20 Hot Photos of Lucy Liu in the 1990s

During her senior year, Liu auditioned for a supporting part in a school production of. Her earliest acting job found Liu in a small role in the teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 during the 1991-1992 season, playing a waitress at the gang's favorite hang-out, the Peach Pit. In 1998, Liu got her big break when she auditioned for the part of Nelle Porter, the icy new addition to the wacky law firm Cage and Fish on the hit comedy Ally McBeal, created by David E. Kelley. Earning an Emmy nomination in 1999 for Best Supporting Actress, Liu undoubtedly contributed to the overall success of the show, which won the Emmy for Best Comedy that same year. On the big screen, Liu grabbed audiences' attention with her turn as a leather-clad dominatrix in the poorly reviewed thriller Payback, starring Mel Gibson. Liu had a good deal more luck in 2000, starring in the hit comedy Shanghai Noon as a rebellious Chinese princess who is kidnapped and taken to America's Wild West, only to be rescued by bumbling heroes played by Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. In addition to her acting career, Liu is also an accomplished visual artist who has frequently displayed her mixed media compositions at galleries in New York and Los Angeles.