 | Lucy Liu biography |
Real Name: Lucy Alexis Liu
Nationality: American
Height: 5' 3
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Born: Born on December 2 1968 in Queens, New York, USA.
Discovered: While in her last year at the University of Michigan, Lucy auditioned for a part in Alice in Wonderland, ending up with the lead. The experience inspired her to pursue acting, moving to Los Angeles and landing walk-on roles in "Beverly Hills, 90210," "NYPD Blue," and "The X Files". She got a more prominent role as a college student on the TV show "Pearl".
Income: Kill Bill Vol. 1: $5,500,000
CA Full Throttle: $4,000,000
Charlie's Angels: $1,000,000
Shanghai Noon: $2,500,000
Resume: In 1996 Lucy got a chance on the big screen in Jerry Maguire, but the role that brought her fame was that of bad-tempered lawyer, Ling Woo, in 1997's "Ally McBeal". The part was written specifically for her and she was such a natural that the guest role became permanent.
With her TV career success, Lucy was offered several key roles in major movies, playing a dominatrix in 1999's Payback, as a hitchhiker in Play It to the Bone, and as Princess Pei Pei in Shanghai Noon.
The movie role that put Lucy on the A-list was alongside Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz in Charlie's Angels. More action-packed lead roles followed including 2002's Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, and also in 2002, Cypher co-starring Jeremy Northam. In that same year Lucy had a role in the Oscar-winning film, Chicago.
In 2003 Lucy returned to her famous role, in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. She found even more fame with the hit movie Kill Bill: Vol. 1, playing one of several ruthless killers on Uma Thurman's character's list. Continuing her thriving film career, Lucy is working on several films, including Rise, a horror/thriller, the drama, 3 Needles, and the recently announced film, Charlie Chan.
Romance: Engaged to screenwriter Zach Helm.
Quotes: "I'm so proud of my heritage, but yes, I think there's always a danger when people put you on a pedestal. Especially when you're just trying to live your life and pursue your dreams. The intention is not to represent Asian Americans, but to be an Asian American who is working as an actress. People often confuse the two. When you are "representing", you have the burden of some people projecting their hopes onto you." - Lucy Liu
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"I grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, with no money. I was taught not to take anything for granted. If you are too busy being a diva or a freak, then you are not enjoying it." - Lucy Liu
"Martial arts are art forms and require a great deal of discipline and dedication. I so admire people who focus their lives on it, because it's not an easy thing to do." - Lucy Liu
Trivia: Fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with a degree in Asian languages and cultures.
Graduated from Stuyvesant high school in 1986.
Attended New York University for a year.
Mother is a biochemist, father is a civil engineer and she has a brother and a sister.
Grew up in the Jackson Heights section of Queens County, New York.
Was the first Asian-American female to host "Saturday Night Live".
She once worked as an aerobics instructor.
Hobbies: Lucy practices the martial art of Kali-Eskrima-Silat (knife-and-stick fighting), skis, rock climbs, rides horses, and plays the accordion.
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