Early life

Q was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father is of Irish and Polish descent and her mother is a Vietnamese immigrant. Her parents met while her father was stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Q grew up with four siblings.

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. She won an athletics scholarship to a private university and intended to study veterinary science. Q's family was unable to assist her financially; she left Hawaii during the summer in hopes of earning enough money so that she could start her studies in the autumn.

Career

1996-97: Modeling

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. 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." 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."

1998-2009: Start of acting career

In 1998, 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.

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.

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, 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 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.

2010-present: Nikita, Divergent and Stalker

In 2010, Q became the lead character, an assassin gone rogue, on the CW series Nikita, based on the 1990 French film of the same name. Since the premiere of Nikita, Q has been incorrectly described as the first Asian American series lead in an American television drama; actress Anna May Wong is the first Asian American series lead of an American television series with her show The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong which aired 1951. Q received mostly positive reviews for her role in the series. The character was included in TV Guide's lists of "TV's Sexiest Crime Fighters" and "TV's Toughest Ladies".

In 2014, Q played the role of Dauntless faction member Tori Wu, in the film Divergent, the adaptation of the same-titled novel. Q reprised her role in the sequel to Divergent, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, which began filming on May 27, 2014 and was released on March 20, 2015. She also starred in the CBS drama series Stalker by Kevin Williamson as Detective Beth Davis along with Dylan McDermott and Mariana Klaveno. The series premiered on October 1, 2014 for the 2014-15 fall television season. The series was ordered for a full season on October 27, 2014. The series however was canceled after one season, leaving the show on a cliffhanger.

In October 2013, Q started filming for A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island, starring alongside Frank Grillo, AnnaSophia Robb, Dianna Agron, John Leguizamo, Ed Westwick, Mary McCormack, Christopher McDonald and Minnie Driver. The film is directed by Aram Rappaport and produced by Hilary Shor, Atit Shah and Aaron Becker. Jekyll Island is set to release in 2016.

She reprised her role in the The Divergent Series: Allegiant, the third installment of the Divergent series, which was released on March 18, 2016.

In February 2016, it was announced that she would co-star opposite Kiefer Sutherland in the ABC drama series Designated Survivor as Hannah, a leading FBI agent.

Personal life

In January 2015, Q became engaged to her Stalker co-star Dylan McDermott.

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. Q also suffered temporary hearing loss in her right ear, when her eardrum was blown out in an explosive stunt.

In 2007, she lived in Studio City, Los Angeles, California with her two (at one point, eight) rescued dogs. She also has a house in Pound Ridge, New York.

Activism

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, one's 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!"

A vegetarian for many years, she has 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". 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.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Model from Hell	Anna	Chinese: 鬼名模
2000	Gen-Y Cops	Jane Quigley	Chinese: 特警新人類2
2001	Manhattan Midnight	Susan/Hope
2001	Rush Hour 2	Girl in car
2002	Naked Weapon	Charlene Ching	Chinese: 赤裸特工
2003	Trouble-Makers, TheThe Trouble-Makers	Miss Clary	Chinese: 一屋兩火
2004	Magic Kitchen	May	Chinese: 魔幻厨房
2004	Around the World in 80 Days	Female Agent
2004	Rice Rhapsody	Gigi	Chinese: 海南雞飯
2005	Taped	Maggie	Short film
2005	Earthlings	N/A	Documentary; co-producer
2005	Dragon Squad	Yuet	Chinese: 猛龍
2005	House of Harmony	Harmony	Television film
2006	Mission: Impossible III	Zhen Lei
2007	Counting House, TheThe Counting House	Jade
2007	Live Free or Die Hard	Mai Linh
2007	Balls of Fury	Maggie Wong
2008	Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon	Cao Ying	Chinese: 三國之見龍卸甲
2008	Deception	Tina
2008	New York, I Love You	Janice Taylor	Segment: "Yvan Attal"
2009	Warrior and the Wolf, TheThe Warrior and the Wolf	Harran Woman	Chinese: 狼灾记
2010	Operation: Endgame	High Priestess
2010	King of Fighters, TheThe King of Fighters	Mai Shiranui
2011	Priest	Priestess
2014	Divergent	Tori Wu
2014	Unity	Narrator	Documentary
2015	Divergent Series: Insurgent, TheThe Divergent Series: Insurgent	Tori Wu
2016	Divergent Series: Allegiant, TheThe Divergent Series: Allegiant	Tori Wu
2016	Conspiracy on Jekyll Island, AA Conspiracy on Jekyll Island	Hilary	In post-production
2016	The Brits Are Coming	Irina	In post-production
2017	Slumber	Alice	In post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	House of the Dragon	Devine	Unknown episodes
2002	Mission In Trouble	Yeung Lan	Chinese: 雄心密令
2010-13	Nikita	Nikita	Lead role; 73 episodes
2012	Young Justice	Wonder Woman	Voice; 2 episodes
2014-15	Stalker	Beth Davis/Michelle Webber	Lead role; 20 episodes
2016	Designated Survivor	FBI Agent Hannah Watts	Main cast
2017	Red Flag	Ching Shih	Lead Role

Video games

Year	Title	Role
2008	Need for Speed: Undercover	Chase Linh

Music videos

Year	Artist	Title
2000	Chris Yu	"Subway"
2002	Santana featuring Michelle Branch	"Game of Love, TheThe Game of Love"

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result
2007	Asian Excellence Awards	Supporting Film Actress	Mission: Impossible III	Won
2009	Hawaii International Film Festival	Maverick Award	The Warrior and the Wolf	Won
2010	IGN Summer Movie Awards	Best TV Hero	Nikita	Nominated
2011				Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress: Action		Nominated
2012	IGN Summer Movie Awards	Best TV Hero		Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress: Action		Nominated
2013	TV Guide Awards	Best Ensemble		Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress: Action		Nominated
2014	Young Hollywood Awards	Best Cast Chemistry - Film	Divergent	Nominated

[ Source: Wikipedia ]