Margaret Denise Quigley born May 22, 1979, professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American actress and model.
She had starring roles in the action films Mission: Impossible III (2006), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), Priest (2011), and Fantasy Island (2020). She portrayed Tori Wu in the dystopian science-fiction action film Divergent (2014), and reprised her role in the sequels, Insurgent (2015) and Allegiant (2016).
Q starred as the title role on The CW action-thriller series Nikita (2010–2013). She also had a main role as FBI Special Agent Hannah Wells in the political thriller series Designated Survivor (2016–2019).
Early life
Quigley was born and raised in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. Her father is of Irish and Polish descent and her mother is a Vietnamese immigrant. Her parents met while her father was stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Quigley has four siblings, and was raised Catholic.
Quigley attended Mililani Waena Elementary School and Wheeler Intermediate School. She then attended Mililani High School, where she was on the cross country, track and field, and swim teams. She won the title of “Best Body” senior year, and graduated in 1997. She won an athletics scholarship to a private university and intended to study veterinary science. Quigley’s family was unable to assist her financially. She left Hawaii at the end of one school year in hopes of earning enough money so that she could start by the beginning of the following one.
Career
Maggie Q at the world premiere of The Warrior and the Wolf in 2009
1996–2005: Modeling and Hong Kong films
At the suggestion of a friend, Q began modeling in Tokyo, Japan, at the age of 17, before making an unsuccessful move to Taipei, Taiwan, and finally trying in Hong Kong, where she started going by the stage name “Maggie Q” because the locals could not pronounce Quigley properly. 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.” But it was in Hong Kong that she was selected by Jackie Chan, who saw in her a potential action star. His intensive training taught her the importance of professionalism and always doing her own stunts. Q later said, “I had never done a day of martial arts in my life when I started in the business. I couldn’t even touch my toes.”
In 1998, she started her acting career in the TV drama, House of the Dragon, which was a huge hit in Asia. In 2000, Q made her film debut as Anna in the horror film, Model from Hell, and went on to star as FBI agent, Jane Quigley in the action thriller Gen-Y Cops the same year. Her appearance in Gen-Y Cops impressed Jackie Chan so much that she was cast in Manhattan Midnight and Rush Hour 2.
In 2002, she starred as martial artist assassin Charlene Ching in the action film Naked Weapon. In 2004 she co-starred with Kelly 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. In 2005, Q played Harmony in the German-Singaporean TV mini-series House of Harmony, opposite Fann Wong. The same year she also co-produced the animal treatment documentary Earthlings narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.
2006–2013: Hollywood career and Nikita
Lyndsy Fonseca and Maggie Q at a panel for the television series Nikita at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010.
Maggie Q during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2013
In 2006 Q made her Hollywood breakthrough as co-star in Mission: Impossible III alongside Tom Cruise. She played Zhen, the only female member of the IMF team. In 2007, she appeared as Mai Linh in the Bruce Willis movie Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth film in the Die Hard series, and as Maggie in Balls of Fury. In 2008, Q played fictional Cao Ying, a granddaughter of the warlord Cao Cao in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, her first ancient Chinese costume performance. That same year, she also appeared in the drama/thriller movie Deception starring Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman, as Tina, an investment banker who introduced Jackman’s character to an exclusive anonymous sex club list. Q also stars in the video game Need for Speed: Undercover as the seductive lead character, federal agent Chase Linh, who is the player’s only contact to the Tri-City Police.
In 2010, Q became the lead character, an assassin gone rogue, on the CW series Nikita, based on the 1990 French film of the same name. Since the premiere of Nikita, Q has been incorrectly described as the first Asian American series lead in an American television drama; actress Anna May Wong is the first Asian American series lead of an American television series with her show The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong which aired 1951. Q received mostly positive reviews for her role in the series. The character was included in TV Guide‘s lists of “TV’s Sexiest Crime Fighters” and “TV’s Toughest Ladies”.
2014–present: television work
In 2014, Q played the role of Dauntless faction member Tori Wu, in the film Divergent, the adaptation of the same-titled novel. Q reprised her role in the sequel to Divergent, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, which began filming on May 27, 2014 and was released on March 20, 2015. She also starred in the CBS drama series Stalker by Kevin Williamson as Detective Beth Davis along with Dylan McDermott and Mariana Klaveno. The series premiered on October 1, 2014 for the 2014–15 fall television season. The series was ordered for a full season on October 27, 2014. The series however was canceled after one season, leaving the show on a cliffhanger. In October 2013, Q started filming for A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island, starring alongside Frank Grillo, AnnaSophia Robb, Dianna Agron, John Leguizamo, Ed Westwick, Mary McCormack, Christopher McDonald and Minnie Driver. The film is directed by Aram Rappaport and produced by Hilary Shor, Atit Shah and Aaron Becker. Jekyll Island is set to release in 2016.
She reprised her role in The Divergent Series: Allegiant, the third installment of the Divergent series, which was released on March 18, 2016. In February 2016, it was announced that she would co-star opposite Kiefer Sutherland in the ABC drama series Designated Survivor as Hannah Wells, a leading FBI agent. The show was renewed by Netflix for a third and final season, which was released on June 7, 2019.
Personal life
Q dated Los Angeles-based businessman Paul Alfonso from 2009 until 2010. After meeting her Stalker co-star Dylan McDermott on-set in early 2014, their engagement was announced on January 14, 2015. The couple stated in 2017 that they were not in any rush to have an actual wedding ceremony. In February 2019, after a four-year engagement, the couple split.
She has five tattoos: a cross on her right forearm, Tibetan script and a little triangle on her left forearm, and a Zulu proverb on her side “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which means “a person’s character is made by the collective”. She has one of a phoenix on her left hip, which she has had to conceal for most of her roles except Nikita. Q has suffered temporary hearing loss in her right ear after her eardrum was damaged during an explosive stunt in 2010.
In 2007, she lived in Studio City, Los Angeles, California with her two (at one point, eight) rescued dogs. She also has a house in Pound Ridge, New York.
Animal rights activism
Q is outspoken on the subject of animal rights and has taken part in PETA Asia’s campaigns promoting vegetarianism. A vegetarian 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, Maggie Q was named PETA Asia-Pacific’s “Person of the Year.” The same year, the organization also listed Q 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 a vegan. PETA named her one of three “Sexiest Vegans” of 2017. Maggie Q is currently an ambassador for Animals Asia Foundation.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2004 | Around the World in 80 Days | Female Agent | |
| Rice Rhapsody | Gigi | Chinese: 海南雞飯 | |
| 2005 | Taped | Maggie | Short film |
| 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: 狼灾记 |
| 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 Asset | Anna | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | House of the Dragon | Devine | Recurring role |
| 2002 | Mission in Trouble | Yeung Lan | Main role; Chinese: 雄心密令 |
| 2005 | House of Harmony | Harmony | Television film |
| 2010–13 | Nikita | Nikita Mears | Lead role; 73 episodes |
| 2012–19 | Young Justice | Wonder Woman (voice) | Recurring role; 7 episodes |
| 2014–15 | Stalker | Beth Davis / Michelle Webber | Lead role; 20 episodes |
| 2016–19 | Designated Survivor | Hannah Wells | Main role; 50 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Need for Speed: Undercover | Chase Linh |
Music videos
| Year | Artist | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Chris Yu | “Subway” |
| 2002 | Santana featuring Michelle Branch | “The Game of Love“ |
As producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Earthlings | Co-producer |
| 2006 | Love Asia | Producer |
| TBA | Queen of Canton | Executive producer |
Awards and nominations
| 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 |