Age, Biography, and Wiki
Simu Liu was born in Harbin, China, but he was raised in Ontario, Canada. He began his career in a different field, working as an accountant before transitioning to acting. Liu's journey in the entertainment industry started with small roles and gradually built up to his current status as a prominent actor. He is known for his advocacy for Asian representation in the entertainment industry and has published a memoir titled "We Were Dreamers" in 2022.
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
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| Date of Birth | 19 April 1989 |
| Age | 36 Years |
| Birth Place | Harbin, Heilongjiang, China |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | China |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Simu Liu's height and weight are not frequently mentioned, he is often noted for his athletic build, which is essential for his roles in action-packed films like "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."
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Dating & Relationship Status
Simu Liu is engaged to Allison Hsu, a digital marketing director at Interscope Records. Hsu has also built a presence on social media platforms, contributing to her net worth through influencer collaborations and sponsored posts.
His parents met while attending university in Beijing, where they both studied engineering. His father, Zhenning, went to the United States to study for a PhD whilst his mother worked in Beijing, and Liu was raised until age 5 by his grandparents in Harbin "in a small apartment, without running water for much of the day," in circumstances he recalled as "idyllic and happy." Liu later emigrated to rejoin his parents in Canada, who supplemented their scholarships with dish-washing jobs and eventually became successful aerospace engineers. He first arrived in Kingston, Ontario where his father was fulfilling his doctoral studies at Queen's University. Liu was later raised in Mississauga, Ontario.
In his memoir, We Were Dreamers, Liu wrote of the deprivation and trauma his parents had experienced growing up in China's Cultural Revolution, and their subsequent "tiger parenting" style, saying he felt they "wanted to rid [his] life of joy or happiness", and recalling "the weight of what he describes as impossible expectations, to be the star child, the studious academic, the obedient son", being "belittled and physically punished" for perceived failings. Liu's parents "hothoused him in maths at the age of five and set 'homework' that included reading biographies of scientists and studying algebra". Upon his arrival in Kingston, Liu attended Sydenham Public School. He later attended University of Toronto Schools and studied business administration at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.
Liu initially worked as an accountant at Deloitte, but was laid off in April 2012 after nine months. He began to explore other career options and decided to pursue a career as an actor and stuntman. Liu became distant from his parents after losing his accounting job and entering acting, but after discussing the matter with his parents, the family reconciled and became closer as a result.
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Net Worth and Salary
Simu Liu's net worth is estimated to be around $12 million as of early 2025, though some sources suggest it might be lower at $4 million. His earnings are primarily from his acting roles, including a reported $6 million for "Shang-Chi" and $2 million for his role in "Barbie". Additionally, he earns through brand partnerships and public appearances.
Career, Business, and Investments
Liu rose to fame with his role as Jung Kim in the Canadian TV series "Kim's Convenience" from 2016 to 2021. However, his breakthrough role came with Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," marking him as the first Asian lead in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. He has also appeared in films like "Barbie" (2023) and has been involved in various projects as a host, writer, and producer. Liu has invested in real estate, purchasing a $5 million mansion in 2021.
In 2014, Liu was paid $100 to model for a set of stock photos for FatCamera; the photos appeared in subway stations, advertisements, storefronts, pamphlets, and textbook covers. The photos received widespread media coverage upon Liu's mainstream acting breakthrough in 2021.
Social Network
Simu Liu is active on social media platforms, where he engages with fans and shares updates about his projects. His presence helps him connect with his audience and build his brand.
In 2016, Liu was cast in a recurring role as the ex-CIA analyst Faaron, loosely modeled on real-life ex-analyst Rodney Faraon, in the NBC prequel series Taken based on the film franchise starring Liam Neeson. Even as he was cast in main and recurring roles, Liu continued to appear as an extra on several television shows, appearing in an episode of the hit BBC-Space series Orphan Black as well as in the Canadian science fiction series Dark Matter. In 2017, Liu appeared in the second season of Slasher as well as the CityTV miniseries Bad Blood, both as recurring characters. In 2018, he appeared in the science fiction television series The Expanse and Wong Fu Productions' YouTube series Yappie.
At Comic-Con 2019, Disney announced that Liu would play the titular superhero Shang-Chi in the film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Marvel's first film with an Asian-led cast. Liu had asked about playing the role on Twitter in December 2018 when the movie was revealed to be in development. After several production and release delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released in theaters on 3 September 2021, garnering positive critical reception and achieving commercial success. A sequel is planned. He will also return to play the titular character in the upcoming MCU film Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
In March 2017, a live action film adaptation of Sleeping Dogs was announced. It was to be produced by Neal H. Moritz, with Donnie Yen starring as Wei Shen. A release date for the film was not announced. In February 2018, Yen stated on various social media accounts that the film was in production. In January 2025, Yen announced that the film was no longer in the works, stating via Zoom to Polygon that “I spent a lot of time and did a lot of work with these producers, and I even invested some of my own money into obtaining the drafts and some of the rights, [...] I waited for years. Years. And I really want to do it. I have all these visions in my head, and unfortunately… I don’t know, you know how Hollywood goes, right? I spent many, many years on it. It was an unfortunate thing. Well, onto better things." Later that month, Liu stated on Twitter that he was working to bring the film adaptation to fruition, after having expressed interest in the project in the past. IGN reported in February 2025 that pre-production on the film had started and confirmed that Liu would produce as well as replacing Donnie Yen and star as Wei Shen.
Liu is also a filmmaker, producer, and writer. Liu's first work in this area was Open Gym, a short film he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in that debuted at the 2013 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. He has directed, produced, and written several other shorts, including Crimson Defender vs. The Slightly Racist Family (2015). In 2016, Liu helped write Blood and Water, during which he helped break the story for the show and wrote an episode for its second season. In 2017, Liu worked with Wong Fu Productions on their short Meeting Mommy (2017), which he wrote and produced with Tina Jung. It was released in February 2018 on the Wong Fu Productions YouTube channel. In 2018, he founded his own film production company, 4:12 Entertainment, and began developing long-form film projects under it.
In December 2017, Liu wrote for Maclean's magazine about his experiences growing up in an immigrant family. The article appeared in the January 2018 issue. His memoir, We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story, was published by HarperCollins on 17 May 2022. In March 2021, Liu published a column in Variety detailing the effects of Asian hate crimes and how "rhetoric like 'the China virus' encourages hate toward all Asian people—not just Chinese."
Education
Before pursuing acting, Simu Liu attended the University of Western Ontario, where he earned a degree in business administration from the Ivey Business School. He initially worked as an accountant for Deloitte before transitioning to acting.
