Born: 02-12-1968

Birthplace: New York

Country: USA

Occupation: Actress and Model

Height: 5' 3" (1,6 m)

She grew up in New York and is the youngest of three children. Her parents were immigrants from China who met in New York. Her father Tom Liu is trained as civil engineer who sold also digital clock pens and her mother Cecilia works as biochemist. 

She studied at the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School and graduated at the Stuyvesant High School in 1986. She studied at the New York University after highschool and moved later to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She was member of the Chi Omega sorority at the university and earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian languages and cultures. She did also additional training in dance, voice, fine arts and acting. She studied various religions as Kabbalah, Buddhism and Taoism. She also studied Chinese philosophy at school. She studied from 2004 till 2006 at the New York Studio School for drawing, painting and sculpture. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, English, Italian, Spanish and a little bit Japanese. She worked as waitress at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase club in the period 1988 - 89.

She had an short term relation with actor George Clooney in 2000 and started an relation with movie director Zach Helm in 2002. Their relation ended in 2004 before their engagement. She had an short-term relation with actor Will McCormack in 2004. There where rumours that she had an relation with boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2008, but that is not confirmed.

Martial Arts

She's trained in karate, kickboxing, thai boxing and kali-eskrima-silat since very young age. She is also trained in rock climbing, skiing, horseback riding and pilates and works as aerobics instructor. Kali-Eskrima-Silat is an Filipino martial art based on weapon fighting with sticks, blades and improvised weapons. Weapons, empty hand techniques, kicking and limb destruction are the core parts of these art. The weapon is considered as an extension of the body. Eskrima and Arnis are the most common names which are used in the Philippines to refer to these arts. Eskrima: is focusing on the use of sticks, Knives and open hand techniques. Silat: is focusing on strikes, locks, holds and Bladed Weapons.

Modeling

She was spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser in 2001. This fund raises money for breast cancer research and education. She was appointed as ambassador for U.S. Fund for UNICEF in 2004. She is member of the ''Chinese-American organization Committee of 100'' since 2004. She became spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign in 2011 and is supporter of marriage equality for gays and lesbians. She was host of a MTV documentary for the MTV EXIT campaign in 2007.

There are covershoots and articles about her in magazines as Playboy, Maxim, TV Guide, Teen People, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Emmy, Celebrity Sleuth, Joy, Moving Pictures and many more.

Charities

She was spokesman for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser in 2001. This fund raises money for breast cancer research and education. She was appointed as ambassador for U.S. Fund for UNICEF in 2004. She is member of the ''Chinese-American organization Committee of 100'' since 2004. She became spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign in 2011 and is supporter of marriage equality for gays and lesbians. She was host of the MTV documentary for the MTV EXIT campaign in 2007. She narrated in the short film ''The Road to Traffik'' about the Cambodian author and human rights advocate Somaly Mam in 2008. The film was directed by Kerry Girvin and co-produced by photographer Norman Jean Roy. This short movie led to a partnership with producers of the documentary film ''Redlight''. 

Achievments And Awards

• She won the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Award for ''Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series'' at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (1999)
• She won the MTV Movie Award for ''Best On-Screen Team'' at the MTV Movie Awards (2001)
• She won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for ''Favorite Action Team Internet Only'' at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)
• She won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for ''Favorite Supporting Actress'' at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)
• She won the Critics Choice Award for ''Best Acting Ensemble'' at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2003)
• She won the Young Hollywood Award for ''Adrenaline Rush'' at the Young Hollywood Awards (2003)
• She won the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Award for ''Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture'' at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (2003)
• She won the MTV Movie Award for ''Best Villain'' at the MTV Movie Awards (2004)
• She was ranked #56 in the special supplement of FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" (2005)
• She received an “Asian Excellence Award” for Visibility in 2006.
• She was ranked #79 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" (2006).
• She won the Teen Choice Award for ''Choice TV Actress: Action'' at the Teen Choice Awards (2013)
• She was ranked #51 in ''Americans of All Time'' list.

Action Movie Career

She made her action movie debut as Pearl next to Mel Gibson who plays the lead role as ex mariner Porter in ''Payback'' (1999). He fights against gangster organisation "the Outfit" who controls the city. He ends up in a world full with heroin dealers, prostitutes, sado-masochists, gunmen and dirty cops.

She plays Princess Pei-Pei who kidnapped is from the Forbidden City in 1881 in ''Shanghai Noon'' (2000). Chon Wang (played by Jackie Chan) is a clumsy imperial guard of the Emperor of China who feels him personally responsible for the disappearance of princess Pei-Pei. Chon promises the Chinese emperor that he will rescue the princess and travels to America where she is held captive. He meets his old friend Roy O'Bannon (played by Owen Wilson) in an cafe during his journey. Roy helps Chon with saving the princess, when they find the trail of the kidnappers in Nevada.

She plays Alex Munday who is member of the Charlie's Angels together with Natalie Cook (played by Cameron Diaz) and Dylan Sanders (played by Drew Barrymore) in ''Charlie's Angels'' (2000). The angels are led by Charlie Townsend (played by John Forsythe) whose voice they can only hear. Electronics genius Eric Knox (played by Sam Rockwell) is kidnapped by the nefarious Roger Corwin (played by Tim Curry) who works for the rival company Redstar Enterprises. Charlie is hired by Vivian Wood (played by Kelly Lynch), in order to rescue him. The angels get the assignment to rescue Eric Knox at al costs.

She plays the deadly DIA agent Sever next to Antonio Banderas who plays the role of former FBI agent Jeremiah Ecks in ''Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever'' (2002). She is one of the adopted Chinese girls of the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), who is trained as secret agent and assassin. Sever kidnaps Michael who is the son of DIA director Robert Gant (played by Gregg Henry) after she defeated a heavily armed DIA escort. Jeremiah Ecks is asked by Robert Gant to investigate the case. The investigation is under lead of Robert's right-hand man A. J. Ross (played by Ray Park). Jeremiah realizes that the kidnapper must be one of the adopted Chinese girls. She fights alone against an heavily armed massive DIA squad who try to grab her in the city centre. She kills almost all men, when their catch attempt fails. Jeremiah gets problems with Robert and works together with Sever, in order to defeat Robert and his squad.

She plays angel Alex Munday again who is member  of the Charlie's Angels together with Natalie Cook (played by Cameron Diaz) and Dylan Sanders (played by Drew Barrymore) in the action movie ''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003). Their boss Charlie calls the girls at the office where he introduces his new right-hand man Jimmy Bosley (played by Bernie Mac). There are coded rings with special information about every person in the FBI's Witness Protection Program. An pair of those important rings are stolen during a ordinary heist. The girls get the assignment to catch the responsible people in order to bring the rings back.


She plays yakuza leader O-Ren Ishi next to Viveca A. Fox and Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill Volume 1" (2003). Uma plays the lead role as Beatrix Kiddo who also known is as ''The Bride''. Beatrix is former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad led by her lover Bill (played by David Carradine). She is pregnant of Bill and is shot by an angry and jealous Bill during her wedding ceremony. The Bride awakes after four years coma and discovers that her baby is gone. The Bride travels to Okinawa to obtain a sword from legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzō (played Sonny Chiba), in order to take revenge against the five people who destroyed her life. He agrees to forge his finest sword after hearing that his former student Bill her target is. She finds her first target O-Ren Ishii at a Tokyo restaurant where she defeats her Yakuza army and the elite Crazy 88 gang.

She plays yakuza leader O-Ren Ishii again in the sequel Kill Bill: Volume 2'' (2004). Uma Thurman plays Beatrix Kiddo again also known as ''The Bride''. She kills first Bill's brother Budd (played by Michael Madsen) and Elle Driver (played by Daryl Hannah), before she tracks down Bill at the Mexican countryside. She discovers that their four years old daughter B.B. (played by Perla Haney-Jardine) is still alive. Beatrix starts a new life with B.B., after she manages to kill Bill.

She plays Taryn Mills next to Keira Knightley who plays the lead role as Domino Harvey who is the daughter of the respected actor Lawrence Harvey and model-turned-socialite Sophie Wynn in ''Domino'' (2005). Domino was born into a life full of wealth and privilege, a lifestyle which not hers is. She decides to become bounty hunter after seeing a aspiring bounty hunters seminar. She gets troubles when money of the Mafia is stolen from an armored truck. The situation runs out of control, when sons of a rival mobster are kidnapped. She decides to rescue the sons with help of fellow bounty hunters.

She plays journalist Sadie Blake who is phoned by nerd colleague Ethan Mills (played by Kevin Wheatley), who has a deciphered code in ''Rise: Blood Hunter'' (2007). He found an address in Koreatown with information of Tricia Rawlins (played by Margo Harshman) about a bloody cult. Sadie gives no attention to Ethan untill she sees that Tricia has been found dead in a dumpster in Koreatown on the news. She decides to visit Tricia's address and finds an complete mess in a abandoned house with a gruesome basement full of blood. Her path crosses a stranger in the basement who abducted her. The stranger takes her to Bishop (played by James D'Arcy), who wants to know what Tricia has told her. The Bishop and his partner Eve (played by Carla Gugino) have no choice to kill Sadie, who awakes later in the freezer of the morgue. She realizes that she is a vampire who takes revenge against the Bishop.

She plays Gina next to Jake Rogers who plays the lead role as Cedric the Entertainer  in ''Code Name: The Cleaner'' (2007). He's a regular guy who has no idea who he is, after someone has hit him on his head. He finds himself back entangled in a government conspiracy with result that Jake and his pursuers convinced are that he's an undercover agent.

She plays Madam Blossom in a epic story about a lone outside hero in the nineteenth-century in China in a world with warriors and assassins in ''The Man with the Iron Fists'' (2012). Blacksmith (played by RZA) is forced by radical tribal factions to create elaborate tools of destruction, since the arrival of the outside hero in China's Jungle Village. The stranger uses an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. One man must harness his power to become savior of the village.

Action Movie Filmography

• The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
• Code Name: The Cleaner (2007)
• Rise (2007)
• Domino (2005)
• Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
• Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
• Charlie's Angels (2000)
• Shanghai Noon (2000)
• Payback (1999)