Margaret Denise Quigley was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a father of
Polish and Irish descent (originally based in New York) and a
Vietnamese mother. Her parents met during the Vietnam War. Maggie has
two older half-siblings from her mother's previous marriage, and two
older sisters. The family moved to Hawaii and settled in Mililani.
Maggie dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but modeled and found
herself bursting onto the Hong Kong movie scene - eventually becoming a
full-fledged superstar in Asia. She changed her name to the easily
pronounceable "Maggie Q" (for the Chinese audience). She had a cameo in
the
Jackie Chan and
Chris Tucker smash hit
Rush Hour 2 (2001) and is part of the
supporting cast in
Mission: Impossible III (2006),
starring
Tom Cruise.