Lucy Liu

Successfully represented Asian face in the competitive world of American major film industry, Lucy Alexis Liu certainly has stood out as one of the most prominent Chinese-American actresses of the 21st century. A daughter of Taiwanese immigrants working in U.S. as civil engineer and biochemist, she was born on December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York with a Chinese name of Liu Yuling and grew up in the Jackson Heights section of Queens County, New York to then enter Manhattan's famous Stuyvesant High School. Graduated in 1986, the teen continued her education at New York University, but quickly decided to transfer her study to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor after her freshman year. It was during this period that she began to develop a fondness for performing arts, providing herself with skills in acting and dancing while also took fine arts and voice classes there.

All the training she had undertaken really came in handy when she tried for a role in a stage production of "Alice in Wonderland" during her senior year at the university. Originally auditioned for a mere small part, Lucy was offered the lead instead, which really became such a surprise for her and so built up her confidence to establish a professional acting in the entertainment industry. Satisfyingly obtained a bachelor degree in Asian Languages and Cultures, the raven-haired beauty afterwards moved to Los Angeles with high hopes of landing good stints in screen features, but only managed to earn one-time appearances in an episode of several TV series, like "Beverly Hills 90210" (1991), "L.A. Law" (1993), and "Home Improvement" (1995).