most recent television role is in the short-lived series Cashmere Mafia, where she plays a publishing mogul going through personal struggles in New York City.
Lucy Liu is an Emmy Award-nominated American film and television actress who was born on December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York. The daughter of a civil engineer and a biochemist, both of them Chinese immigrants, she has stated that she was raised in a diverse neighborhood. She also says that she did not learn English until she was around five years old, since her family spoke Mandarin at home. After attending Stuyvesant High School and earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Cultures from the University of Michigan, she went on to pursue a career in acting. She is well-known for appearing in hit films such as Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill, and Chicago.
Ling Woo is played by Lucy Liu in the Emmy Award-winning Fox television series Ally McBeal. She first appears as a client who is suing a cosmetic surgery company, yet is also a distinct annoyance for the people around her due to her acerbic personality. She often makes politically incorrect remarks, insults and demeans others, and generally acts like an unlikable bitch. She becomes enemies with members of the law firm such as Georgia and Elaine, yet actually enters into a romantic relationship with Richard.
(Photo courtesy of Greg Gorman)
-She works as an ambassador for UNICEF.
-Bill Murray Swore he would never work in another movie with Lucy Liu. The two reportedly fought alot while working on Charlie's Angels.
-Lucy is best friends with co-stars Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz, from Charlies Angels.
-She dated actor David Duchovny for awhile, who co-starred in The X-Files.
-Lucy has been nominated for five SAG awards. From 1999-2001 she was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Ally McBeal, winning in 1999. In 2000 she was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for the show. In 2003, she won Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture for Chicago.
-In 1999 Lucy was nominated for a Emmy award. The category was Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Ally McBeal.
-She was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year Award at the 2006 VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association) convention that took place on July 11-13, 2006 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
-In the 2004 MTV Movie Awards, She won the Best Villian award for her role in Kill Bill
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Watching the Detectives (2008)
Year of Getting to Know Us (2008)
Code Name: The Cleaner (2007)
Rise: Blood Hunter (2007)
Blake3 Needles (2006)
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Domino (2005)
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Cypher (2003)
Hotel (2003)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
Party Monster (2003)
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
Chicago (2002)
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Shanghai Noon (2000)
Molly (1999)
Payback (1999)
Play It to the Bone (1999)
True Crime (1999)
The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999) Flypaper (1998)
Love Kills (1998)
City of Industry (1997)
Gridlock'd (1997)
Guy (1997)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
-Everything I buy is vintage and smells funny. Maybe that's why I don't have a boyfriend.
(when asked what scares her)
-A lot of things scare me. I think ignorance scares me most.
-I never get asked out for a date, but I can't blame them, they only know me from movies where I play a tough chick, men want a sweet girl.
-I enjoy making action movies. Now I understand why people want a gun, it gives you the feeling of power.