Lucy Alexis Liu, a daughter of chinese immigrants, was born on 2 December 1968 in New York and was raised in the Italian neighbourhood of Queens, New York.

Liu attended NYU and later majored in Asian Languages and Culture at the University of Michigan.

She had small stints 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 a regular, but the enthusiastic audience response to the actress' feisty Ling Woo secured Lucy as a prominent cast member. She became more famous with her turn as Alex in the Charlie's Angels movie, starring alongside more established modern Hollywood icons Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz.

Her career began when she auditioned for a supporting role in Andre Gregory's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, where she actually landed the lead role.

Lucy Liu gained various parts in television before landing her breakthrough in 1998, when she was cast as Ling Woo on Ally McBeal. Originally Liu had been auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter. David E. Kelley, however, decided to create the role of Ling Woo especially for Liu.

Lucy Liu is also a gifted artist; her work first appeared at the Cast Iron Gallery in SoHo in the early eighties. In 1993, she received an art grant to study art in China.

Liu is also a fearless athlete; she practices rock climbing, skiing and horseback riding. She experienced a few bad falls, first from her horse and then from her bicycle. These injuries didn't stop her from wanting to buy a motorcycle and from taking up snowboarding.

In 1999, Lucy was selected as one of the sexiest women on television by Enrtainment Weekly. Her television credits also include appearances on ER, NYPD Blue and L.A. Law. She also appeared as a series regular on an episode of THE X-FILES.