Maggie Q facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maggie Q
Q in 2010
Born	Margaret Denise Quigley 1981/1982 (age 42–43) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Other names	Maggie D. Quigley
Occupation	Actress model
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Curtis Macnguyen ​ (m. 2025)​

Margaret Denise Quigley, known to fans as Maggie Q, is an American actress and former model. She is famous for her roles in action-packed movies and TV shows.

Q first became a star in Hong Kong, appearing in action films like Gen-Y Cops (2000) and Naked Weapon (2002). She then moved to Hollywood, where she starred in major movies like Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Live Free or Die Hard (2007).

Many young fans know her as Tori Wu in the popular film series Divergent (2014), Insurgent (2015), and Allegiant (2016). She also played the main character in the action TV series Nikita from 2010 to 2013. More recently, she starred as Detective Renée Ballard in the Prime Video series Ballard.

Early Life and School

Margaret Denise Quigley was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother is from Vietnam, and her father is an American of Polish and Irish heritage. Her parents met when her father was serving in the military in Vietnam. Maggie has four siblings and was raised in the Catholic faith.

She went to Mililani Waena Elementary School and Wheeler Intermediate School. In high school, she was very athletic and joined the cross country, track and field, and swim teams. She graduated from Mililani High School in 1997.

She earned a scholarship for sports to attend a private university, where she planned to study to become a veterinarian. However, her family could not afford to help with her school costs. She decided to leave Hawaii for a year to earn money so she could continue her studies.

Career Journey

Q at the world premiere of The Warrior and the Wolf in 2009

Starting as a Model

A friend suggested that Maggie try modeling. At 17, she moved to Tokyo, Japan, and later to Taipei, Taiwan, but didn't have much luck. She then went to Hong Kong, where she started going by the name "Maggie Q" because many people found it hard to say "Quigley."

Life was not easy at first. "I had twenty bucks in my pocket," she said. But in Hong Kong, she met the famous actor Jackie Chan, who saw her potential as an action star. He trained her and taught her to be professional and to do her own stunts. "I had never done a day of martial arts in my life when I started," she later explained.

Success in Hong Kong and Hollywood

Lyndsy Fonseca and Q at a panel for the television series Nikita at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010.

In 1998, she got her first acting job in a TV show called House of the Dragon, which was very popular in Asia. In 2000, she starred in her first movie, Gen-Y Cops. Jackie Chan was so impressed that he cast her in his movies Manhattan Midnight and Rush Hour 2.

In 2006, Maggie Q had her big break in Hollywood. She starred alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III. She played Zhen, the only female member of the special agent team. The next year, she was in Live Free or Die Hard with Bruce Willis.

From 2010 to 2013, she played the main character in the TV series Nikita. She played a skilled assassin who decides to fight against the secret agency that trained her. Her role in Nikita earned her praise from critics and fans.

The Divergent Series and Beyond

Q during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2013

In 2014, Maggie Q joined the cast of Divergent as Tori Wu, a member of the Dauntless faction. She returned for the sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant. These films are based on a popular series of books for young adults.

After Divergent, she starred in TV shows like Stalker and Designated Survivor. In Designated Survivor, she played Hannah Wells, a smart FBI agent.

In 2021, she starred in the action movie The Protégé with Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton. In 2025, she began playing the lead role of Detective Renée Ballard in a spin-off series from the popular show Bosch.

Personal Life

Maggie Q was once engaged to actor Dylan McDermott, whom she met while working on the TV show Stalker. They were together for several years before ending their relationship in 2019.

On July 7, 2025, she announced that she had married Curtis Macnguyen, an entrepreneur who was born in Vietnam and raised in the United States.

She has five tattoos, including a phoenix on her hip. During the filming of Nikita in 2010, an accident with an explosive stunt caused temporary hearing loss in her right ear.

Fighting for Animal Rights

Maggie Q is a strong supporter of animal rights. She has worked with PETA to encourage people to try vegetarianism. She was a vegetarian for many years before becoming a vegan, which means she does not eat any animal products at all.

She has said that giving up meat was one of the best decisions she ever made. "I feel better, I have more energy... and I have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm doing something to help stop animal suffering," she said. PETA has recognized her multiple times for her work and style. She is also an ambassador for the Animals Asia Foundation.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

As producer

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Maggie Q para niños