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.

Born to Chinese immigrants in Queens, New York, Lucy Alexis 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. Both of Liu’s parents were immigrants from Taiwan of Chinese descent.

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 “The X Files” (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.

In 2012, Liu joined the cast of the TNT original series Southland in the recurring role of Jessica Tang for which she won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Drama Guest Actress. She is currently one of the two series lead actors of the CBS television crime drama Elementary in the role of Joan Watson.

Liu, who is an artist in several media, has had three gallery shows showcasing her collage, paintings, and photography. She began doing collage mixed media when she was 16 years old, and became a photographer and painter.

In 2005 Liu was appointed an ambassador for U.S. Fund for UNICEF. She traveled to Pakistan and Lesotho, among several other countries. Early in 2006, Liu received an “Asian Excellence Award” for Visibility. In September 2006, Liu held an art show and donated her share of the profits to UNICEF. She also had another show in 2008 in Munich. Liu has stated that she donated her share of the profits to UNICEF. She also hosted an MTV documentary, Traffic, for the MTV EXIT campaign in 2007. Liu produced Traffic to raise awareness of human trafficking in Asia.

On Nov 8th, she was was honored as the recipient of the Women for Women International organization’s 2012 Champion of Peace Award.

Also, New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) has announced that Lucy Liu will be one of the honorees for its 32^nd annual Muse Awards, which will be held Dec. 13 at the New York Hilton.

(Photo by Francis Latif)