Lucy Liu - One of the "Beautiful" PEOPLE

[NutBrnHair]

Chi Omega alumna, Lucy Liu (Eta Chapter, Univ. of Michigan) has been named one of "People" magazine's Most Beautiful for 2004.

Though the dainty, 5'3" Liu has kicked butt on screens big and small, that's not what she's really about. "I try to keep my personal life private," says Liu, 35, "because then I can be whatever I am supposed to be on film. People have said, 'Wow, you are such a bitch!' and I say, 'Thank you.' "

[NutBrnHair]

Birth name
Lucy Alexis Liu
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Height
5' 3" (1.60 m)
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Mini biography
Born to Chinese immigrants in Queens, New York, Lucy Liu has always tried to balance an interest in her cultural heritage with a desire to move beyond a strictly Asian-American experience. Once relegated to "ethnic" parts, the energetic actress is finally earning her stripes as an across-the-board leading lady.

Liu graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1986 and enrolled in New York University; discouraged by the "dark and sarcastic" atmosphere of NYU, however, she transferred to the University of Michigan after her freshman year. She graduated from UM with a degree in Chinese Language and Culture, managing to squeeze in some additional training in dance, voice, fine arts, and acting. During her senior year, Liu auditioned for a small part in a production of Alice in Wonderland and walked away with the lead; encouraged by the experience, she decided to take the plunge into professional acting. She moved to Los Angeles and split her time between auditions and food service day jobs, eventually scoring a guest appearance as a waitress on "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990). That performance led to more walk-on parts in shows like "NYPD Blue" (1993), "ER" (1994), and "X Files, The" (1993). In 1996, she was cast as an ambitious college student on Rhea Perlman's ephemeral sitcom "Pearl" (1996).

Liu first appeared on the big screen as an ex-girlfriend in Jerry Maguire (1996) (she had previously filmed a scene in the indie Bang (1995), but it was shelved for two years). She then waded through a series of supporting parts in small films before landing her big break on "Ally McBeal" (1997). Liu initially auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, which went to Portia de Rossi, but writer-producer David E. Kelley was so impressed with her spunk that he promised to write a part for her in an upcoming episode. The part turned out to be that of growling, ill-tempered lawyer Ling Woo, which Liu filled with such aplomb that she was signed on as a regular cast member.

The "Ally" win gave Liu's film career a much-needed boost--in 1999, she was cast as a dominatrix in the Mel Gibson action flick Payback (1999), and as a hitchhiker in the ill-received boxing saga Play It to the Bone (1999). The next year brought even larger roles: first as the kidnapped Princess Pei Pei in Jackie Chan's western Shanghai Noon (2000), then as one-third of the comely crime-fighting trio in Charlie's Angels (2000).

When she's not hissing at clients or throwing well-coiffed punches, Liu keeps busy with an eclectic mix of off-screen hobbies. She practices the martial art of Kali-Eskrima-Silat (knife-and-stick fighting), skis, rock climbs, rides horses, and plays the accordion. In 1993 she exhibited a collection of multimedia art pieces at the Cast Iron Gallery in SoHo (New York), after which she won a grant to study and create art in China. Her hectic schedule doesn't leave much time for romantic intrigue, but Liu says she prefers to keep that side of her life uncluttered.


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IMDb mini-biography by
IMDb Editors
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Trivia:

Fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with a degree in Asian languages and cultures.

Graduated from Stuyvesant high school in 1986.

Attended New York University for a year.

Mother is a biochemist, father is a civil engineer and she has a brother and a sister.

Grew up in the Jackson Heights section of Queens County, New York.

Was the first Asian-American female to host Saturday Night Live.

She once worked as an aerobics instructor

She plays the accordion

She practices rock climbing, skiing, & horseback riding

Auditioned for a role in Shanghai Knights (2003), but lost out to Fann Wong.

Is an initiated sister of Chi Omega Fraternity

Announced that she plans on marrying Zach Helm, her boyfriend of one year. [April 2004]

[Hootie]

Thanks for sharing that information with us!
I adore Lucy because she is so unique and a very different actress. I think she's very sincere and forward looking and that's what makes her so different!

Can't wait to see Kill Bill 2. She rocked in the first one!

[IACutieHootie]

Yeah! Awesome people like that just make me happy! And she's doing it while keeping her life "womanly always"! That just makes me smile!

[NutBrnHair]

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) With freshman comedy "Joey" sliding in the ratings and getting routinely trounced by CBS' "Survivor: Vanuatu," NBC is praying to an angel to give the show a boost. "Charlie's Angels" co-star Lucy Liu has signed on to guest star in a number of upcoming episodes.

NBC says that Liu will come on board for "at least two episodes," suggesting the possibility of a longer run.

Liu will play Lauren, the executive producer of the series-within-a-series, "Deep Powder." Joey (Matt LeBlanc) plays the father of one of that show's stars. Liu is filming her first episode of the "Friends" spin-off this week. The Christmas-themed episode will air in December.

[NutBrnHair]

Best known for starring in movies such as Charlie's Angels and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films, actress Lucy Liu took on another important role in 2005 when she was appointed as a U.S. Fund for UNICEF Ambassador.

Lucy recently went on special assignment with UNICEF to bring back a special report from a quiet farming community in central Asia that was devastated by an earthquake.

Six weeks after Hurricane Katrina wiped out the Gulf Coast, there was another catastrophe that buried more than 70,000 people alive. On October 8, 2005, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the town of Balakot, Pakistan. In just 15 seconds, the once thriving farming town was reduced to rubble. Another 100,000 residents were injured and 4 million were left homeless.

A few months after the earthquake, Lucy traveled to Balakot to survey the destruction firsthand. "You can still sense how terrifying it must have been," she says. "There's the smell of smoke in the air as well as death. … It's hard to describe. It smells like ash and it doesn't smell quite right."

[NutBrnHair]

Chi Omega Sister, Lucy Liu is #47
http://www.askmen.com/specials/2007_top_99/47/lucy-liu/picture-1.html

[chitownxo]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Chi Omega Sister, Lucy Liu is #47
http://www.askmen.com/specials/2007_top_99/47/lucy-liu/picture-1.html

My husband would put her much higher. I always did think she was stunningly beautiful.