Lucy Liu Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Lucy Liu

Liu in 2008

Born

Lucy Liu

December 2, 1968 (age 56)

Queens, New York City, U.S.

Alma mater

University of Michigan
New York Studio School

Occupation

Actress

Years active

1991–present

Children

Chinese name

Traditional Chinese

劉玉玲

Simplified Chinese

刘玉玲

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Liú Yùlíng

Lucy Alexis Liu (born December 2, 1968) is an American actress. She was born in New York City. Her parents came from China. Lucy Liu has won a Critics' Choice Television Award. She has also been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Liu became well-known for her role as Ling Woo. This was in the TV show Ally McBeal (1998–2002). She also starred in the action-comedy movies Charlie's Angels (2000) and its sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003). She was also in the martial arts films Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004).

Lucy Liu played Dr. Joan Watson in the crime TV series Elementary (2012–2019). She also lent her voice to Master Viper in the Kung Fu Panda movies (2008–2016). She was also the voice of Silvermist in the Tinker Bell movies (2008–2015).

Growing Up: Lucy Liu's Early Life
Becoming an Actress: Lucy Liu's Career Journey
- Big Roles and Voice Acting
- Directing and Other Projects
Beyond Acting: Art and Personal Life
- Personal Interests and Family
- A Health Check-up
Images for kids
See also

Growing Up: Lucy Liu's Early Life

Liu as a high school senior in 1986

Lucy Liu was born on December 2, 1968. Her birthplace was Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. When she was in high school, she chose the middle name Alexis. She is the youngest of three children. Her mother, Cecilia, was a biochemist. Her father, Tom Liu, was a civil engineer. He also sold digital clock pens.

Liu's parents came from Beijing and Shanghai. They moved to Taiwan as adults. Then they met in New York. Lucy has an older brother named John and an older sister named Jenny. Her parents worked many different jobs to support their family.

Lucy grew up in a neighborhood with many different cultures. She learned to speak Mandarin at home. She started learning English when she was five years old. As a hobby, she studied a martial art called kali-eskrima-silat. Liu went to Joseph Pulitzer Middle School and Stuyvesant High School. She later studied at New York University. Then she transferred to the University of Michigan. She earned a bachelor's degree in Asian languages and cultures.

Becoming an Actress: Lucy Liu's Career Journey

Lucy Liu became interested in acting when she was a child. She heard about someone her age who was in a TV commercial. When she was 19, an agent found her on the subway. This led to her appearing in one commercial.

In college, she joined a student theater group. In 1989, she tried out for a play called Alice in Wonderland. She wanted a small role, but she got the main part! In 1990, she shared that it was hard for Asian actors to find roles. In 1992, she made her first movie in Hong Kong, called Rhythm of Destiny.

Liu had small roles in movies and TV shows. In 1997, she joined the TV show Ally McBeal. She first tried out for a different role. But the character Ling Woo was created just for her. Her role was supposed to be temporary. But viewers loved her, so she became a regular cast member. She was even nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for her acting.

Big Roles and Voice Acting

Liu speaking in September 2009

In 2000, Liu starred in Charlie's Angels. She acted alongside Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. In 2003, she played O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino's film, Kill Bill. She won an MTV Award for Best Movie Villain for this role. She also had a role in the musical film Chicago in 2002.

Lucy Liu has also done a lot of voice acting. She voiced Master Viper in the Kung Fu Panda movies. She was also Silvermist in the Tinker Bell movies. She lent her voice to characters in Mulan II (2004) and Strange World (2022).

Directing and Other Projects

Liu at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con

In March 2012, Lucy Liu was cast as Joan Watson in the TV show Elementary. This show is a modern version of Sherlock Holmes. Her role, Joan Watson, is usually played by a man. She received praise for her performance. She was nominated for the People's Choice Awards three times.

Liu has also directed several TV episodes. She directed six episodes of Elementary. She also directed episodes for shows like Graceland and Luke Cage. In 2013, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars!

In 2016, Harvard University named her their Artist of the Year. She received an award at the Harvard Foundation Award ceremony. In 2021, Liu was cast as the villain Kalypso in the superhero movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods. In 2024, she starred in the film Presence. She is also set to star in an upcoming film called Rosemead. In this movie, she plays a mother with a serious illness.

Beyond Acting: Art and Personal Life

Lucy Liu is also a talented artist. She has shown her artwork under her Chinese name, Yu Ling. She creates collages, paintings, and photographs. She started making mixed media art when she was 16. She studied drawing, painting, and sculpture at the New York Studio School.

She has held several art shows. In September 2006, she donated her share of the profits from an art show to UNICEF. UNICEF is an organization that helps children around the world. Her painting, "Escape," was part of a special art collection. She also donated money from her book Seventy Two to UNICEF.

In 2004, Liu became an ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. She traveled to countries like Pakistan and Lesotho to help. She also supported the MTV EXIT campaign in 2007. This campaign works to fight against the exploitation of people. She helped produce a short film about a human rights advocate named Somaly Mam. She also worked with Heinz to help children get enough nutrients to stay healthy.

Personal Interests and Family

Lucy Liu has been vegetarian since she was a child. She has explored different religions, including Buddhism and Taoism. She finds spiritual topics like meditation very interesting. She has been a member of the Chinese-American organization Committee of 100 since 2004.

She has a son named Rockwell, who was born in 2015. He was born via gestational surrogate. Lucy decided to raise him as a single parent. She has said that surrogacy was the right choice for her because of her work schedule. She also took part in a campaign that celebrated all kinds of families.

A Health Check-up

In 1991, Lucy Liu had a health scare. She had a medical check-up for a lump. The doctor thought it might be serious. She said it was a very worrying time. The lump was removed a few days later. Luckily, it was found to be harmless.