There aren’t too many Asian actors that make it big in Hollywood, especially if they’re not jumping around like some kung fu master, so consider Lucy Liu fortunate for having both the good looks and the amazing talent needed to break through in the business alongside so many young blonde stars who don’t necessarily have the same natural talent. Lucy is an exotic beauty, displaying her amazing Chinese-American heritage with one of the hottest faces in Hollywood, and a knock out figure to die for. And to think she’s pushing 40. Born in Queens, New York in 1968, Lucy grew up like many other immigrant families in the area, but her parents taught Lucy and her other siblings to speak both English and Mandarin. After graduating from high school, Lucy attended New York University for one year before deciding to leave for the University of Michigan, where she studied singing, acting, and dancing, and received a degree in Asian languages.
After finishing school in Ann Arbor, Lucy moved to Los Angeles to try her hand at an acting career, and before long, she was landing small roles in popular television series like “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Home Improvement,” “The X-Files” and “NYPD Blue.” It wasn’t until 1998, though, that Lucy finally made her big break on one of the hottest new television series on the air, “Ally McBeal,” with Calista Flockhart in the lead role as Ally. While Lucy originally auditioned for the role that Portia de Rossi eventually received, creator David E. Kelly promised to write a character specifically for her. One year later, Lucy was stealing nearly every scene with her character Ling Woo, and she was awarded for her performance with an Emmy nomination in 1999. Although she didn’t win a golden statue, Lucy quickly became the talk of the town and was working with all of the big names, including Mel Gibson (“Payback”), Clint Eastwood (“True Crime”) and Antonio Banderas (“Play It to the Bone”).
Since then, Lucy’s career has dramatically slowed down, but she continues to blossom as an actress we all love to watch. After a rough past few years that yielded a series of ineffective big-budget movies, Lucy looks ready to try it all again with an impressive upcoming schedule. With the recent Hong Kong explosion and massive importing of big Asian stars like Stephen Chow and Zhang Ziyi, Lucy should have no trouble climbing her way to the top.
Iconic Character – Ling Woo on “Ally McBeal”
Lucy is having a fantastic career as she shows off her many talents and continues to look beautiful. But for many fans, her role as Ling on “Ally McBeal” will always be a favorite. We highlihgted this character in our “TV Girlfriends” feature in the “Mean Girls” catagory. Here’s what we said about the character:
“As far as lawyers go, Ling Woo is as sexy as they come, but the one thing that really sets this acid-tongued mean girl apart from her fellow colleagues is her feistier side. Like a corporate dominatrix who doesn’t revel in possessing power over a man so much as enjoy the mind games that come with the territory, Ling is a classic dragon lady with a modern day twist. Then again, that’s exactly why we like her so much. Sure, she isn’t really girlfriend material in the meet-the-parents kind of way, but that’s probably for the best. After all, Ling has a history of rubbing people the wrong way, like when she tried to sue the Catholic Church because a man was killed by what she believed to be an act of God. Ling’s strong personality transfers over well to the bedroom, too, as she’s been known to give a good “hair job” and isn’t at all intimidated by the idea of exploring her sexuality. She’ll probably treat you like shit at first, but stand your ground long enough and you might just walk away with a woman who inhabits the best of both worlds.”
Ling and her issues with sex
Here’s a hilarious compilation of Ling might be a tough girlfriend to enjoy . . .
Lucy Liu on the Screen
Lucy got her big start in the David E. Kelly comedy “Ally McBeal” before moving on to small roles in films like “Payback,” “Play It to the Bone,” and “Shanghai Noon.” Over the past five years, Lucy hasn’t be very active in Hollywood features, but has appeared in a few big films, namely both “Charlie’s Angels” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” and the Tarantino masterpiece “Kill Bill: Volume One.”
Lucy Says
On men:
“Everything I buy is vintage and smells funny. Maybe that’s why I don’t have a boyfriend.”
On producing:
“Producing is like pushing Jello up a hill on a hot day.”
On alcohol:
“In college I once woke up in someone else’s dorm room, wearing someone else’s clothing, with no recollection of anything that had happened the night before. I had completely blacked out. Tequila and I just don’t mix.”