Lucy Liu Movies
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... (read more) 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.
With the exception of a small role as an inmate in the Oscar-winning film Chicago, 2002 brought little recognition for Liu -- Cypher, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, and Party Monster with former Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin went virtually unseen by the general public. 2003's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle placed Liu firmly back inside the spotlight, though she was somewhat overshadowed by the toothy blonde glint that is Cameron Diaz. Luckily for Liu, she was given the chance to shine quite independently when Quentin Tarantino cast her as the deadly O-Ren Ishii, AKA Cottonmouth, in Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003). Unfortunately roles in subsequent action films like Domino and Lucky Number Slevin failed to capitolize on that momentary career momentum, though a voice role as Viper in Kung Fu Panda (as well as the sequel and subsequent television series) found her continuing to kick butt in virtual form. Meanwhile, on the small screen, Liu donned a badge for a recurring role on the TNT cop series Southland. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
Southland: Season 04
2012
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Detachment
NR 2011
An educator and the school where he works are both on the verge of collapse in this hard-hitting drama from director Tony Kaye. Henry Barthes (Adrien Brody) is a gifted...
Kung Fu Panda 2
PG 2011
The saga of Po continues in this sequel that finds the newly anointed Dragon Warrior (voice of Jack Black) teaming with The Furious Five to safeguard the Valley of Peace....
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness [Animated TV Series]
2011
A martial-arts loving panda gets help from his mentor and friends as he becomes a warrior and protects the valley where he lives. Based on characters from the DreamWorks Kung...
Marry Me
NR 2010
A social worker (Lucy Liu) with aspirations of a fairy-tale romance is torn between three suitors (Steven Pasquale, Enrique Murciano, and Bobby Cannavale), all of whom...
Kung Fu Panda
PG 2008
A clumsy panda bear becomes an unlikely kung fu hero when a treacherous enemy spreads chaos throughout the countryside in this animated martial arts adventure featuring the...
Tinker Bell
G 2008
Before joining Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell and her fairy brethren were busy creating their own special magic in Pixie Hollow, where they go about the business of...
Dirty Sexy Money: Season 02
2008
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Afro Samurai: Resurrection
2008
The super bad samurai who avenged his father and found a life of peace is pulled back into the game by a deadly beauty from his past as the cycle of vengeance continues in Afro...
Cashmere Mafia [TV Series]
2008
Originally slated to premiere on November 27, 2007, then held back until December 4, the hour-long dramedy Cashmere Mafia finally made its ABC debut on January 6, 2008. The...
Freedom's Fury
2007
1956 was a turbulent year in Hungary; an Eastern Bloc nation which came under the political control of the Soviet Union after suffering under Nazi domination during World War II,...
Rise: Blood Hunter
R 2007
A woman who joins the undead against her will seeks vengeance against the ghouls who transformed her in this thriller. Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) is a journalist who becomes...
Code Name: The Cleaner
PG13 2007
A man who has lost his memory has a new and dangerous life thrust upon him in this comedy thriller. Jake (Cedric the Entertainer) is a janitor who finds himself stricken...
The Year of Getting to Know Us
R 2007
A workaholic with a fear of commitment struggles to reconcile his dysfunctional past during a trip back home to visit his ailing father in this comedy starring Jimmy Fallon....
Watching the Detectives
2007
A film freak has his life turned upside down when he starts dating a real-life femme fatale in this comedy. Neil (Cillian Murphy) is a dyed-in-the-wool movie fan who runs...
3 Needles
2006
Three stories, which offer differing perspectives on the AIDS pandemic, are featured in this anthology-drama. Sister Clara (Chloë Sevigny) is a young nun who is...
Payback: Straight Up
NR 2006
Seven years after seeing his original vision butchered under studio interference as well as his star's, director Brian Helgeland finally was given the chance to piece together...
Lucky Number Slevin
R 2006
An innocent man visiting a friend in New York City becomes embroiled in a dangerous series of events after being mistaken for the very man he has come to the city to see in...
Domino
R 2005
The (mostly) true story of a Hollywood princess turned bounty hunter is told in this witty action-drama from director Tony Scott. Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley)...
Game Over [Animated TV Series]
2004
UPN's first prime-time CGI-animated comedy series, Game Over dealt with the Smashenberns, a family of computerized video game characters. Mom Raquel Smashenbern...