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: Early Childhood in China
Simu Liu was raised by his grandparents in Harbin, China, until the age of 5 in April 1989.
April 1989: Simu Liu's Birth
Simu Liu was born in Harbin, China 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: Writing for Blood and Water
Simu Liu contributed to the writing of "Blood and Water" in 2016.
2016: Role in Taken
Simu Liu was cast in NBC's "Taken" series 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: 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: Continued Role in Blood and Water
Simu Liu continued his role in the series "Blood and Water" into 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: Hello! Canada Recognition
Simu Liu was again named one of Hello! magazine's 50 Most Beautiful Canadians and 25 Hottest Bachelors 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: Kim's Convenience Wins Best Comedy Series
"Kim's Convenience" won Best Comedy Series at the Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.
2018: Appearances in The Expanse and Yappie
Simu Liu appeared in "The Expanse" and "Yappie" 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: Stock Photos Resurface
Simu Liu's stock photos gained attention in 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.
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: 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.
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: 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.
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.