Lucy Liu

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Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu, 2007
Born Lucy Alexis Liu
December 2, 1968 (1968-12-02) (age 39)
Queens, New York, United States

Lucy Alexis Liu (Chinese: 劉玉玲; pinyin: Liú Yùlíng; born December 2, 1968) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. She became known for her role in the television series Ally McBeal (1998–2002) and has also appeared in several notable film roles, including Kill Bill and the Charlie's Angels films.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

She was born and raised with her brother, Alex Liu, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York by Chinese immigrant parents.[1] Liu has said that she grew up in a "diverse" neighborhood.[1] Her family spoke Mandarin at home and she did not learn English until she was five years old.[2][3] Her father, Tom, was a civil engineer and her mother, Cecilia, a biochemist[4] in China, but they sacrificed those careers to come to the United States. Liu, at her parents' insistence, devoted her spare time to studying. She attended the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145) and she graduated from New York City's prestigious Stuyvesant High School in 1986.[5] She attended New York University for one year, before transferring to the University of Michigan where she joined the Chi Omega sorority and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Languages and Cultures.[1] At one point, Liu worked as a waitress in Michigan.[1]

[edit] Career

Liu began acting in 1989, after auditioning for a role in the University of Michigan's production of Alice in Wonderland during her senior year. Liu was cast in the lead role, although she had originally only tried out for a supporting part.[1] Liu had small roles in films and TV (including the "Hell Money" episode of The X-Files and "The March to Freedom" episode on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) before landing 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 not meant to be regular but the enthusiastic audience response to the actress' 'feisty' Ling Woo secured Liu as a permanent cast member. It also earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.[1] Liu cemented her reputation playing bad girls by portraying "Pearl" the sadistic dominatrix/hit woman for the Chinese mafia in the film Payback (1999).

Lucy Liu (left) in her first lead role as Alex Munday in Charlie's Angels.
Lucy Liu (left) in her first lead role as Alex Munday in Charlie's Angels.

Liu became better known with her turn as Alex Munday in the Charlie's Angels film, alongside established Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. The film opened in November 2000 and was a hit, earning more than $125 million in the U.S., and a worldwide total of more than $264 million. The sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, opened in June 2003 and was a box-office hit again, earning more than $100 million in the U.S., and a worldwide total of more than $259 million. In between the two films, Liu starred with Antonio Banderas in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, a critical and box office failure.

Liu next played O-Ren Ishii, one of the major villains in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film, Kill Bill. She won an MTV Movie Award for "Best Movie Villain" for the part. Subsequently, Liu appeared on several episodes of Joey with Matt LeBlanc, who played her love interest in the Charlie's Angels movies. She also had smaller roles as Kitty Baxter in the film Chicago, and as a psychologist opposite Keira Knightley in the thriller Domino. In 2006, she played leading lady and love interest to Josh Hartnett in the crime thriller Lucky Number Slevin. Other appearances include a cameo on the animated show Futurama and recently, The Simpsons.

In April 2006, the documentary Freedom's Fury premiered, with Liu as executive producer.[1] The film dramatizes the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, climaxing with the infamous water polo showdown between Hungary and the Soviet Union at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, known as the 'Blood in the Water match'.

Her film 3 Needles was released on December 1, 2006. In the film, she plays Jin Ping, an HIV-positive Chinese woman. Liu agreed to star in the film for lower than usual pay because she wanted to spread awareness about the way AIDS is improperly treated in China and Thailand.[6] Liu's other recent roles include Code Name: The Cleaner, an action comedy released January 5, 2007, Rise, a supernatural thriller co-starring Michael Chiklis in which Liu plays an undead reporter,[3] Watching the Detectives, an independent romantic comedy co-starring Cillian Murphy, and Kung Fu Panda, an animated film in which she voiced a snake.[1] Liu has also signed on to star in Beautiful Asian Brides and a new version of Charlie Chan which has been in pre-production since 2000; she will produce both films.[1]

Liu has guest starred as lawyer Grace Chin on Ugly Betty episode 16 "Derailed" and episode 17 "Icing on the Cake". She stars in the Sex and the City inspired TV show, Cashmere Mafia on ABC. In 2007, Empire magazine named her among the "100 Sexiest Movie Stars".[7]

[edit] Personal life

In a Jane interview, she indicated the possibility that she is bisexual. She is quoted as saying,

"I think people sometimes get the wrong impression when they're like, 'Oh, well, so-and-so was straight and then she was gay, and now she's straight again,' you know? But it's like, how many times do I have to kiss a woman before I'm gay? Everybody wants to label people. Sometimes you just fall in love with somebody, and you're really not thinking about what gender or whatever they happen to be. I think that if I happen to fall in love with a woman, everyone's going to make a big deal out of it. But if I happen to fall in love with a man, nobody cares."[8][9]

With her parents' work ethic, Liu continued, "I'm always multitasking, doing 10 things at once". She speaks English, Chinese, Italian,[7] Spanish and a little Japanese, a language she studied in preparation for her role in Kill Bill.[1] She also rock climbs, practices martial arts, skis, and plays the accordion.

Liu is also an artist in several media, and has had three gallery shows showcasing her collage, paintings, and photography.[10] She started doing collage mixed media at 16 and then moved to photography and later painting.[11] Lucy Liu had an art show in September and she donated her share of the profits to UNICEF.[11][12] She also has another show in 2008 in Munich and has stated that she will also donate her share of the profits to UNICEF.[11]

In 2001, Liu was the spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fund-raiser which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer research and education. In 2005, Liu was appointed a U.S. Fund for UNICEF Ambassador; in that capacity, she has traveled to Pakistan and Lesotho, among other countries.[1] She also hosted an MTV documentary for the MTV EXIT campaign in 2007, produced to raise awareness of human trafficking in Asia. Early in 2006, Liu received an "Asian Excellence Award" for Visibility, since she is considered the most well-known and visible Asian American in the media today. She is also the first Asian-American woman to host Saturday Night Live.

Liu has said about her background, "when you grow up Asian-American it’s difficult because you don’t know if you’re Asian or you’re American. You get confused... You need to recognize where your background is from. I think it’s important. Just for yourself. It makes you more whole. It does."[1]

She lives with her brother and his wife in New York.[11]

[edit] Television

  • Beverly Hills, 90210 - Season 2, Episode 6 - "Pass, Not Pass" (1991)
  • L.A. Law - Season 8, Episode 4 - "Foreign Co-respondent" (1993)
  • Hotel Malibu - Season 1, Episode 2 - "Do Not Disturb" (1994)
  • Coach - Season 7, Episode 2 - "It Should Happen to You" (1994)
  • Coach - Season 7, Episode 11 - "Out of Control" (1994)
  • Home Improvement - Season 4, Episode 16 - "Bachelor of the Year" (1995)
  • Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 1, Episode 8 - "The March to Freedom" (1995)
  • ER - Season 2, Episode 3 - "Do One, Teach One, Kill One" (1995)
  • ER - Season 2, Episode 4 - "What Life?" (1995)
  • ER - Season 2, Episode 5 - "And Baby Makes Two" (1995)
  • Nash Bridges - Season 1, Episode 1 - "Genesis" (1996)
  • The X-Files - Season 3, Episode 19 - "Hell Money" (1996)
  • High Incident - Season 1, Episode 6 - "Father Knows Best" (1996)
  • High Incident - Season 1, Episode 7 - "Follow the Leader" (1996)
  • NYPD Blue - Season 4, Episode 17 - "A Wrenching Experience" (1997)
  • Ally McBeal - Season 2-5 (regular) (1998–2002)
  • Sex and the City - Season 4, Episode 11 - "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" (2001)
  • Joey - Season 1, Several Episodes (2004-2005)
  • Ugly Betty - Season 1, Episode 16 - "Derailed" (2007)
  • Ugly Betty - Season 1, Episode 17 - "Icing on the Cake" (2007)
  • Traffic: An MTV EXIT Special - Host of an MTV documentary to raise awareness about human trafficking in Asia (2007)
  • "Cashmere Mafia"
  • "The Simpsons"
  • Futurama Season 3, Episode 15, Starring as herself (and robot copies of herself)[13]

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Ban wo zong heng Donna
1993 Protozoa Ari
1995 Bang Hooker
1996 Jerry Maguire Former Girlfriend
1997 Flypaper Dot

Riot 1997 Film (Luke Perry's Girlfriend)
Gridlock'd Cee-Cee
City of Industry Cathi Rose
Guy Woman at newsstand
1998 Love Kills Kashi
1999 Payback Pearl
True Crime Toy Shop Girl
Molly Brenda
The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human Lydia
Play It to the Bone Lia
2000 Shanghai Noon Princess Pei Pei
Charlie's Angels Alex Munday
2001 Hotel Kawikar
2002 Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever Agent Sever
Cypher Rita Foster
Chicago Kitty Baxter
2003 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Alex Munday
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 O-Ren Ishii
2004 Mulan II Mei (direct-to-DVD) (voice)
2005 3 Needles Jin Ping, the Blood Smuggler
Domino Taryn Miles
2006 Lucky Number Slevin Lindsey
2007 Code Name: The Cleaner Gina
Rise: Blood Hunter Sadie Blake
2008 Watching the Detectives Violet
Kung Fu Panda Master Viper voice only
The Year of Getting to Know Us Anne
Tinker Bell Silvermist (direct to DVD) voice only
2009 Charlie Chan

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Roberts, Sheila. "Lucy Liu Interview, CodeName The Cleaner", Movies Online, 2006-12-21. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  2. ^ http://www.mediablvd.com/magazine/News/Lucy-Liu-and-Shawn-Ashmore-Talk-about-3-Needles.html
  3. ^ a b Radish, Christina. "Lucy Liu and Shawn Ashmore Talk about "3 Needles"", MediaBlvd Magazine, 2006-12-21. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  4. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/75/Lucy-Liu.html
  5. ^ Ogunnaike, Lola. "The Perks and Pitfalls Of a Ruthless-Killer Role; Lucy Liu Boosts the Body Count in New Film", New York Times, 2003-10-13. Retrieved on 2007-11-01. 
  6. ^ "Liu Shocked by Ridiculous Chinese AIDS 'Cures'", Contact Music, 2006-11-29. Retrieved on 2006-11-29. 
  7. ^ a b EimpireOnline.com EmpireOnline.com, 100 Sexiest Movie Stars.
  8. ^ "How many times do I have to kiss a woman before I'm gay?". Jane Magazine (October 2003). Retrieved on 2006-11-29.
  9. ^ Belge, Kathy. Lucy Liu. Lesbian Life at About.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-29.
  10. ^ Tucker, Reed (2006-05-01). "Painting By Numbers With Lucy Liu". Esquire. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
  11. ^ a b c d Live with Regis and Kelly. First aired on January 21, 2008.
  12. ^ McMurry.com Auction of Lucy Liu’s Artwork Raises More Than $330,000, October 17, 2006.
  13. ^ "Futurama" I Dated a Robot (2001)

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Persondata
NAME Liu, Lucy Alexis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 2, 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH Queens, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH