Lucy Liu

Lucy Alexis Liu (Chinese: 劉玉玲; pinyin: Liú Yùlíng; born December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. She became known after starring in the television series Ally McBeal (1998–2002) and has also appeared in several notable film roles, including Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels.

After being introduced to mainstream audiences with David E. Kelley's hit FOX show Ally McBeal in 1998, Lucy lit up the big screen in movies such as Payback (1999), Shanghai Noon (2000), Charlie's Angels (2000), Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and Quentin Tarantino's 2003 Kill Bill: Vol. 1.

Having previously appeared in supporting roles in several films and as a regular on the CBS sitcom "Pearl" (1996-97), actress Lucy Liu skyrocketed to popularity in 1998 as the malicious Ling Woo on "Ally McBeal" (Fox, 1997-2002). David E Kelley, who originally auditioned her for the role of Nelle Porter (later played by Portia de Rossi), wrote the popular character for Liu, whose fiery performance in her first episode soon eventually led to a regular role. During her run on the series, Liu’s scene-stealing portrayal earned many fans and a share of the 1998 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Before making her name on "Ally McBeal,” Liu could be seen frequently in guest appearances on television, including a 1991 stint as a waitress on "Beverly Hills, 90210" (Fox). One of her more memorable turns came with a recurring part in 1995 as a woman whose young son was suffering from complications of AIDS on NBC's medical drama "ER". Additionally, Liu portrayed the self-hating girlfriend of Luke Perry's Los Angeles police officer in "Riot", a 1997 Showtime movie dramatizing different stories in 1992's racially charged Los Angeles riots.

Liu's up and coming film career began with a bit part in the 1996 hit "Jerry Maguire". The following year, she played an exotic dancer in the Harvey Keitel actioner "City of Industry". (The dedicated actress prepared for this role by performing for over a month in a Los Angeles strip club.) Had Liu not already come to the public's attention on "Ally McBeal," 1999's "Payback" may have proven to be her breakthrough role. She starred as Pearl, a leather-clad dominatrix who proved so likable that the initial script was rewritten to afford her more screen time. That same year, Liu could be seen in a featured role in "Molly", starring Elisabeth Shue as an autistic woman who becomes a genius and in "Play It to the Bone." The following year, Liu portrayed a kidnapped Chinese princess in "Shanghai Noon" and displayed her martial arts expertise as one of "Charlie's Angels." The latter film provided a major boost to Liu's public image, placing her in an on-screen pantheon of A-listers Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. As famously as she got on with her female co-stars, Liu did have to contend with numerous media reports of serious friction between herself and comedian Bill Murray, who played Bosley in the film.

Following the phenomenal success of "Charlie's Angels" in 2000, a wealth of exciting film roles fell into Liu's lap. In addition to immediately signing up for the glitzy sequel to the hit franchise, Liu starred opposite Antonio Banderas in the little-seen sci-fi thriller "Ecks vs. Sever" in 2002. She also nabbed a part in the much anticipated film version of "Chicago" (2002), turning in a juicy if all-too-brief performance as murderess Kitty Baxter; In 2003, Lui reunited with Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore for the action-packed, eye-candy heavy "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."

The feature, again directed by McG, allowed Liu re-emphasized the ass-kicking style of female bonding the Angels trio--by then very close friends off-screen as well as on--demonstrated in the first film and in their media appearances together. Next, Liu got on board Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited fourth feature "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" (2003), in a bravura performance as Japanese-Chinese-American O-Ren Ishii, Queen of the Tokyo Underworld and leader of the Crazy 88 Fighters. Liu also enlivened the 2004-2005 first season of the "Friends" spin-off sitcom "Joey" by playing the compulsively clean TV producer Lauren Beck on several episodes.