Olivia Faith Liang (born May 11, 1993) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Alyssa Chang in the television series Legacies and Nicky Shen in Kung Fu. Liang has also appeared in television series including Grey's Anatomy, Into the Dark, and One Day at a Time.
Contents
Life and career
Olivia Faith Liang was born on 11 May 1993, She grew up in Diamond Bar, California. Liang became interested in acting at a young age and also trained in dance. She studied ballet, jazz and hip-hop and later described dance as her first form of storytelling.
She attended the University of California, San Diego, where she studied communications. After graduating, she attended an acting program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Liang began her television career with guest roles, including appearances in One Day at a Time and Grey's Anatomy. In 2017, she was selected for the ABC Discovers Talent Showcase. Thereafter, she appeared in Hulu's Into the Dark and The CW's Legacies.
In 2020, she was cast in The CW's Kung Fu. After more than 150 actresses auditioned for the role. At the time, she was appearing as Alyssa Chang on Legacies. Liang had not studied martial arts before being cast in Kung Fu. After being cast as Nicky Shen, she began training for the role. The series premiered in April 2021 and ran for three seasons, ending in 2023. In May 2021, Liang appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to promote Kung Fu.
In 2023, Liang joined the cast of Paper Flowers, an independent film directed by Karan Soni.
Personal life
Liang has spoken about having anorexia as a teenager. She said that her experience with dance contributed to the pressure she felt about her body and appearance. She later discussed the experience in an interview with Women's Health.
