History of Simu Liu in Timeline

Simu Liu is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Shang-Chi in Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." He gained recognition for playing Jung Kim in the popular Canadian sitcom "Kim's Convenience" and for his appearance in "Barbie" (2023). His performance in "Blood and Water" earned him nominations for ACTRA and Canadian Screen Awards.

April 1989: Simu Liu's Birth

Simu Liu was born in Harbin, China in April 1989.

April 1989: Early Childhood in China

Simu Liu was raised by his grandparents in Harbin, China, until the age of 5 in April 1989.

April 2012: Job Loss and Career Shift

Simu Liu was laid off from his accounting job at Deloitte in April 2012 and decided to pursue acting.

2012: Early Acting and Stunt Work

Simu Liu began working as an extra and stuntman in 2012, appearing in projects like "Pacific Rim" and "Sick: Survive the Night".

2013: Debut Short Film

Simu Liu's short film "Open Gym" debuted in 2013.

2014: Role in Beauty and the Beast

Simu Liu appeared in "Beauty and the Beast" in 2014.

2014: Stock Photo Modeling

Simu Liu modeled for stock photos in 2014.

2015: Creation of Crimson Defender vs. The Slightly Racist Family

Simu Liu created the short film "Crimson Defender vs. The Slightly Racist Family" in 2015.

2015: Role in Blood and Water

Simu Liu was cast in "Blood and Water" in 2015.

2015: Casting in Kim's Convenience

Simu Liu was cast in the lead role of Jung Kim in "Kim's Convenience" in 2015.

2016: Dora Mavor Moore Award Nomination

Simu Liu and his castmates were nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Ensemble for their performance in Banana Boys in 2016.

2016: Start of Role in Kim's Convenience

Simu Liu began playing Jung Kim in the CBC sitcom "Kim's Convenience" in 2016.

2016: Continued Role in Blood and Water

Simu Liu continued his role in the series "Blood and Water" into 2016.

2016: Role in Taken

Simu Liu was cast in NBC's "Taken" series in 2016.

December 2017: Article in Maclean's Magazine

Simu Liu wrote an article for Maclean's magazine in December 2017.

2017: ACTRA Award Win and Nominations

Simu Liu and the cast of Kim's Convenience won the ACTRA Award for Outstanding Ensemble in 2017. Liu was also nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and an individual ACTRA Award for his work in Blood and Water.

2017: Roles in Slasher and Bad Blood

Simu Liu appeared in "Slasher" and "Bad Blood" in 2017.

2017: Award Nominations

Simu Liu received award nominations for his work in "Blood and Water" in 2017.

2017: Hello! Canada Recognition

Simu Liu was named one of Hello! magazine's 50 Most Beautiful Canadians and 25 Hottest Bachelors in 2017.

2017: Collaboration with Wong Fu Productions

Simu Liu worked with Wong Fu Productions on "Meeting Mommy" in 2017.

January 2018: Publication of Maclean's Article

Simu Liu's Maclean's article was published in January 2018.

February 2018: Release of Meeting Mommy and Founding of Production Company

"Meeting Mommy" was released in February 2018, and Simu Liu founded 4:12 Entertainment.

December 2018: Initial Interest in Shang-Chi Role

Simu Liu expressed interest in playing Shang-Chi on Twitter in December 2018.

2018: Kim's Convenience Wins Best Comedy Series

"Kim's Convenience" won Best Comedy Series at the Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.

2018: ACTRA Award Nomination and Canadian Screen Award Win

Kim's Convenience won Best Comedy Series at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards. Liu and his castmates were also nominated for the ACTRA Award for Outstanding Ensemble.

2018: Appearances in The Expanse and Yappie

Simu Liu appeared in "The Expanse" and "Yappie" in 2018.

2018: Hello! Canada Recognition

Simu Liu was again named one of Hello! magazine's 50 Most Beautiful Canadians and 25 Hottest Bachelors in 2018.

2019: Kim's Convenience International Recognition

"Kim's Convenience" won "Most Popular Foreign Drama" at the Seoul International Drama Awards in 2019.

2019: Guest Appearances on Fresh Off the Boat and Awkwafina

In 2019, Simu Liu made guest appearances on "Fresh Off the Boat" and "Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens".

2019: ACTRA Award Nomination

Simu Liu and his castmates were nominated for the ACTRA Award for Outstanding Ensemble in 2019.

2019: Casting as Shang-Chi Announced

Simu Liu's casting as Shang-Chi was announced at Comic-Con in 2019.

October 2020: UNICEF Canada Ambassador

Simu Liu became a UNICEF Canada Ambassador in October 2020.

March 2021: Column in Variety

Simu Liu published a column in Variety regarding Asian hate crimes in March 2021.

May 2021: Men's Health Magazine Cover

In May 2021, Simu Liu became the first East Asian man to be featured on the cover of Men's Health magazine in over a decade.

September 2021: Release of Shang-Chi

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was released in September 2021.

September 2021: Voice Role in Bright: Samurai Soul

It was announced in September 2021 that Simu Liu would voice a lead role in "Bright: Samurai Soul".

November 2021: Saturday Night Live Host

Simu Liu became the fourth actor of Chinese descent to host Saturday Night Live in November 2021.

2021: Role as Shang-Chi

Simu Liu portrayed Shang-Chi in Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" in 2021.

2021: Conclusion of Kim's Convenience

Simu Liu's run on "Kim's Convenience" ended in 2021.

2021: Stock Photos Resurface

Simu Liu's stock photos gained attention in 2021.

February 2022: Casting in Barbie and Simulant

Simu Liu joined the casts of "Barbie" and "Simulant" in February 2022.

May 2022: Memoir Publication

Simu Liu's memoir, "We Were Dreamers", was published in May 2022.

December 2022: Appearance in Ronny Chieng Special and Candlelight Processional

Simu Liu appeared in "Ronny Chieng Takes Chinatown" and narrated Disney's Candlelight Processional in December 2022.

2022: Memoir Publication and Time 100 Recognition

In 2022, Simu Liu published his memoir, "We Were Dreamers", and was listed as one of Time's 100 most influential people.

2022: Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People

In 2022, Simu Liu was recognized as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. He also hosted the 2022 Juno Awards.

2022: Canadian Screen Award for Best Host

Simu Liu won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Host in a Live Entertainment Special for the 2022 Juno Awards.

January 2023: Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Radius Award

Simu Liu won the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Radius Award in January 2023.

April 2023: Release of Debut Single

Simu Liu released his debut single, "Don't", in April 2023.

2023: Release of Barbie and Simulant

Both "Barbie" and "Simulant", starring Simu Liu, were released in 2023.

2023: UNICEF Canada Youth Advocacy Summit Appearance

Despite tearing his Achilles tendon, Simu Liu made an appearance at the UNICEF Canada Youth Advocacy Summit in 2023.

2023: Juno Awards Host

Simu Liu hosted the Juno Awards in 2023.

2023: MìLà Chief Content Officer

Simu Liu joined MìLà, a soup dumpling company, as its chief content officer in 2023.

2023: Role in Barbie

Simu Liu played one of the Ken dolls in the movie "Barbie" in 2023.

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