Canadian actor Simu Liu gained recognition for his role as Shang-Chi in the 2021 Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He is also recognized for his performances as Jung Kim in the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience and as Ken in Barbie.
Childhood & Education
Simu Liu was born in Harbin, China on April 19, 1989. Until he was five years old, he was cared for by his grandparents before his parents brought him to Kingston, Ontario, Canada as immigrants.
He grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, and completed his high school education at the University of Toronto Schools. He then pursued a degree in business administration at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario and graduated with distinction in 2011.
After obtaining a position as an accountant at Deloitte, he came to the realization that he was dissatisfied with his selected profession. After being let go, he started to look into other career paths. Eventually, he chose to pursue a job as an actor and stunt performer.
Simu Liu’s Career
Liu made his debut in films with minor roles in “Pacific Rim” by Guillermo del Toro and the music video for Avicii’s “I Could Be The One.” He also made appearances in “Nikita” (2012) and “Beauty and the Beast” (2014). Additionally, he served as a stuntman for “Sick: Survive the Night” and the miniseries “Heroes Reborn.”
In 2015, Simu Liu landed his initial notable part in the crime-themed show “Blood and Water.” This led to his first award nominations at the 2017 ACTRA Awards and Canadian Screen Awards. He then secured his first leading role in the beloved CBC sitcom “Kim’s Convenience,” which is based on a well-known play.
During Liu’s tenure on the show, it received numerous award nominations, such as Best Comedy Series at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards and Most Popular Foreign Drama at the 2019 Seoul International Drama Awards. Liu continued to play a leading role in the show until its conclusion in 2021.
In addition, during the year 2016, Simu Liu secured a recurring part in the NBC prequel show “Taken,” which is based on the well-known movie series featuring Liam Neeson. Despite his growing success in obtaining significant roles, Liu still occasionally took on smaller roles as an extra.
He made appearances in an episode of the BBC show “Orphan Black” and the Canadian sci-fi series “Dark Matter.” Additionally, he secured recurring roles in “Slasher” and “Bad Blood.” In 2018, he was featured in “The Expanse” and the YouTube series “Yappie.”
In 2019, at Comic-Con, Liu gained significant recognition when Disney revealed that he had been cast as the lead character Shang-Chi in the movie “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
The film took place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was the first from the franchise to feature a predominantly Asian cast. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the filming and production of the movie were repeatedly postponed, but it was finally released in theaters in September 2021 to overall favorable reviews.
Later that month, Liu was given a voice part in the Netflix animated movie, “Bright: Samurai Soul,” which was first shown in October of that same year. Additionally, he was added to the roster of actors for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” film in February of 2022.
Personal Life
Simu Liu is happily involved in a relationship with Allison Hsu. On November 20, 2022, Hsu and Liu made their relationship public on Instagram by posting a lovely photo of them hugging. The caption was kept short and sweet with just a “:)”.
While talking about his relationship with Hsu, Liu said,
“I think everyone knows the feeling of being in a situation where they’re not fully happy, and then all of a sudden for that to change … it’s such a breath of relief. I feel challenged and loved and cared for, and I feel championed.”
Net Worth
Simu Liu, a Canadian actor, and stuntman, has a net worth of $4 million. He gained recognition for his performances in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the TV show “Kim’s Convenience.”
