Maggie Q
| Maggie Q | |
|---|---|
 Maggie Q at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010 |
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| Born | Margaret Denise Quigley May 22, 1979 [1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1998–present |
Margaret Denise Quigley (born May 22, 1979),[2] professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American actress and former fashion model. As of 2010, she stars in the title role on The CW's action-thriller series Nikita.
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Early life[edit]
Quigley was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.[3][4] Her father is of Irish and Polish descent[5] and her mother is a Vietnamese immigrant.[4][6] Her parents met while her father was stationed in Vietnam during the war.[7][8] Q grew up with four siblings.[4]
Q attended Mililani Waena Elementary School and Wheeler Intermediate School. She then attended Mililani High School, where she was on the cross country, track and field, and swim teams. She won the title of "Best Body" senior year, and graduated from Mililani High School in 1997.[4]
Career[edit]
At the suggestion of a friend, Q began modeling in Tokyo at the age of 17, before making an unsuccessful move to Taipei, and finally trying in Hong Kong.[4][7][9] She has said it was not easy for her: "I had twenty bucks in my pocket. I mean, I literally did the same thing that my mother did when she left Vietnam... didn't speak the language... had no money."[6] But, it was in Hong Kong that she was selected by Jackie Chan, because he saw a potential action star. His intensive training taught her the importance of professionalism and always doing her own stunts. Q later said, "I had never done a day of martial arts in my life when I started in the business. I couldn’t even touch my toes."[7]
In 1998,[10] she started her acting career in the TV drama House of the Dragon, which was a huge hit in Asia. In 2000, Q made her film debut as Anna in the horror film Model from Hell, and went on to star as an FBI agent Jane Quigley in the action thriller Gen-Y Cops the same year. Her appearance in Gen-Y Cops impressed Jackie Chan so much that she was cast in Manhattan Midnight and Rush Hour 2.[4]
In 2002, she starred as martial artist assassin Charlene Ching in the action film Naked Weapon. In 2005, Q played Harmony in the German-Singaporean TV mini-series House of Harmony, opposite Fann Wong. The same year she also co-produced the animal treatment documentary Earthlings narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.[11]
In 2006, she starred alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III. She played Zhen, the only female member of the IMF team. In 2007, she appeared as Mai Linh in the Bruce Willis movie Live Free or Die Hard,[4] the fourth film in the Die Hard series, and as Maggie in Balls of Fury.
In 2008, Q played fictional Cao Ying, a granddaughter of the warlord Cao Cao in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, her first ancient Chinese costume performance. That same year, she also appeared in the drama/thriller movie Deception starring Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman, as Tina, an investment banker[10] who introduced Jackman's character to an exclusive anonymous sex club list.
Q also stars in the video game Need for Speed: Undercover as the seductive lead character, federal agent Chase Linh, who is the player's only contact to the Tri-City Police.[12]
In 2010, she became the lead character, an assassin gone rogue, on the new CW series, Nikita, a revamp of the movie/TV title.[7]
Personal life[edit]
Maggie Q is outspoken on the subject of animal rights and has taken part in PETA Asia's campaigns promoting vegetarianism. In a PETA ad, she posed nearly nude in a bed of crimson chili peppers to spread the word that going vegetarian is the best way to "spice up your life" as well as help animals, your health, and the environment. A second ad for PETA Asia features her wearing a bikini made entirely of strategically placed lettuce leaves next to the tagline "Turn Over a New Leaf – Try Vegetarian!"[13]
A vegetarian for many years, she once said that giving up meat is one of the most rewarding decisions she has ever made. "I feel better, I have more energy on and off the set, and I have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm doing something to help stop animal suffering."In 2008, Maggie Q was named PETA Asia-Pacific's "Person of the Year."[14] The same year, the organization also listed Q as one of the "Best-Dressed Celebrities" of 2008. She has since taken the step to cut all animal products from her diet by becoming a vegan.[15]
She was also responsible for the removal of all real fur from the wardrobe on the set of Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon.[15]
Q previously dated Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu who also was a costar of Naked Weapon.[16] She has three tattoos: one on each arm and one of a phoenix on her left hip, which she has had to conceal for most of her roles except Nikita.[17] Q also suffered temporary hearing loss in her right ear, when her eardrum was blown out in an explosive stunt.[18]
She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her three (at one point, eight) rescued dogs.[4][19]
Filmography[edit]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Model from Hell (鬼名模) | Anna | |
| Gen-Y Cops (特警新人类2) | Jane Quigley | ||
| 2001 | Manhattan Midnight | Susan & Hope (twins) | |
| Rush Hour 2 | Girl in Car | ||
| 2002 | Naked Weapon (赤裸特工) | Charlene Ching | |
| 2003 | The Trouble-Makers (一屋两火) | Clary | |
| 2004 | Rice Rhapsody (海南鸡饭) | Gigi | |
| Around the World in 80 Days | Female Agent | ||
| Magic Kitchen (魔幻厨房) | May | ||
| 2005 | Dragon Squad (猛龙) | Yuet | |
| Taped | Maggie | ||
| Earthlings | Co-Producer | Film Documentary | |
| 2006 | Mission: Impossible III | Zhen Lei | Asian Excellence Award for Supporting Film Actress |
| The Counting House | Jade | ||
| 2007 | Live Free or Die Hard | Mai Linh | ("Die Hard 4.0" outside North America) |
| Balls of Fury | Maggie Wong | ||
| The Counting House | Jade | ||
| 2008 | Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (三国之见龙卸甲) | Cao Ying | |
| Deception | Tina | ||
| Need for Speed: Undercover | Chase Linh | Video Game | |
| 2009 | The Warrior and the Wolf (狼灾记) | Harran Woman | |
| New York, I Love You | Janice Taylor | On segment "Yvan Attal" | |
| Operation: Endgame | High Priestess | ||
| 2010 | The King of Fighters (拳皇) | Mai Shiranui | |
| 2011 | Priest (驱魔者) | Priestess | |
| 2014 | Divergent | Tori Wu | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | House of Dragon | Devine | |
| 2005 | House of Harmony | Harmony | Television Film[20] |
| 2010–present | Nikita | Nikita | Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress: Action[21] |
| 2012 | Young Justice | Wonder Woman | Voice role |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1208) (Time Inc.). May 25, 2012. p. 21.
- ^ Chozick, Amy (September 1, 2010). "‘Nikita’: Don’t Make Maggie Q Have to Hurt You". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "The 5-minute Interview: Maggie Q, Actress". London: The Independent. October 31, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Mission Very Possible". Midweek. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "Talking Mission: Impossible III with Maggie Q". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ a b "Maggie Q (7/27/2010)". Lopez Tonight. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Yuan, Jada (August 22, 2010). "Hong Kong’s Hit Girl". New York Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
- ^ "Kick ass girl". London: The Times. April 23, 2006. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Ito, Robert (February 8, 2007). "The Maggie Q story: Gone to Asia with an eye toward Hollywood". New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Burke, Jodie (April 24, 2008). "Maggie Q in 'Deception'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "Single Most Powerful Information With Professional Cast and Crew in EARTHLINGS". Nation Earth. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL BOX OFFICE SENSATION MAGGIE Q TO STAR IN NEED FOR SPEED UNDERCOVER". teamxbox. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ http://www.petaasiapacific.com/feature-maggieq.asp
- ^ "MAGGIE Q NAMED PETA'S PERSON OF THE YEAR". PETA Asia-Pacific. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ a b "PETA Announces the Best-Dressed Celebrities". PETA Asia-Pacific. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "Maggie Q". Hong Kong Movie World. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ "'Nikita': Maggie Q reveals her tattoo's origin story". Zap2it. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "Maggie Q". Maxim UK. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "Interview with Maggie Q". CNN. November 19, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2010.
- ^ "House of Harmony imdb". Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2011 Nominees". Retrieved June 29, 2011.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maggie Q |
- Maggie Q on Twitter
- Maggie Q at the Internet Movie Database
- Maggie Quigley at the Fashion Model Directory
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- 1979 births
- Living people
- Actresses from Hawaii
- People from Honolulu, Hawaii
- People from Honolulu County, Hawaii
- American people of Vietnamese descent
- American people of Polish descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American female models
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- American voice actresses
- Hong Kong actresses
- Hong Kong models
- American expatriates in Hong Kong
