Lucy Liu

Lucy Alexis Liu (Chinese: 劉玉玲 Liú Yùlíng, born December 2, 1968) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. She became known after starring in the television series Ally McBeal (1996-2000) and has also appeared in several notable film roles, including Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels.

Biography

Early life

Liu was born in New York City, and was raised with her older brother, John Ya Liu (Liú Yá Lì), and older sister, Jenny Liu, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York by Chinese immigrant parents. Her father worked as a civil engineer and her mother as a biochemist in China, but they sacrificed to come to the United States. Liu, at her parents' insistence, devoted her spare time to studying, and she attended New York City's famous Stuyvesant High School. Then she attended New York University for one year, transferred to University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where she joined the Chi Omega sorority and graduated with a degree in Chinese Language and Culture.

Career

Liu began acting in 1989 after auditioning for a role in University of Michigan's production of Alice in Wonderland during her senior year. Liu won the lead role although she tried out for a supporting role. Liu had small roles in films and TV (including the X-Files) 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.
Liu became better known with her turn as Alex in the Charlie's Angels movie, alongside established Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. The film became a hit, earning more than $125 million in the U.S., and a worldwide total of more than $258 million. The sequel, , opened to poor reviews but was a box-office hit again, earning more than $252 million. In between the two films, Liu starred with Antonio Banderas in , a critical and box-office failure.
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Liu next played O-Ren Ishii (Cottonmouth), 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 smash hit 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 popular 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. 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'.
As of 2006, Liu is in talks to recreate the Charlie Chan series for modern audiences. Her most recent role is in the drama film 3 Needles, scheduled for release 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.

Personal life

In 2004, Liu announced her engagement to New York playwright Zach Helm. Their relationship ended in 2005. In a Jane interview, she stated "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".
With her parents' work ethic, Liu continued, "I'm always multitasking, doing 10 things at once". She is fluent in Mandarin and Italian, studies French and Japanese, rock climbs, practices martial arts, skis, plays the accordion, and makes collages, having done several gallery exhibitions.
In 2001, Liu was the spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer research and education. In 2005, Liu was appointed a U.S. Fund for UNICEF Ambassador. Early in 2006, she received an "Asian Excellence Award" for Visibility, since she is considered the most well-known and visible Asian American in the media today. Liu is the first (and only) Asian-American woman to host Saturday Night Live.
Liu has a tattoo of a tiger on her lower back. Liu and Bill Murray have refused to work with each other after a tense relationship on the set of Charlie's Angels.