Overview (3)
| Born | in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA |
| Birth Name | Margaret Denise Quigley |
| Height | 5' 6" (1.68 m) |
Mini Bio (1)
Margaret Denise Quigley was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a father of Polish and Irish descent (originally based in New York) and a Vietnamese mother. Her parents met during the Vietnam War. Maggie has two older half-siblings from her mother's previous marriage, and two older sisters. The family moved to Hawaii and settled in Mililani.
Maggie dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but modeled and found herself bursting onto the Hong Kong movie scene - eventually becoming a full-fledged superstar in Asia. She changed her name to the easily pronounceable "Maggie Q" (for the Chinese audience). She had a cameo in the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker smash hit Rush Hour 2 (2001) and is part of the supporting cast in Mission: Impossible III (2006), starring Tom Cruise.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: aerithyuna2004 (with C-Minor edits)
Family (2)
| Parents |
Quigley, Kathy
Quigley, Dennis |
| Relatives |
Quigley, Andrea
(sibling)
Quigley, Nicole (sibling) Quigley, Maria (sibling) |
Trivia (15)
Her father, who is American-born, has Irish and Polish ancestry. Her mother is Vietnamese-born. Maggie was raised in Hawaii, and was a fashion model and television personality before she became a movie actress.
Spokesmodel for Shiseido cosmetics.
Is the youngest of five children.
Although she is actually American (born and raised in Hawaii), and of half Vietnamese descent, Maggie pursued modeling careers first in Japan, then Taiwan, then Hong Kong. Her transition into acting was almost coincidental and since then she has become both a top model and actress in Hong Kong, along with garnering a certain amount of fame across Asia.
For her first several Hong Kong films, since Maggie could not actually speak Cantonese - she actually had to learn her lines phonetically. Some lines may also have been dubbed.
Attended Mililani High School with Traycee King.
Her mother is a property investor.
Was cast in Live Free or Die Hard (2007) without an audition.
Posed for renowned Singaporean photographer Leslie Kee for Kee's 2006 charity photo-book, "Super Stars", which was dedicated to the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster and consisted of photographs of 300 Asian celebrities by Kee.
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.
Her intensive training taught her the importance of professionalism and always doing her own stunts.
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.
Has training in Chinese Wushu, Qi Gong, and Wing Chun.
Was engaged to actor Dylan McDermott (2015-2019).
Personal Quotes (8)
Not only do I not want to be stereotyped as this Asian girl who fights (gee, what a wonder), but also, I have more to offer than that.
I'm just totally into being strong. There's something about wanting to get a jar or whatever out of a high cupboard, or moving a sofa over because my dog's bone rolled under it, and not having to call anyone for help. There's comfort in that.
When you come to America, it's a very serious thing. It's not like you arrive and they say, "Hey, come on! Do movies!" I can't just be hopping around. I have to focus and be still and make sure that I put the time and effort in. Because if I don't, I could lose it like that.
My manager's biggest dream is for me to be on Letterman. She says, 'Oh, Maggie, will you promise me you'll be on 'Letterman?' What can I say? I just tell her I can't promise, but I'll try my best.
I, Maggie, personally cannot tell you that you're going to save the planet. But what I do know is that we can draw a line to an issue that can conserve what we already have and what's left in a way that we can actually breathe the air, drink the water, actually grow things in soil - that matters in a real, practical way.
Audiences are so much more sophisticated than they've ever been. They expect a lot more. I don't think because it's an hour of your Thursday night rather than an hour and a half of your weekend that you should be gypped at all in quality.
I enjoy privacy. I think it's nice to have a little mystery. I think because of technology a lot of the mystery is gone in life, and I'd like to preserve some of that.
I like PETA as a group for many reasons, but one of the reasons that I admire them is that they say and do the things that other groups won't do.
