Lucy Alexis Liu (/ˈluː/; December 2, 1968, New York, New York City, USA) is an American actress. Born in New York City to Chinese immigrant parents, her accolades include a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Liu had her breakthrough role as Ling Woo in the Fox legal comedy-drama series Ally McBeal (1998–2002). She received further recognition for starring in the action comedy film Charlie's Angels (2000) and its sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and the martial arts action film Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and its sequel Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). She also starred in the films Payback (1999), Shanghai Noon (2000), Chicago (2002), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Watching the Detectives (2007), The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Set It Up (2018), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), and Presence (2024).
Liu starred as Dr. Joan Watson in the CBS crime drama series Elementary (2012–2019). She also voiced Master Viper in the first three films of the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2008–2016) and Silvermist in the Tinker Bell series (2008–2015). Her other voice credits include the children's series Maya & Miguel (2004–2007) on PBS Kids, the animated films Mulan II (2004) and Strange World (2022), as well as the English and Mandarin-dubbed versions of the animated films The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) and Magic Wonderland (2014).
Lucy Liu was born in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. In high school, she adopted a middle name, Alexis. She is the youngest of three children. Her mother, Cecilia, worked as a biochemist, and her father, Tom Liu, was a civil engineer who also sold digital clock pens. Liu's parents originally came from Beijing and Shanghai and immigrated to Taiwan as adults before meeting in New York. She has an older brother, John, and an older sister, Jenny. Her parents had many jobs while Lucy and her siblings were growing up.
Liu has stated that she grew up in a diverse neighborhood. She learned to speak Mandarin at home and began studying English when she was five. She studied the martial art kali-eskrima-silat as a hobby when she was young. Liu attended Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145), and graduated from Stuyvesant High School. She later enrolled at New York University and transferred to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority and studied Asian languages and cultures.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 
|
Bandit Leader | Star Wars: Visions |
| 2008 | 
|
Viper | Kung Fu Panda |
| 2004 | 
|
Princess Mei | Mulan II |