Simu Liu ( ; ; born 19 April 1989) is a Canadian actor. He rose to prominence by starring as

Shang-Chi Zheng Shang-Chi,. also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in ''Spec ...

in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film ''

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is List of Marvel ...

'' (2021). Liu was born in

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

and raised in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. He has also played Paul Xie in the

Omni Television Omni Television (stylized as OMNI Television) is a Canadian television system and group of specialty channels owned by Rogers Sports & Media, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications. It currently consists of all six of Canada's conventional multi ...

crime drama series '' Blood and Water''—for which he was nominated for a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...

and an

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards are Canadian accolades presented since 1972 to celebrate excellence in cinema, television and radio industries.CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

sitcom '' Kim's Convenience'' (2016–2021), and one of the Ken dolls in the fantasy comedy film ''

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...

'' (2023). In 2022, Liu published the memoir ''We Were Dreamers'' and was named one of ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.

Early life

Liu was born in

, China, on 19 April 1989, son of Zhenning and Zheng Liu. His parents met while attending university in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, where they both studied engineering. His father, Zhenning, went to the United States to study for a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

whilst his mother worked in Beijing, and Liu was raised until age 5 by his grandparents in Harbin "in a small apartment, without running water for much of the day," in circumstances he recalled as "idyllic and happy." Liu later emigrated to rejoin his parents in Canada, who supplemented their scholarships with dish-washing jobs and eventually became successful aerospace engineers. He first arrived in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

where his father was fulfilling his doctoral studies at Queen's University. Liu was later raised in

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

. In his memoir, ''We Were Dreamers'', Liu wrote of the deprivation and trauma his parents had experienced growing up in China's

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, and their subsequent " tiger parenting" style, saying he felt they "wanted to rid islife of joy or happiness", and recalling "the weight of what he describes as impossible expectations, to be the star child, the studious academic, the obedient son", being "belittled and physically punished" for perceived failings. Liu's parents "hothoused him in maths at the age of five and set 'homework' that included reading biographies of scientists and studying algebra". Upon his arrival in Kingston, Liu attended Sydenham Public School. He later attended

University of Toronto Schools University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by a written exam ...

and studied business administration at the

Ivey Business School Ivey Business School is the main business school of Western University, located in London, Ontario, Canada. It offers full-time undergraduate and graduate programs in London, Ontario and maintains a Toronto facility for its EMBA program and two ...

at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

. Liu initially worked as an accountant at

Deloitte Deloitte is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along wi ...

, but was laid off in April 2012 after nine months. He began to explore other career options and decided to pursue a career as an actor and stuntman. Liu became distant from his parents after losing his accounting job and entering acting, but after discussing the matter with his parents, the family reconciled and became closer as a result.

Career

2012–2018: Early work and television roles

Liu got his start in acting working as an

extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

and stuntman, appearing in movies and music videos such as

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

's ''

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...

'' and

Avicii Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...

's " I Could Be the One." His other early onscreen credits include '' Nikita'' (2012) and ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' (2014). He appeared as a stuntman in '' Sick: Survive the Night'' (2012) and the TV miniseries ''Heroes Reborn''. In 2015, Liu was cast in his first significant recurring role, appearing as a series regular in seven episodes of the

crime drama series '' Blood and Water'' (2015–2016). He would later receive his first award nominations for this role at the

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards are Canadian accolades presented since 1972 to celebrate excellence in cinema, television and radio industries.Canadian Screen Awards in 2017. Later in 2015, Liu was cast in his first main role as Jung Kim in the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

sitcom '' Kim's Convenience'', a TV adaptation of the play of the same name. It remains his most notable television success to date, with the series being nominated for and winning multiple awards internationally, including Best Comedy Series at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards and "Most Popular Foreign Drama" at the 2019

Seoul International Drama Awards Seoul International Drama Awards (), simply known as SDA, is an annual award ceremony based in Seoul, South Korea which honors excellence in television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrat ...

. Liu starred in the series until its conclusion in 2021. In 2016, Liu was cast in a recurring role as the ex- CIA analyst Faaron, loosely modeled on real-life ex-analyst Rodney Faraon, in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

prequel series '' Taken'' based on the film franchise starring

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Liam Neeson, several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, BAFT ...

. Even as he was cast in main and recurring roles, Liu continued to appear as an extra on several television shows, appearing in an episode of the hit

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

series ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identica ...

'' as well as in the Canadian science fiction series ''

Dark Matter In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...

''. In 2017, Liu appeared in the second season of ''Slasher'' as well as the

CityTV Citytv (sometimes shortened to City, which was the network's official branding from 2012 to 2018) is a Television in Canada, Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The network consis ...

miniseries '' Bad Blood'', both as recurring characters. In 2018, he appeared in the science fiction television series '' The Expanse'' and Wong Fu Productions' YouTube series ''Yappie''.

2019–present: Recent work and Marvel Cinematic Universe

In early 2019, Liu guest-starred in the 100th episode of ABC's ''

Fresh Off the Boat ''Fresh Off the Boat'' is an American television sitcom created by Nahnatchka Khan and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. It is loosely inspired by the life of chef and food personality Eddie Huang and his 2013 autobiography ...

'' as a noodle vendor named Willie. He also guest-starred in an episode of the TV series '' Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens'' as Garbage Boy. At Comic-Con 2019, Disney announced that Liu would play the titular superhero

in the film ''

'', which is set in the

(MCU). ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is Marvel's first film with an Asian-led cast. Liu had asked about playing the role on Twitter in December 2018 when the movie was revealed to be in development. After several production and release delays due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the film was released in theaters on 3 September 2021, garnering positive critical reception and achieving commercial success. A sequel is planned. He will also return to play the titular character in the upcoming MCU film ''Avengers: Doomsday'' (2026). In September 2021, it was revealed that Liu will lead the English-language voice cast of '' Bright: Samurai Soul,'' a Netflix anime film which premiered on 12 October. In February 2022, Liu joined the cast of Greta Gerwig's ''

'' film, as well as the thriller film ''Hello Stranger'' directed by April Mullen, which eventually became '' Simulant''. Both films were released in 2023, with the former garnering acclaim and breaking box office records. Both Liu and NBA player Jeremy Lin had guest appearances as caricaturized versions of themselves in Malaysian comedian Ronny Chieng's

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

short ''Ronny Chieng Takes Chinatown'' (2022). In December 2022, Liu was a guest narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional. On 7 April 2023, Liu released his debut single, titled "Don't". He was a guest dragon in season 19 of the Canadian reality series '' Dragons' Den''. In March 2017, a live action film adaptation of '' Sleeping Dogs'' was announced. It was to be produced by Neal H. Moritz, with

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan ( zh, c=甄子丹, p=Zhēn Zǐdān, j=, first=j; born 27 July 1963) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Fi ...

starring as Wei Shen. A release date for the film was not announced. In February 2018, Yen stated on various social media accounts that the film was in production. In January 2025, Yen announced that the film was no longer in the works, stating via Zoom to

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...

that “I spent a lot of time and did a lot of work with these producers, and I even invested some of my own money into obtaining the drafts and some of the rights, ..I waited for years. Years. And I really want to do it. I have all these visions in my head, and unfortunately… I don’t know, you know how Hollywood goes, right? I spent many, many years on it. It was an unfortunate thing. Well, onto better things." Later that month, Liu stated on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

that he was working to bring the film adaptation to fruition, after having expressed interest in the project in the past. ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' reported in February 2025 that pre-production on the film had started and confirmed that Liu would produce as well as replace

and star as Wei Shen.

Other work and public image

In 2014, Liu was paid $100 to model for a set of stock photos for FatCamera; the photos appeared in subway stations, advertisements, storefronts, pamphlets, and textbook covers. The photos received widespread media coverage upon Liu's mainstream acting breakthrough in 2021. Liu is also a filmmaker, producer, and writer. Liu's first work in this area was ''Open Gym'', a short film he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in that debuted at the 2013 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. He has directed, produced, and written several other shorts, including ''Crimson Defender vs. The Slightly Racist Family'' (2015). In 2016, Liu helped write ''Blood and Water,'' during which he helped break the story for the show and wrote an episode for its second season. In 2017, Liu worked with Wong Fu Productions on their short ''Meeting Mommy'' (2017), which he wrote and produced with Tina Jung. It was released in February 2018 on the Wong Fu Productions YouTube channel. In 2018, he founded his own film production company, 4:12 Entertainment, and began developing long-form film projects under it. In December 2017, Liu wrote for ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' magazine about his experiences growing up in an immigrant family. The article appeared in the January 2018 issue. His memoir, ''We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story'', was published by HarperCollins on 17 May 2022. In March 2021, Liu published a column in '' Variety'' detailing the effects of Asian hate crimes and how "rhetoric like 'the China virus' encourages hate toward all Asian people—not just Chinese." Liu was included on ''

'' magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world (in the "Artists" section) in 2022. Liu was named one of 's 50 Most Beautiful Canadians and 25 Hottest Bachelors in 2017 and 2018. In May 2021, Liu became the first East Asian man to cover ''

Men's Health ''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst Communications, Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries; it is the bestselling men's magazine on American newsstands. Started as a men's health magazin ...

'' magazine in over a decade since

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

in 2010. In November 2021, Liu became the fourth actor of Chinese descent to host ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. He has previously hosted the Juno Awards of 2022 and the Juno Awards of 2023."Actor Simu Liu to host 2023 Juno Awards in Edmonton"
.

Global News Global News is the news and Current affairs (news format), current affairs division of the Canadian Global Television Network. The network is owned by Corus Entertainment, which oversees all of the network's national news programming as well as ...

, 1 December 2022. In October 2020, Liu became a UNICEF Canada Ambassador and has since appeared in every Youth Advocacy Summit hosted by UNICEF Canada. In 2023, Liu made an appearance despite having torn his Achilles tendon. In 2023, Liu joined MìLà as its chief content officer. MìLà is a direct-to-consumer soup dumpling company that is based in

Bellevue, WA Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area, and the fifth-largest city in Washington. ...

Accolades

Liu was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and an ACTRA Award in 2017 for his work in ''Blood and Water''. He, along with his ''Kim's Convenience'' castmates, won the ACTRA Award for Outstanding Ensemble in 2017. Liu and his castmates were nominated for the same award in 2018 and 2019. ''Kim's Convenience'' also won the award for Best Comedy Series at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards. On stage, Liu was nominated for a

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...

in the Outstanding Ensemble category alongside his castmates in the 2016 Factory Theatre remount of the play ''Banana Boys''. In January 2023, he was named the winner of the

Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian cinema of Canada, film industry and television in Canada, television industry professionals ...

's Radius Award at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards.Etan Vlessing
"Ryan Reynolds, Simu Liu, Catherine O’Hara to Receive Honorary Canadian Screen Awards"
. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', 18 January 2023. He also won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Host in a Live Entertainment Special for the 2022 Juno Awards.

Personal life

In 2022, Liu began dating digital marketing manager Allison Hsu. In May 2025, the couple announced that they were engaged.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Games

Web Series

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Simu 1989 births Living people 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian Buddhists Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Canadian male actors of Chinese descent Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male television writers Canadian male voice actors Canadian television writers Chinese emigrants to Canada Dragons' Den Male actors from Harbin Male actors from Mississauga Screenwriters from Ontario University of Western Ontario alumni Writers from Mississauga