Biography
Who is Lucy Liu?
Early life and education
Lucy Alexis Liu was born on December 2, 1968, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City. She was the youngest of three children. Her parents, Cecilia and Tom, were originally from Beijing and Shanghai. They moved to Taiwan before settling in New York. While growing up, she learned to speak Mandarin at home and started studying English at age five. She also practiced the martial art kali-eskrima-silat as a young hobby.
For her education, she attended Joseph Pulitzer Middle School and graduated from Stuyvesant High School. She later attended New York University before transferring to the University of Michigan. During her time at the University of Michigan, she joined the Chi Omega sorority. She graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian languages and cultures.
Rise to television fame
Lucy Liu started her acting career after being discovered by an agent on the subway at age 19. She appeared in one commercial initially. In 1989, she auditioned for the University of Michigan production of Alice in Wonderland and earned the lead role. By 1992, she made her New York stage debut in Fairy Bones at the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. Her early screen work included small parts in projects like the Hong Kong film Rhythm of Destiny and an episode of L.A. Law.
Her major breakthrough happened in 1997 when she was cast in the legal comedy-drama Ally McBeal. Although she originally auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, the character Ling Woo was developed specifically for her. While the part was initially planned to be temporary, positive audience reactions led to her becoming a permanent cast member. This role earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Film career and voice acting
In 2000, Lucy Liu starred in the action comedy film Charlie's Angels alongside Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. She later appeared in the sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, in 2003. That same year, she played O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill: Volume 1. She won an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for this performance. Her other film credits from this era include Chicago, Lucky Number Slevin, and Payback.
She has also worked extensively as a voice actor. She voiced Master Viper in the first three Kung Fu Panda films between 2008 and 2016. Also, she provided the voice for Silvermist in the Tinker Bell series from 2008 until 2015. Other voice credits include the animated films Mulan II and Strange World.
Later roles and art
In 2012, she began starring as Dr. Joan Watson in the CBS crime drama series Elementary. She held this role until 2019. During this period, she also appeared in projects like The Man with the Iron Fists, Set It Up, and the series Why Women Kill. She later appeared in films such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods and the psychological drama Rosemead.
Outside of acting, she is an artist who works with collage, painting, and photography. She previously exhibited her work under the name Yu Ling. She attended the New York Studio School for sculpture, painting, and drawing from 2004 to 2006. In 2019, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the second Chinese American woman to receive this honor.
Birthday and age
Lucy Liu was born on December 2, 1968, which makes Lucy 57 years old today. That birthday falls under the Sagittarius sign. Lucy shares the date with 27 other famous people.
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