Poppy Liu (柳波; pinyin: Liǔ Bō) is a Chinese-American actress, activist and poet, known for her[a] roles in the sitcoms Sunnyside, Hacks, iCarly, and the Peabody Award-winning miniseries Dead Ringers.[1]
Poppy Liu | |
|---|---|
| 柳波 | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater | Colgate University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Hacks |
| Partner | Jonah Tucker (2020–2023) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
editLiu was born in Xi'an, China. Her family moved to Minnesota when she was two while her father, an engineering professor, earned a second PhD. During this time, her mother attended night classes in computer programming and worked at hotels and McDonald's. The family moved back to China when Liu was 14, where she attended an American school in Shanghai. During high school, she became interested in performing, and participated in Chinese dance, ballet and theater.[2][3]
Liu attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and majored in women's studies and theater. She graduated in 2013.[4]
Career
editAfter graduation, Liu founded the production company Collective Sex, with a focus on decolonizing storytelling and eliminating stigmas around sex and identity. In 2018, she debuted her short film Names of Women in New York City, which also toured across the country at college campuses and reproductive organizations. The film was made with an all-female crew and is based on a true abortion story.[4][5]
In 2019, Liu had a starring role in the NBC sitcom Sunnyside, which moved to Hulu after four episodes.[6] Liu has also had roles on New Amsterdam, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Better Call Saul.[7] She has a recurring role as the blackjack dealer to a wealthy comedian in the 2021 HBO Max sitcom Hacks,[8] and a recurring role as performer Double Dutch on the 2021 Paramount+ sitcom iCarly.[9]
Liu starred as Greta Leung, an assistant and housekeeper to Rachel Weisz's characters Beverly and Elliot Mantle in the 2023 Amazon Prime Video miniseries Dead Ringers. The series won a Peabody Award for "aptly packaging a bold adaptation of this twinned-body horror classic within the continued nightmarish world of women’s reproductive health care in the United States."[10]
Personal life
editLiu is a doula and offers free services to women of color and transgender people. Liu is nonbinary, uses they/she pronouns, and identifies as queer.[11][12] She had an abortion in 2015,[13] which inspired a short film she created.[11]
Liu met U.S. marine officer Jonah Tucker in 2020 and they subsequently began dating.[14][15] She gave birth to her and Tucker's first child in 2022.[13][16] Liu and Tucker ended their relationship shortly after their child was born.[17]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Summon | Mannequin | Short |
| 2019 | Separation Celebration | Aldus | Short |
| Safe Among Stars | Jia | Short | |
| 2020 | Flourish | Lazer | Short |
| To Do | Steph | Short | |
| Certified Black Genius | Maisa | Short | |
| 2024 | The Tiger's Apprentice | Snake (voice) | |
| Space Cadet | Nadine Cai | ||
| 2025 | Dog Man | Butler (voice) | |
| TBA | I Love Boosters † | TBA | Filming |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | New Amsterdam | Amy Chiang | Episode: "Three Dots" |
| 2018–19 | Mercy Mistress | Mistress Yin | Main Cast |
| 2019 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Hannah Berkowitz | Episode: "Dearly Beloved" |
| 2019 | Sunnyside | Mei Lin | Main Cast |
| 2020–22 | Better Call Saul | Jo | Recurring Cast: Season 5, Guest: Season 6 |
| 2021–22 | iCarly | Double Dutch | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 |
| 2021–24 | Hacks | Kiki | Recurring Cast: Season 1-2, Guest: Season 3 |
| 2022 | Dollface | Lotus Dragon Bebe | Episode: "Boss Lady" |
| Tales of the Walking Dead | Amy | Episode: "Amy/Dr. Everett" | |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II | Ehri Khan | Episode: "VII" |
| Dead Ringers | Greta Leung | Main Cast | |
| American Born Chinese | Princess Iron Fan | Recurring Cast | |
| The Afterparty | Grace Zhu | Main Cast: Season 2 | |
| 2024 | No Good Deed | Sarah | Main Cast [18] |
Notes
edit- ^ Liu uses she/her and they/them pronouns. This article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.
References
edit- ^ https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/dead-ringers/
- ^ "About". Poppy Liu. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "More Poppy Liu, Please". PAPER. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ a b "Collective Healing | Colgate Magazine". 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ Names of Women | short film, retrieved 2022-06-12
- ^ "Sunnyside's Joel Kim Booster & Poppy Liu Are Queering Up Comedy". Pride.com. October 29, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "LGBTQ Actors of Color to Lead Panel on Diversity And Inclusion in Film". The Advocate. February 28, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "HBO Max's 'Hacks': TV Review". Hollywood Reporter. May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "iCarly". ViacomCBS. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/dead-ringers/
- ^ a b "How Nonbinary 'Hacks' Star Poppy Liu's Star Rose in 2021". 8 December 2021.
- ^ Artavia, David (July 14, 2019). "Poppy Liu is Queer and Asian — Get Used to It!". The Advocate. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "TLDR; I'm having a baby". 24 June 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ "poppy liu on Instagram: "Who knew when I met this pink cutie at the tippy top of the pandemic that two and a half years later I would be 8 months pregnant with his baby at the marine corps prom in Vegas. Congrats @tuckerjonah16 on getting out and lots of love to our little entourage of friends and chosen fam who came with us to Vegas to crash the prom night of US imperialism and, most importantly, celebrate you entering a new chapter of your life. I love you a lot and I'm excited for everything to come. ❤️"". Instagram. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ Kaplan, Ilana (2023-02-04). "Bringing a Little Queerness to Acting Roles". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ "poppy liu on Instagram: "Me 6 minutes after giving birth captured by my doula and beloved friend @aliquinnanderson ☺️😊🤗🐣🥰✨will be logging off from here for a lil bit during postpartum "sitting the month" (坐月子🪺) to hang out with my new tiny best friend who I am so very very in love with 💞💖💞💖💞💖💞💖💞 bye bye!!!"". Instagram. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/C3LTLQKxlTg/
- ^ Grobar, Matt (December 15, 2023). "Netflix's 'No Good Deed' Adds Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson, Teyonah Parris, Abbi Jacobson & Poppy Liu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
