Simu Liu is 37 years old. The Canadian actor and author, born in Harbin, China, on April 19, 1989, married Allison Hsu in France in October 2026, and his net worth is approximately $12 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026). Liu is best known for playing Jung Kim in the sitcom Kim’s Convenience, for headlining Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and for playing Rival Ken in Barbie — a rise that began not in acting school, but at a desk at Deloitte.
Simu Liu Quick Facts
| Full Name | Simu Liu |
| Date of Birth | April 19, 1989 |
| Age | 37 years old |
| Birthplace | Harbin, Heilongjiang, China |
| Wife | Allison Hsu (m. 2026) |
| Occupation | Actor, author |
| Net Worth | Approx. $12 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026) |
| Known For | Kim’s Convenience; Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings; Barbie |
Who Is Simu Liu?
Simu Liu is a Canadian actor and author whose career is one of the most unlikely success stories in modern Hollywood. Before he ever appeared on screen, he worked as an accountant at Deloitte — a job he was laid off from in April 2012 after nine months. Within a decade he was headlining a Marvel film. He first became widely known as Jung Kim in the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience (2016–2021), then made history as the star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), the first Asian-led film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He followed that by playing Rival Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023), one of the biggest films of the decade.
Beyond acting, Liu is the author of the memoir We Were Dreamers (2022), a Time 100 honouree (2022), a former host of Saturday Night Live and the Juno Awards, and a UNICEF Canada ambassador. Like fellow actors Dev Patel and Riz Ahmed, Liu has used his platform to speak openly about representation and the Asian diaspora experience — and, like them, he has moved between independent projects, prestige television and blockbuster franchises.
Simu Liu’s Early Life & Background
Simu Liu was born on April 19, 1989, in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. His parents met while studying engineering at university in Beijing; his father, Zhenning Liu, later went to the United States for his PhD while his mother, Zheng Liu, worked in Beijing. Until the age of five, Liu was raised by his grandparents in Harbin, in a small apartment without running water for much of the day — a childhood he has recalled as “idyllic and happy”. He then emigrated to Canada to rejoin his parents, arriving first in Kingston, Ontario, where his father was doing doctoral work at Queen’s University, before the family settled in Mississauga, Ontario. His parents supplemented their scholarships with dish-washing jobs and eventually became aerospace engineers.
He attended Sydenham Public School and the University of Toronto Schools, then studied business administration at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. After graduating he worked as an accountant at Deloitte, but he was laid off in April 2012 after nine months on the job — and decided to pursue acting and stunt work instead. The decision put a strain on his relationship with his parents, who at one point excluded him from family visits, though a reconciliation began in 2016. He later wrote candidly about his upbringing — including the “tiger parenting” and the deprivation his parents had experienced during the Cultural Revolution — in his memoir We Were Dreamers.
Simu Liu’s Career
Liu began his screen career as an extra and stunt performer, appearing uncredited in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim (2013) and in the music video for Avicii’s “I Could Be the One”. Small television roles followed in Nikita (2012) and Beauty and the Beast (2014), and he earned $100 posing for stock photographs in 2014 — images that later went viral. His first significant role came as Paul Xie in the crime drama Blood and Water (2015–2016), which brought him Canadian Screen Award and ACTRA Award nominations, and he also appeared in the NBC prequel series Taken (2016). In 2016 he was cast as Jung Kim in Kim’s Convenience, the CBC sitcom about a Korean-Canadian family running a corner store, which ran for five seasons and made him a household name in Canada.
The role that changed everything came in July 2019, when Marvel announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Liu would play Shang-Chi. He had publicly asked the studio about the role on Twitter in December 2018, eight months earlier. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released on September 3, 2021, making history as Marvel’s first Asian-led film, and Liu has since reprised the role in the animated series What If…? (2024) and Marvel Zombies (2025), with appearances in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) to come. In 2023 he played Rival Ken in Barbie, and his other film credits include Simulant (2023), Arthur the King, Atlas and Jackpot! (2024) and the survival thriller Last Breath (2025).
His recent work has ranged widely: he played the lead in the spy thriller The Copenhagen Test (2025), which he also executive-produced, hosted the reality competition Got to Get Out (2025), voiced a character in Invincible (2025) and made his Broadway debut in Oh, Mary! in February 2026, playing Mary’s Teacher at the Lyceum Theatre. Away from the screen, he published his memoir We Were Dreamers with HarperCollins in May 2022, wrote a Variety column in March 2021 about anti-Asian hate, became a UNICEF Canada ambassador in October 2020, and has worked as chief content officer of the soup-dumpling company MìLà and launched the venture capital firm Markham Valley Ventures in 2023. He is also developing a live-action adaptation of the video game Sleeping Dogs and signed with the agency WME in September 2026.
Facts About Simu Liu
- Before acting, he worked as an accountant at Deloitte and was laid off in April 2012 after nine months.
- He earned $100 posing for stock photographs in 2014 — some of those images later went viral.
- He publicly asked Marvel about playing Shang-Chi on Twitter in December 2018, eight months before he was cast.
- He was the first East Asian man to cover Men’s Health in more than a decade, in May 2021.
- He hosted Saturday Night Live in November 2021, the fourth actor of Chinese descent to host the show.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Simu Liu?
Simu Liu is 37 years old. He was born on April 19, 1989, in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Who is Simu Liu’s wife?
Simu Liu’s wife is Allison Hsu. They began dating in 2022, got engaged in Paris in May 2025 and married in France in October 2026.
What is Simu Liu’s net worth?
Simu Liu’s net worth is approximately $12 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026).
What is Simu Liu best known for?
Simu Liu is best known for playing Jung Kim in Kim’s Convenience, Shang-Chi in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Rival Ken in Barbie.
Did Simu Liu write a book?
Yes. Simu Liu wrote the memoir We Were Dreamers, published by HarperCollins in May 2022. It tells the story of his family’s immigration from China to Canada and his unlikely path from accountant to Marvel star.
How old is Simu Liu?
Simu Liu is 37 years old. He was born on April 19, 1989, in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Who is Simu Liu’s wife?
Simu Liu’s wife is Allison Hsu. They began dating in 2022, got engaged in Paris in May 2025 and married in France in October 2026.
What is Simu Liu’s net worth?
Simu Liu’s net worth is approximately $12 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026).
What is Simu Liu best known for?
Simu Liu is best known for playing Jung Kim in Kim’s Convenience, Shang-Chi in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Rival Ken in Barbie.
Did Simu Liu write a book?
Yes. Simu Liu wrote the memoir We Were Dreamers, published by HarperCollins in May 2022. It tells the story of his family’s immigration from China to Canada and his unlikely path from accountant to Marvel star.
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