Maggie Q
Character: Nikita
Humanitarian, spokesperson and international actress Maggie Q stars as Nikita in the new high-octane drama of the same name. Taught to be an invisible assassin by the ultra-secret government agency Division, Nikita has gone rogue, and vows to destroy the now-corrupt agency that trained her.
Maggie has continuously captivated audiences worldwide by showing her versatility in graceful and seductive roles with immense international appeal, working opposite some of the world's most established actors, including Hugh Jackman inDeception, Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III. She will next be seen in the featurePriest, directed by Scott Stewart. Set in a world ravaged by war between man and vampires, the film follows a priest, played by Paul Bettany, and priestess (Maggie) who work together to track down a murderous band of vampires.
Born in Hawaii to an American father and Vietnamese mother, Maggie spent her childhood competing in swimming and track and field events. At the age of 18, she moved to Hong Kong to pursue a career in modeling. She quickly rose to top-model status in many parts of Asia and has appeared on more than 200 magazine covers throughout the world.
In 2000, Maggie began her acting career in Hong Kong with the television drama House of the Dragon. This quickly led to lead roles in films like Gen-Y Cops, opposite Paul Rudd, andManhattan Midnight, along with cameos in films Rush Hour 2 andAround the World in 80 Days. In 2002, she starred as a femme fatale in the popular action film Naked Weapon, described as a cross between Charlie's Angels and The Matrix because of its extensive stunts and CGI-enhanced special effects. Her earlier experiences in Hong Kong action films helped develop her work ethic and talent for hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, skills she was able to utilize in Mission: Impossible III, her first leading action role in an American film. In 2007, Maggie showed her comedic side starring opposite George Lopez and Christopher Walken in the action comedy Balls of Fury.
In 2008, Maggie starred in the critically acclaimed Chinese feature Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, opposite Andy Lau, for director Daniel Lee. Also in 2008, she accepted the rare opportunity to play the lead role in EA Games' Need for Speed: Undercover, which is one of the most successful franchises in video game history.
Most recently, Maggie appeared in New York, I Love You, directed by Yvan Attal, and the Chinese epic Warrior and the Wolf, directed by award-winning director Zhuangzhuang Tian. Maggie received the Maverick Award for Warrior and the Wolf at the 2009 Hawaiian International Film Festival. Other recent film credits include King of Fighters, based on the popular video game of the same title, and the action comedy Operation: Endgame, opposite Ellen Barkin, Zach Galifianakis, Rob Corddry and Ving Rhames.
As a humanitarian, Maggie gives much of her time and effort to animal rights. She lends her voice to Animals Asia Foundation's various campaigns, and also works with Human Rights Action Center and Best Friends Animal Society. Her public service announcement (PSA) to rescue China's moon bears is currently airing throughout Asia, and she is also working on another PSA campaign for Best Friends. Additionally, Maggie produced the 2007 documentary Earthlings, which took a startling look at the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, which rely entirely on animals for profit.
When not filming on location or traveling the world to speak out for her charitable causes, Maggie resides in Los Angeles, where she lives with several rescue dogs.