Biography Of Lucy Liu

Lucy Alexis Liu.

 (/ˈluː/; born December 2, 1968)  is an American actress. Born in New York City to Chinese immigrant parents, her accolades include a Critics' Choice Television Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Liu had her breakthrough role as Ling Woo in the Fox legal comedy-drama series Ally McBeal (1998–2002). She received further recognition for starring in the action comedy film Charlie's Angels (2000) and its sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and the martial arts action film Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and its sequel Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). She also starred in the films Payback (1999), Shanghai Noon (2000), Chicago (2002), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Watching the Detectives (2007), The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Set It Up (2018), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), and Presence (2024).

Liu starred as Dr. Joan Watson in the CBS crime drama series Elementary (2012–2019). She also voiced Master Viper in the first three films of the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2008–2016) and Silvermist in the Tinker Bell series (2008–2015). Her other voice credits include the children's series Maya & Miguel (2004–2007) on PBS Kids, the animated films Mulan II (2004) and Strange World (2022), as well as the English and Mandarin-dubbed versions of the animated films The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) and Magic Wonderland (2014).

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. Her mother, Cecilia, worked as a biochemist, and her father, Tom Liu, was a civil engineer who also 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.^[16] 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.

Liu became interested in acting as a child, after hearing about someone her own age who had been in a television commercial. At the age of 19 she was discovered by an agent while traveling on the subway, and appeared in one commercial as a result.  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 co-starred on the Rhea Perlman 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