Margaret Denise Quigley, commonly known as Maggie Q, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a father of Polish and Irish descent, originally based in New York, and a Vietnamese mother, who met during the Vietnam War. She has two older half-siblings from her mother's previous marriage and two older sisters. The family relocated to Hawaii and settled in Mililani.
Maggie initially dreamed of pursuing a career as a veterinarian, but her aspirations took a different turn when she discovered modeling. She soon found herself bursting onto the Hong Kong movie scene, eventually becoming a full-fledged superstar in Asia. To make her name more easily pronounceable for the Chinese audience, she changed it to "Maggie Q".
Maggie Q made a memorable cameo appearance in the highly successful Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker film Rush Hour 2 (2001). She also joined the supporting cast of Mission: Impossible III (2006),starring Tom Cruise.
