Lucy Liu
Yes we all know who Lucy Liu is.
She was born the child of Taiwanese immigrants on December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York.
Did you know that Lucy started out speaking Mandarin and didn't learn English until she was five?
Lucy graduated from Stuyvesant High School (a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science) in 1986, went to New York University, then transferred to the University of Michigan where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Languages and Cultures.
So yeah, she's more than a pretty face.
Lucy got bit parts on TV shows like The X-Files and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys before landing a role on the popular Ally McBeal.
She made her big screen debut in a Hong Kong film entitled Rhythm of Destiny in 1992 and since, has gone on to appear in almost 40 movies.
Lucy has also produced a couple of films.
Gong Li
Now we move onto a beautiful young lady you might not know so much about.
Gong Li was born on December 31, 1965 in Shenyang, China.
(Notice both of the women I started out with are over 40?)
Gong Li graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing (one of three most prestigious drama schools in China) in 1989.
She made her debut in the 1987 Chinese film, Red Sorghum.
Gong Li has gone on to appear in close to thirty films, some of which you may be familiar with like 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha, Miami Vice in 2006 and Hannibal Rising in 2007.
She is also scheduled to appear in the upcoming drama-mystery-thriller film Shanghai with John Cusack, Chow Yun-Fat and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Michelle Yeoh
Another lovely woman you may be familiar with, Michelle Yeoh.
(Over 40 as well, but still gorgeous)
Michelle was born on August 6th, 1962 in Ipoh, Malaysia. She started out in dance, (she began studying ballet at the age of four), but that career was ended by a spinal injury.
In 1983, she won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant and after that, she did a commercial with Jackie Chan that caught film maker's attention.
Michelle made her film debut in the 1984 film, The Owl and Dumbo.
Her popularity picked up though when she appeared (again with Jackie Chan) in the 1992 action comedy film Police Story 3: Super Cop.
In 1997, she appeared in the James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies with Pierce Brosnan. Then came the blockbuster, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000.
She also appeared in one of my favorite cult films, 2004's Silver Hawk. (If you get a chance to see it, do it. It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it's fun)
Michelle got more critical acclaim with her role in the 2005 film, Memoirs of a Geisha.
She has appeared in close to forty films during her career so far.
Liu Yifei
And now a young lady you may not be familiar with, Chinese actress and singer Liu Yifei.
Liu was born on August 25, 1987 (yes she is actually under 40) in Wuhan, China.
She started modeling at the age of eight and began training in singing, dancing and playing the piano.
Liu and her mother moved to the US when she was ten, and then back to China when she was fourteen.
At the age of fifteen she was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy (like the Central Academy of Drama, one of the big three drama schools in China.)
Liu started out in TV, making her television debut in 2002 series, The Story of a Noble Family.
She made her film debut in the 2004 Taiwanese film, Love of May.
You may have seen her recently in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Liu played Golden Sparrow, the Chinatown girl.
Besides acting, Liu is also a singer and has released a couple of albums.
Zhao Wei
Zhao Wei (also known as Vicki Zhao) was born on March 12, 1976 in Wuhu, Anhui, China.
Zhao was discovered when the film crew for Gong Li's movie Hua Hun, arrived in Wuhu looking for extras.
After that, she decided to follow acting and enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy's Performance Institute.
Of course her film debut was as an extra in the Gong Li movie in 1993 and she also appeared as an extra in the 1994 film La Peintre (which also starred Gong Li).
Her first real starring role was in the 1995 film Penitentiary Angel (I know, it sounds like a 60s exploitation film).
Zhao has gone on to appear in over thirty films including another of my favorites, the awesome 2001 film, Shaolin Soccer.( Just imagine Dragon Ball Z and soccer combined).
Maggie Cheung
Chinese actress Maggie Cheung was born on September 20th 1964 in Hong Kong.
Maggie started out as a model, and in 1983, she was the first runner up at the Miss Hong Kong pageant. She went on to become a semi-finalist in the Miss World pageant.
When she was starting out, she did a lot of cameo work, including appearing in the previously mentioned Jackie Chan's Police Story series.
Maggie has appeared in over seventy films, starting out with 1984's Prince Charming.
Zhang Ziyi
Another Chinese stunner is Zhang Ziyi, who you may remember from co-starring with Michelle Yeoh in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Zhang was born on February 9, 1979 in Beijing, China.
She entered the Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 11 and in 1994 she attended the Central Academy of Drama at the age of fifteen.
Zhang made her TV debut on the television show, Touching Starlight in 1996.
In 1999 she made her big screen debut in The Road Home.
The following year she appeared in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and followed that up with Rush Hour 2 in 2001.
She also appeared in another of my favorites, House of Flying Daggers (2004).
Zhang also appeared in Memoirs of a Geisha with Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh.
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