Michelle Lee

Some Lesser Known Facts About Michelle Lee

• Michelle Lee is an Asian-American actress, martial artist, motion capture performer, fight choreographer, and stuntwoman. She is renowned for appearing in the TV series Mortal Kombat: Legacy as Mileena and Blood & Treasure (2022) as Violet. She is known for starring in the films Black Widow (2021) and Bullet Train (2022). Besides her on-screen roles, Lee has worked as a stuntwoman in various action films like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), The Last Airbender (2010), and Suicide Squad (2016). She is also popular for working as a motion capture performer for many iconic video games like The Last of Us 2 for the character of Ellie, Resident Evil 6 (2012) for the character of Ada Wong, and Spiderman 4 for the character of MJ.

• Following Michelle’s birth, her parents sent her to Taiwan, where she spent her early formative years under the care of her grandmother.
  

  

  During this time, she learned to speak Chinese, her first language. Upon returning to Los Angeles at the age of five, she faced difficulty in learning English. The language barrier made her introverted. Michelle’s mother suggested she join acting classes to enhance her social skills and confidence.

• Apart from fluency in Mandarin, she has basic Spanish language skills too. ^[10]Michelle Lee – Instagram

• She grew up in the South Bay, Torrance area in LA, where she found herself surrounded by friends who were into acting. Inspired by her peers, she ventured into acting at the age of just six and got headshots like her other actor friends.

• Her interest in martial arts began in high school after watching a Wushu performance, and that’s when she started learning it. She talked about the same in an interview and said,
  

  The Beijing Wushu team came to Oakland or St Francisco, I don’t remember now. I watched a performance and I was like ‘Oh my god, what is this? I must learn it.’ When I went to LA to pursue acting, martial arts fell into the work since you bring something to the table.”

• Michelle has a black belt in Wushu.

• She played the role of a stewardess in the 1993 Australian television film The Feds.

• In 2004, she played the role of Demon Queen/Green Demon in the short film Chicks with Sticks, Part 3. The next year, she featured as a White Warrior in Chicks with Sticks: Live at the Grand Slam.

• In the same year, she participated as a contestant on the NBC reality TV show Next Action Star.

• Her noteworthy performance came in the short film Girl with Gun (2006) in which she appeared as a ninja girl. Michelle Lee received a nomination in the “Female Action Performer of the Year” category at the Action On Film International Film Festival for her role in the short film.

• Other short films in which she starred include Duan Quan (2006), The Delivery Man (2007), The Living Sword (2008), and Zambo Dende: Predictable Night (2017).

• She played small roles in various American films like 50 First Dates (2004) and You, Me and Dupree (2006).

  

• She also appeared in various TV films like Saurian (2006), playing the character Chu, and Depth Charge (2008), where she played Chang.

• In 2007, Lee started working as a stuntwoman with the American epic fantasy swashbuckler film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) in which she played the uncredited role of Lian. She did a fighting scene alongside Chow Yun-fat in the film. In 2008, Lee and other stunt performers of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End earned a nomination in the category of “Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture” at the Screen Actors Guild Award.

  

• In 2007, she provided her voice and performed motion capture for the character Lian in the action-adventure video game Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End based on the film of the same name. She also contributed as a motion capture performer in well-known video games like God of War III (2010), Resident Evil 6 (2012), Halo 5: Guardians (2015), and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017).

  

• She made appearances in various American TV shows such as Numb3rs (2006), 1000 Ways to Die (2009), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2010), and America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back (2012).

• Other acting credits under her belt include playing the role of Miss China in the American horror film Trailer Park of Terror (2008), Sherry in the American direct-to-DVD martial arts film Blood and Bone (2009), a Cop in the neo-noir martial arts film The Girl from the Naked Eye (2012), and Ekaterina Demidrova in the film Cold Fusion (2011).

  

• In 2009, she served as a double for Christina Chang in an episode titled “Red Scare” of the American drama TV series The Mentalist.

• She took on stunt roles in several American action films such as The Last Airbender (2010), Olympus Has Fallen (2010), Pacific Rim (2013), Suicide Squad (2016), and Bullet Train (2022).

• In 2010, she was featured on the cover of the United States magazine Inside Kung Fu.

  

• In Captain Marvel, Michelle worked as a stunt double for actress Gemma Chan.

• Her work as a stuntwoman includes the American series Angel of Death in 2009, Community, and The Rookie in 2018.

• Michelle Lee gained prominence for her role as Mileena in the second season of the American web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2013).

  

• In the short film Black Salt (2014), she portrayed Horse Ripper, a blind assassin characterized by inhuman speed, silence, agility, extreme ruthlessness, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to defeat an opponent.

  

• In 2014, she was featured in Métal Hurlant Chronicles, an English-language Franco-Belgian science fiction anthology series. In this series, she portrayed the character Gas in an episode titled “The Endomorphe.”

  

• Michelle also appeared as an assassin in the 2022 American action comedy film Bullet Train, featuring Brad Pitt and Joey King.

• In 2023, she appeared in an American action-adventure TV series Blood & Treasure in which she played the role of Violet, the lead character’s partner in crime.

  

• In the same year, she starred in the Hindi action thriller film Tiger 3, playing the character General Zimou. Her intense fight scene, clad in a towel at a Turkish hamam, with Pakistani agent Zoya (portrayed by Katrina Kaif) in the film gained widespread recognition.

  

• She is an active member of SWAMP (Stuntwomen’s Association of Motion Pictures).

• Michelle Lee enjoys smoking hookah and drinking alcoholic beverages occasionally.