'''Lucy Alexis Liu''' (Chinese: 劉玉玲 ''Liú Yùlíng'', born December 2, 1968) is an Emmy Award-nominated Chinese American actress, best known for starring in the television series ''Ally McBeal'' (1998-2002) and the 2000 film ''Charlie's Angels''. During and after her tenure on ''Ally'', she went on to have a successful movie career as well as producing her movies in her own right.

Biography

Early life

Liu was born in New York City, and was raised with her older brother, John Ya Liu (Liú Yá Lì), and older sister, Jenny Liu, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York by Chinese immigrant parents. Her father worked as a civil engineer and her mother as a biochemist in China, but they sacrificed to come to the United States. At one time her father peddled watches in Atlantic City while Liu worked in a pajama factory at age eleven. In an interview with the London ''Daily Telegraph'' she said: "It was totally illegal. I actually blocked it out until a few years ago when I said, Oh my God, I was a child sweatshop worker. I didn't want to do it, but what choice did I have." Her family subsisted on boiled rice and cucumber in their cockroach-infested Queens apartment. Liu, at her parents' insistence, devoted her spare time to studying, and she attended New York City's famous Stuyvesant High School. Then she attended New York University for one year, transferred to University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and graduated with a degree in Chinese Language and Culture.

Career

Liu began acting in 1989 after auditioning for a role in University of Michigan's production of "Alice in Wonderland" during her senior year. Liu won the lead role although she tried out for a supporting role.

Liu had small roles in films and TV roles (for example in ''X-Files'') before landing a break on ''Ally McBeal''. Liu's role on the series was originally not meant to be regular but the enthusiastic audience response to the actress' 'feisty' Ling Woo secured Liu as a permanent cast member. It also warranted her an Emmy nomination.

She became famous with her turn as Alex in the ''Charlie's Angels'' movie, starring with established Hollywood stars Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. The sequel to the film opened to poor reviews and box office.

Liu starred with Antonio Banderas in ''Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever'', a critical and box-office failure.

Liu is perhaps most famous for her role as O-Ren Ishii (assassin Cottonmouth) in director Quentin Tarantino's ''Kill Bill'' films. She won an MTV Movie Award for "Best Movie Villain".
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