A native of Queens, New York, Lucy Liu attended NYU and later received a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Michigan. During her senior year at Michigan, she auditioned for a student theater production of Andre Gregory's Alice in Wonderland. Hoping to be cast in a supporting role, Lucy was instead cast as the lead, and her acting career was born.

On television, Lucy appeared as the unforgettable Ling Woo in the hit Fox series Ally McBeal. (1998-2001) That immensely popular role brought Lucy a great deal of industry recognition and fan support. In 1999, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and, in 2000, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She guest-starred on HBO's Sex and the City and has lent her voice to such popular animated series as The Simpsons, Futurama, and King of the Hill.

After playing significant supporting roles in several films, including Jerry Maguire (1996), City of Industry (1997), and Gridlock'd (1997), Liu made a strong impression on the big screen playing a snide dominatrix opposite Mel Gibson in the box office hit Payback (1999) and in a sassy starring role with Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson in Touchstone Pictures Play It To The Bone (1999).

Her blossoming film career was thrust into over-drive in 2000 when she joined Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore in the blockbuster hit Charlie’s Angels. She also appeared that year opposite martial arts legend Jackie Chan in Universal's hit comedy Shanghai Noon. In 2002 Liu starred opposite Antonio Banderas in Warner Bros.' action-thriller Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever and in the Oscar-winning Miramax movie musical Chicago. She can currently be seen flying high in Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle.

She recently signed a deal to executive produce and star in a contemporary big-screen version of Charlie Chan for 20th Century Fox.