Maggie Q | |
|---|---|
 Q in 2021 | |
| Born | Margaret Denise Quigley (1979-05-22)May 22, 1979 (age 46) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | |
Margaret Denise Quigley (born May 22, 1979), known professionally asMaggie Q, is an American actress. She began her professional careerin Hong Kong, with starring roles in the action filmsGen-Y Cops (2000) andNaked Weapon (2002), before appearing in the American productionsMission: Impossible III (2006),Live Free or Die Hard (2007),Priest (2011) andThe Protégé (2021). She portrayedTori Wu in the dystopian science-fiction action filmDivergent (2014), and reprised her role in the sequels,Insurgent (2015) andAllegiant (2016). Q starred inthe title role onthe CW action-thriller seriesNikita (2010–2013), and also had a main role as FBI special agent Hannah Wells in theABC/Netflixpolitical thriller seriesDesignated Survivor (2016–2019). She provided the voice ofWonder Woman on the animated seriesYoung Justice (2012–2019). In 2025, Q began starring in the lead role of Detective Renée Ballard on thePrime Video seriesBallard, a spinoff of the television seriesBosch: Legacy.
Margaret Denise Quigley[1][2][3] was born and raised inHonolulu, Hawaii.[4][5] Her mother isVietnamese[5][6] and her father is American ofPolish andIrish descent.[7] Her parents met while her father was stationed inVietnam during theVietnam War.[8][9] She has four siblings.[5] She was raisedCatholic.[10] She became a practitioner ofBuddhism.[11][12]
She attended Mililani Waena Elementary School and Wheeler Intermediate School. AtMililani High School, she was on the cross country, track and field, and swim teams. She won the student title of "Best Body" senior year, and graduated in 1997.[5][13] She won an athletics scholarship to a private university and intended to study veterinary science; however, her family was unable to assist her financially. She left Hawaii at the end of one school year in hopes of earning enough money to resume at the beginning of the next one.[14]
At a friend's suggestion, Q began modeling inTokyo, Japan at the age of 17, before making an unsuccessful move toTaipei, Taiwan. She tried again in Hong Kong, where she began using thestage name Maggie Q because the locals could not pronounce Quigley properly.[5][8][15] She has said it was not easy for her: "I had twenty bucks in my pocket. I mean, I literally did the same thing that my mother did when she left Vietnam... didn't speak the language... had no money."[6] But in Hong Kong, she became a protégé ofJackie Chan, who saw in her a potential action star. His intensive training taught her the importance of professionalism and always doing her ownstunts. She later said: "I had never done a day ofmartial arts in my life when I started in the business. I couldn't even touch my toes."[8]
In 1998,[16] she started her acting career in the TV dramaHouse of the Dragon, which was a huge hit in Asia. In 2000, she made her film debut as Anna in the horror filmModel from Hell, and went on to star as FBI agent Jane Quigley in the action thrillerGen-Y Cops that year. Her appearance inGen-Y Cops impressed Chan so much that he cast her in his filmsManhattan Midnight andRush Hour 2.[5]
In 2002, she starred as martial artist assassin Charlene Ching in the action filmNaked Weapon. In 2004, she co-starred withKelly Hu,Russell Wong and other Asian-American actors in a 30-second PSA produced by Mark Allen for CAUSE USA (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment),The Least Likely, encouraging Asian and Pacific Islander Americans to register and vote.[17][18][19][20] In 2005, she played Harmony in the German-Singaporean TV mini-seriesHouse of Harmony, oppositeFann Wong, and co-produced the animal treatment documentaryEarthlings narrated byJoaquin Phoenix.[21]
In 2006, Q made her Hollywood breakthrough as co-star inMission: Impossible III alongsideTom Cruise. She played Zhen, the only female member of theIMF team. In 2007, she appeared as Mai Linh in theBruce Willis movieLive Free or Die Hard,[5] the fourth film in theDie Hard series, and as Maggie inBalls of Fury. In 2008, she played fictional Cao Ying, a granddaughter of the warlordCao Cao inThree Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, her first ancient Chinese costume performance. That year, she also appeared in the drama/thriller movieDeception starringEwan McGregor andHugh Jackman, as Tina, an investment banker[16] who introduces Jackman's character to an exclusive anonymous sex club list. She also stars in the video gameNeed for Speed: Undercover as the seductive lead character, federal agent Chase Linh, the player's only contact to the Tri-City Police.[22]
In 2010, Q became the lead character, an assassin gone rogue, on theCW seriesNikita, based on the 1990 French filmof the same name.[8] Since its premiere, she has been incorrectly described as the first Asian American series lead in an American television drama.[23] (ActressAnna May Wong was the firstAsian American series lead of an American television series with her showThe Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, which aired in 1951.[24]) Q received mostly positive reviews for her role in the series.[25][26] Her character was included inTV Guide's lists of "TV's Sexiest Crime Fighters" and "TV's Toughest Ladies".[27][28]
In 2014, Q played the role of Dauntless faction member Tori Wu, in the filmDivergent, the adaptation of the eponymousnovel.[29] Q reprised her role in the sequel toDivergent,The Divergent Series: Insurgent, which began filming on May 27, 2014, and was released on March 20, 2015. She also starred in theCBS drama seriesStalker[30] byKevin Williamson as Detective Beth Davis along withMariana Klaveno andDylan McDermott.[31] The series premiered on October 1, 2014, for the2014–15 fall television season.[32][33] The series was ordered for a full season on October 27, 2014.[34] The series however was canceled after one season, leaving the show on a cliffhanger.[35] In October 2013, Q started filming forThe Crash, starring alongsideFrank Grillo,AnnaSophia Robb,Dianna Agron,John Leguizamo,Ed Westwick,Mary McCormack,Christopher McDonald andMinnie Driver.[36] The film was directed by Aram Rappaport and produced by Hilary Shor, Atit Shah and Aaron Becker.The Crash had a direct-to-VOD andlimited release on January 13, 2017, in North America.[37]
She reprised her role inThe Divergent Series: Allegiant, the third installment of theDivergent series, which was released on March 18, 2016.[38] In February 2016, it was announced that she would co-star oppositeKiefer Sutherland in theABC drama seriesDesignated Survivor as Hannah Wells, a leadingFBI agent.[39] The show was renewed byNetflix for a third and final season, which was released on June 7, 2019. However, her character was killed off early in the final season.[40]
In December 2020, she portrayed Sarah in theFox comedy seriesPivoting.[41] She starred as an assassin inThe Protégé, an action film featuringSamuel L. Jackson andMichael Keaton, which was released to theaters August 20, 2021.[42] In March 2024, it was announced that she was cast as Homicide Detective Renée Ballard in theBosch spin-off series centered aroundMichael Connelly's character. She is investigating cold cases with the help ofHarry Bosch (Titus Welliver).[43]
After meeting herStalker co-starDylan McDermott on-set in early 2014, their engagement was announced on January 14, 2015.[44] They stated in 2017 that they were not in any rush to be married.[45] They ended their relationship in February 2019.[46]
Q has fivetattoos: a cross on her right forearm;Tibetan script and a little triangle on her left forearm; aZulu proverb on her side—"umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu", which means "a person's character is made by the collective"; and one of aphoenix on her left hip, which she has had to conceal for most of her roles exceptNikita.[47] She suffered temporaryhearing loss in her right ear after her eardrum was damaged during an explosive stunt in 2010.[48]
She owned a house inPound Ridge, New York,[49][50] which she sold toZoe Kravitz in 2021.[51] She announced she was married on the July 7, 2025 episode ofLive with Kelly and Mark.[52] She married Vietnam-born, US-raised entrepreneur Curtis Macnguyen, a retired hedge fund manager and entrepreneur, best known for founding Ivory Investment Management in 1998.[53]
Q is outspoken on the subject ofanimal rights and has taken part inPETA Asia's campaigns promoting vegetarianism.[54] Avegetarian for many years, she has said that giving up meat was one of the most rewarding decisions she has ever made. "I feel better, I have more energy, on and off the set, and I have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm doing something to help stop animal suffering." In 2008, she was named PETA Asia-Pacific's Person of the Year,[55] and PETA listed her as one of the Best-Dressed Celebrities of 2008. She has since taken the step to cut all animal products from her diet by becoming avegan.[56] PETA named her one of their three Sexiest Vegans of 2017.[57] She is currently an ambassador forAnimals Asia Foundation.[58]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Powder | Girl in class | |
| 2000 | Model from Hell | Anna | Chinese: 鬼名模 |
| Gen-Y Cops | Jane Quigley | Chinese: 特警新人類2 | |
| 2001 | Manhattan Midnight | Susan / Hope | |
| Rush Hour 2 | Girl in car | ||
| 2002 | Naked Weapon | Charlene Ching | Chinese: 赤裸特工 |
| 2003 | The Trouble-Makers | Miss Clary | Chinese: 一屋兩火 |
| 2004 | Magic Kitchen | May | Chinese: 魔幻厨房 |
| Around the World in 80 Days | Female agent | ||
| Rice Rhapsody | Gigi | Chinese: 海南雞飯 | |
| 2005 | Dragon Squad | Yuet | Chinese: 猛龍 |
| 2006 | Mission: Impossible III | Zhen Lei | |
| 2007 | The Counting House | Jade | |
| Live Free or Die Hard | Mai Linh | ||
| Balls of Fury | Maggie Wong | ||
| 2008 | Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon | Cao Ying | Chinese: 三國之見龍卸甲 |
| Deception | Tina | ||
| New York, I Love You | Janice Taylor | Segment: "Yvan Attal" | |
| 2009 | The Warrior and the Wolf | Harran woman | Chinese: 狼災記 |
| 2010 | Operation: Endgame | High Priestess | |
| The King of Fighters | Mai Shiranui | ||
| 2011 | Priest | Priestess | |
| 2014 | Divergent | Tori Wu | |
| Unity | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 2015 | The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Tori Wu | |
| 2016 | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Tori Wu | |
| 2017 | The Crash | Hilary | |
| Slumber | Alice | ||
| 2018 | The Con Is On | Irina | |
| Modest Heroes | Mom (voice) | Segment: "Life Ain't Gonna Lose" | |
| 2020 | Fantasy Island | Gwen Olsen | |
| The Argument | Sarah | ||
| Death of Me | Christine | ||
| 2021 | The Protégé | Anna | |
| 2023 | Fear the Night | Tess | |
| The Family Plan | Gwen |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Mission in Trouble | Yeung Lan | Main role; Chinese: 雄心密令 |
| 2005 | House of Harmony | Harmony | Television film |
| 2010–2013 | Nikita | Nikita Mears | Main role |
| 2012–2019 | Young Justice | Wonder Woman (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2013 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Herself | Guest |
| 2014–2015 | Stalker | Beth Davis / Michelle Webber | Main role |
| 2016–2019 | Designated Survivor | Hannah Wells | Main role |
| 2022 | Pivoting | Sarah[59] | Main role |
| 2025 | Bosch: Legacy | Renée Ballard[60] | Main role (season 3) |
| 2025 | Ballard | Renée Ballard | Main role[61] |
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Need for Speed: Undercover | Chase Linh |
| Year | Artist | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Chris Yu | "Subway" |
| 2002 | SantanafeaturingMichelle Branch | "The Game of Love" |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Earthlings | Co-producer |
| 2006 | Love Asia | Producer |
| TBA | Queen of Canton | Executive producer |
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Asian Excellence Awards | Supporting Film Actress | Mission: Impossible III | Won |
| 2009 | Hawaii International Film Festival | Maverick Award | The Warrior and the Wolf | Won |
| 2010 | IGN Summer Movie Awards | Best TV Hero | Nikita | Nominated |
| 2011 | Nominated | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Action | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | IGN Summer Movie Awards | Best TV Hero | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Action | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | TV Guide Awards | Best Ensemble | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Action | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Young Hollywood Awards | Best Cast Chemistry – Film | Divergent | Nominated |
| 2021 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | Fantasy Island | Nominated |
| 2022 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in an Action Movie | The Protégé | Nominated |
Honolulu-born Maggie Q, 28, started her acting career in Hong Kong cinema.
While Maggie,28, admits to having worked very hard to get to where she is today, the 1997 Mililani High School graduate
