Lucy Liu - A Short Biography

Lucy Alexis Liu (born December 2, 1968 in New York City, New York) is an American actress of Chinese ancestry, who starred in the TV series Ally McBeal and in the 2000 film Charlie's Angels. Her Chinese name is Liú Yùlíng (劉玉玲).

She was raised in Queens, New York by Chinese immigrant parents, and attended New York City's famous Stuyvesant High School. She attended New York University for one year, transferred to University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and graduated with a degree in Asian languages and cultures.

Liu is widely considered the most prominent Asian-American actress in American media. She had small stints in films and TV roles before landing a break on Ally McBeal. Liu's role on the series was originally not meant to be a regular, but the enthusiastic audience response to the actress' feisty Ling Woo secured Lucy as a prominent cast member. She became more famous with her turn as Alex in the Charlie's Angels movie, starring alongside more established modern Hollywood icons Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. The sequel to the film, however, opened to poor reviews and box office receipts. Lucy was also paid sixteen million dollars less for her work in Charlie's Angels than co-star Cameron Diaz.

Liu starred with Antonio Banderas in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, a critical and box-office failure that was remarkable only in its casting of two minorities as the lead roles. Liu had a hit as Princess Pei-Pei in Shanghai Noon.

Lucy is perhaps most famous for her role as O-Ren Ishii in director Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. The first installment of the Kill Bill films, Volume 1, exposed Lucy as a more serious and physically adept actress than had been evident from her previous roles. She won an MTV Movie Award, further solidifying her fame with young, hip audiences, for "Best Movie Villain".

Lucy recently appeared on several episodes of "Joey" with Matt LeBlanc, who played her love interest in the Charlie's Angels movies. She also had a small role opposite Keira Knightley in the thriller Domino. Liu is currently in talks to recreate the Charlie Chan series for modern audiences.

Although Liu is not married, rumors in the past have linked her with George Clooney. Recently, there was news that she is engaged to a New York playwright.

Filmography

Charlie Chan (2007) ( announced )
Devil to Pay (2006) ( pre-production )
The Cleaner (2006) ( filming ) .... Gina
Lucky Number Slevin (2005) ( post-production ) .... Lindsey
Rise (2005) ( completed ) .... Sadie Blake
Domino (2005) .... Taryn Miles
3 Needles (2005) .... Jin Ping
Mulan II (2004) (V) (voice) .... Mei
"Maya & Miguel" (2004) TV Series (voice) .... Maggie
"Game Over" (2004/I) TV Series (voice) .... Raquel Smashenburn
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) .... O-Ren Ishii
... aka Kill Bill (USA: informal short title)
... aka Kill Bill 1 (USA: informal title)
... aka Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume One (USA: promotional title)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) .... Alex Munday
Chicago (2002) .... Kitty Baxter
... aka Chicago (Germany)
Cypher (2002) .... Rita Foster
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) .... Agent Sever
SSX Tricky (2001) (VG) (voice) .... Elise Riggs
Hotel (2001) .... Kawika
Charlie's Angels (2000) .... Alex Munday
... aka 3 Engel für Charlie (Germany)
Shanghai Noon (2000) .... Princess Pei Pei
Play It to the Bone (1999) .... Lia
... aka Play It (USA: promotional title)
The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999) .... The Female's Friend (Lydia)
Molly (1999) .... Brenda
True Crime (1999) (as Lucy Alexis Liu) .... Toy Shop Girl
Payback (1999) (as Lucy Alexis Liu) .... Pearl
"Ally McBeal" (1997) TV Series .... Ling Woo (1998-2002)
Love Kills (1998) .... Kashi
Guy (1997) (as Lucy Lui) .... Woman at newsstand
City of Industry (1997) (as Lucy Alexis Liu) .... Cathi Rose
Riot (1997/I) (TV) .... Boomer's Girlfriend (segment "Empty")
... aka Riot in the Streets (video title)
Gridlock'd (1997) (as Lucy Alexis Liu) .... Cee-Cee
Flypaper (1997) (as Lucy Alexis Liu) .... Dot
"Pearl" (1996) TV Series (as Lucy Alexis Liu) .... Amy Li (1996-1997)
Jerry Maguire (1996) (as Lucy Alexis Liu) .... Former Girlfriend
Bang (1995) (as Lucy Lui) .... Hooker
Protozoa (1993) .... Ari
Ban wo zong heng (1992) .... Donna
... aka Rhythm of Destiny