--- name: "Maggie Q" canonical: "https://film.one/person/maggie-q" roles: ["Actor"] born: "22 May 1979" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 68 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-19T15:26:46.868967+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Maggie Q Actor. Born 22 May 1979 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 22 May 1979, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA - **Active:** 2006–2007 - **Also known as:** Margaret Denise Quigley , Lee Mei Kei, Li Mei-Qi - **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 2 titles - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggie_Q, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q614774, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0702572/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/21045 ## Streaming the US now - **Paramount+:** [*Mission: Impossible III*](https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-iii.md) (70) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Maggie Q > Maggie Q fights the way the best Hong Kong performers do, at full length and in clear view, so the cut never has to sell the blow. Hollywood has used that for ten minutes at a time, and the films are the poorer for it. Watch what Maggie Q does when a fight starts. She does not square up or brace; she is simply already moving, and the camera has to keep up. In *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007) her Mai Linh takes John McClane through an office, down a lift shaft and into a car hanging by its cables, and Nicolas De Toth cuts it quickly without once losing where she is. It is the sequence we still remembered when most of the second hour had gone, and we remembered it because it was plainly a person doing difficult things at speed, in a film that elsewhere trusts its computers more than its people. That is her trade, learned in Hong Kong, where she started in television and in films such as *Naked Weapon* (2002) with Jackie Chan as mentor, learning her lines phonetically while the fighting came first. Hollywood noticed in 2006, when J.J. Abrams put her on Ethan Hunt's team as Zhen in *Mission: Impossible III*, the one woman in the unit, in a film that runs so hard it has little time to give her more than a place in the line. Len Wiseman handed her a better part a year later, a villain with something to do. Then television took her: four seasons as the title character in *Nikita* (2010–2013), which is where a large audience learned her name, followed by *Designated Survivor* (2016–2019) and the *Divergent* films (2014–2016). *The Protégé* (2021) put her back at the centre of a studio action film, and *Ballard* (2025–) keeps her there on the small screen. We have not reviewed the later work and will not judge it here, but the shape is plain: a lead on television, a supporting player in cinemas. What works is the clarity. You can watch her fight without needing to be told afterwards what happened, and in *Live Free or Die Hard* she is one of the four reasons we gave for seeing the film, alongside a helicopter. What has not worked is the industry's imagination. She has talked about being seen through an action lens and little else, and the casting bears her out: agent, assassin, henchwoman, the capable woman among men. The films we have seen never ask her to do anything else, so we cannot tell you whether she can. That is the films' failing. If you want to see what she does, start with the lift shaft. If you want to see whether she can carry a whole story rather than a set piece, *Nikita* and *The Protégé* are where the case is made. She has said, "I would rather be Bond." Having watched her go down that shaft, we see no reason she should not be. ## Biography Maggie Q is an American actress, born Margaret Denise Quigley on 22 May 1979 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She began her professional career in Hong Kong, appearing in the action films *Gen-Y Cops* (2000) and *Naked Weapon* (2002). She made her Hollywood breakthrough as Zhen in *Mission: Impossible III* (2006). Subsequent film roles include Mai Linh in *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007), the Priestess in *Priest* (2011) and Tori Wu in the *Divergent* series (2014–2016). On television she starred as the title character in the series *Nikita* (2010–2013) and as FBI Special Agent Hannah Wells in *Designated Survivor* (2016–2019). *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, themoviedb.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007), Fi1m 65, as Mai Linh — [page](https://film.one/film/live-free-or-die-hard.md) - *Mission: Impossible III* (2006), Fi1m 70, as Zhen — [page](https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-iii.md) ## Complete filmography (52) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Ballard* (2025), series, as Detective Renée Ballard - *The Family Plan* (2023), as Gwen - *Fear the Night* (2023), as Tess · Executive Producer - *Why on Earth* (2022), Actor - *Bosch: Legacy* (2022), series, as Detective Renée Ballard - *Pivoting* (2022), series, as Sarah - *The Protégé* (2021), as Anna - *They're Trying To Kill Us* (2021), Actor - *Death of Me* (2020), as Christine - *The Argument* (2020), as Sarah - *Fantasy Island* (2020), as Gwen Olsen - *The Con Is On* (2018), as Irina Solokov - *Expedition China* (2017), Actor - *Slumber* (2017), as Alice Arnolds · Executive Producer - *The Crash* (2017), as Nurse Hilary - *Designated Survivor* (2016), series, as Hannah Wells - *Angel Please Kiss Me* (2016), Actor - *Allegiant* (2016), as Tori Wu - *Unity* (2015), as Narrator (voice) - *Insurgent* (2015), as Tori Wu - *Stalker* (2014), series, as Beth Davis - *Divergent* (2014), as Tori - *Priest* (2011), as Priestess - *Young Justice* (2010), series, as Wonder Woman (voice) - *Nikita* (2010), series, as Nikita Meers - *Operation: Endgame* (2010), as High Priestess - *The King of Fighters* (2009), as Mai Shiranui - *The Warrior and the Wolf* (2009), as Harem Woman - *New York, I Love You* (2008), as Call Girl - *Deception* (2008), as Tina at the Rhigha Royal - *Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon* (2008), as Cao Ying - *Balls Out: The Making of 'Balls of Fury'* (2007), Actor - *Under the Balls: The Life of a Ball Wrangler* (2007), Actor - *Balls of Fury* (2007), as Maggie Wong - *Live Free or Die Hard* (2007), as Mai Linh — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/live-free-or-die-hard.md) - *The Counting House* (2007), as Jade - *Love Asia* (2006), Actor - *Mission: Impossible III* (2006), as Zhen — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-iii.md) - *House of Harmony* (2005), as Harmony Petersen - *Dragon Squad* (2005), as Yuet - *Earthlings* (2005), Producer - *Rice Rhapsody* (2005), as Gigi - *Around the World in 80 Days* (2004), as Female Agent - *Magic Kitchen* (2004), as May - *Tape* (2004), Actor - *The Trouble-Makers* (2003), as Carly - *Naked Weapon* (2002), as Charlene Ching - *Rush Hour 2* (2001), as Girl in Car - *Manhattan Midnight* (2001), as Susan/Hope - *Gen-Y Cops* (2000), as Jane Quigley - *Model from Hell* (2000), as Anna - *Long Tang* (1998), series, as Maggie ## Gallery - ![Maggie Q](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-bb8248a25880.jpg) Maggie Q — Sidewalks Entertainment, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Maggie_Q_2021.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Maggie Q at a panel for the television series Nikita at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010.](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-d2bef0970184.jpg) Maggie Q at a panel for the television series Nikita at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010. — Cameron Yee at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ygx/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/MaggieQSDCCJuly10.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Maggie Q at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International in San Diego, California.](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-f637db107526.jpg) Maggie Q at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International in San Diego, California. — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Maggie_Q_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/1280px-Maggie_Q_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Maggie Q speaking at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International, for Entertainment Weekly's "Women Who Kick Ass" panel, at the San Diego Convention Center in Sa](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-9dd562d3a8a7.jpg) Maggie Q speaking at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International, for Entertainment Weekly's "Women Who Kick Ass" panel, at the San Diego Convention Center in Sa — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Maggie_Q.jpg/1280px-Maggie_Q.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Maggie Q](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-c8a3d644c8e5.jpg) Maggie Q — Image via TMDB - ![Maggie Q](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-2a793c0dc87e.jpg) Maggie Q — Image via TMDB - ![Maggie Q speaking at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International, for Entertainment Weekly's "Women Who Kick Ass" panel, at the San Diego Convention Center in Sa](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-7bd25e62e1fc.jpg) Maggie Q speaking at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International, for Entertainment Weekly's "Women Who Kick Ass" panel, at the San Diego Convention Center in Sa — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Maggie_Q_-_9355566587.jpg/1280px-Maggie_Q_-_9355566587.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Maggie Q (Nikita) (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/1077023/gallery-3c192fffa72f.jpg) Maggie Q (Nikita) (2012) — Thibault from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Nikita_-_Panel_%287560425076%29.jpg/1280px-Nikita_-_Panel_%287560425076%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) ## Awards ### Other awards — 0 won, 3 nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Action 2013: Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Action (nominated), for *Nikita* - Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Action 2012: Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Action (nominated), for *Nikita* - Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Action 2011: Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Action (nominated), for *Nikita* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/maggie-q