Name : Lucy Liu
Birth Name : Lucy Alexis Liu
Profession : Actress
Date of Birth : December 2, 1968
Place of Birth : Queens, New York.
Lucy Liu - Detailed Biography
Best known to television audiences as Ling Woo, the raging force of political
incorrectness on Ally McBeal, Lucy Alexis Liu has managed to cross over to the
big screen in such features as Payback and Play It to the Bone.
Born to Chinese parents in Jackson Heights, NY, on December 2, 1968, Liu grew up
speaking both English and Mandarin. After graduating from Manhattan's Stuyvesant
High School, she earned a degree in Asian languages and cultures from the
University of Michigan, where she also studied acting, dance, and voice. Liu's
first professional job was playing a waitress on Beverly Hills 90210, something
that led to more substantial work on various TV shows, including a regular part
on the TV series Pearl.
Liu's biggest breakthrough came in 1998, when she was cast as Ling Woo on Ally
McBeal. She had originally auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, which
ultimately went to Australian actress Portia DeRossi. David E. Kelley, the
show's producer, was so impressed with Liu's audition, however, that he created
the role of Ling Woo specifically for her. The character was initially supposed
to be included on only a few episodes, but proved so popular with the show's
audience that Liu was made into a regular cast member.
Unsurprisingly, the actress' increased exposure led to greater opportunities on
the screen and after playing supporting roles in such films as Payback and Molly
(both 1999), she moved on to more substantial work in Play It to the Bone and
the Jackie Chan martial arts period comedy Shanghai Noon, which cast her as a
princess who has been kidnapped from her emperor father. In 2000, she also was
cast in perhaps her most high-profile role to date, when she was chosen
alongside Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz as one of the titular crime fighters
in Charlie's Angels: The Movie.
