Meet Actress Maggie Q
Maggie Q, or Margaret Denise Quigley, was born in Hawaii in 1979 and gained popularity in Hong Kong as an actress and model. In fact, she shortened her name to Maggie Q so that it would be easier for her Chinese fans to pronounce. Her unique look, family background, and strong acting skills have supported her very successful career, both on and off-screen. She has grown into her high-profile status as an actress, activist, and role model. Take a few moments to get a glimpse of Maggie Q’s life behind the scenes.

Maggie Q’s Upbringing
Maggie’s unique heritage gives her the interesting bi-cultural look that we have all come to know and love. Her father was part Polish, part French Canadian, and part Irish, while her mother was of Vietnamese descent. English is her first language, but she can also speak several Chinese languages. She has the support of a large family, being the youngest of five kids, who are half-siblings from her mother’s first marriage. Maggie grew up in Hawaii, graduated from Mililani High School and then left for Hong Kong to get into fashion modeling. She didn’t break into acting until 1998 when she landed a role in a Chinese television series.

Career Girl
Maggie Q continued acting across East Asia, although despite the Mandarin and Cantonese lessons she took, many of her television and film appearances were shot in English and later dubbed in Chinese. Fans didn’t seem to mind one bit, and her fan base grew exponentially. Her early success was due in part to being cast as assassin Charlene Ching in the two action films Gen-Y Cops and Naked Weapon. She also had a leading role in a German made-for-television movie called Das Haus Der Harmonie where she co-starred with actress Fann Wong.

In the 2000’s, Maggie Q broke into more mainstream movie, the first of which was Mission Impossible III in 2006 with Tom Cruise. Maggie enjoyed the role of the single female character on the IMF team. Staying true to her action star roots, Maggie guest starred in Live Free or Die Hard in 2007 with actor Bruce Willis, as well as the film Balls of Fury. She escaped the typecasting to make an ancient Chinese costume performance as Cao Ying in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon in 2008, and is currently filming a television series called Nikita that will air on the CW.

Gamers may also recognize Maggie Q thanks to her work as video game character Inspector Chase Linh who acts as the face of the Tri-City Police squad in the Need for Speed games. Maggie’s success in branching out to different forms of media, including print, television, film, and voice-overs is a tribute to her hard work and undeniable talent.

Personal Recognition
Maggie is a vegetarian, and an animal rights supporter. She has been featured in two ads for PETA Asia-Pacific and insisted that any real fur costumes be removed from the set of one of her Chinese movies, Three Kingdoms. Her efforts have been recognized with a 2007 PETA ‘Person of the Year’ award, and she made the list of best-dressed celebrities a year later in 2008.

Anyone who has worked or interacted with Maggie Q will tell you that she brings energy to everything she does. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and it makes her one of the more enjoyable actresses to work with. She is passionate about her charity and philanthropy work, and is constantly setting a good example for those around her. Her modeling background no doubt played a role in her ability to present herself with dignity and grace in everything she does today.