ACF 1473: Happy Birthday, Maggie Q

Asian-Vietnamese actress Maggie Q (born Margaret Denise Quigley) was born May 22, 1979 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father is an American of Irish and Polish descent who met her Vietnamese mother while he was stationed there during the war. Maggie grew up in Hawaii with four siblings. She began modeling in Tokyo at the age of 17, moved to Taipei, and then Hong Kong. There she began her acting career, first on TV, then in films. Her early film work included an appearance as "girl in car" in Rush Hour 2 in 2001, and a starring role in the Hong Kong actioner Naked Weapon the following year.

Maggie Q in Balls of Fury (2007)

Among her more recent film credits are Mission Impossible III (2006), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and the role of a priestess in the humanity vs vampires flick Priest (2011).

Since the fall of 2010, she has starred as the latest incarnation of Nikita. In this CW television station series, her character is an assassin who's gone rogue against the nefarious, secret agency that trained her. This represents an interesting change from earlier manifestations of the character: the original 1990 French film Nikita; Black Cat (a Hong Kong remake/rip-off); Point of No Return (the Hollywood version starring Bridget Fonda); and the prior TV series La Femme Nikita, which starred Peta Wilson.

So "Happy Birthday, Maggie Q," and best wishes for continuing success on TV and in films.