Jessica Lu

Jessica Lu is an American actress and model. She is best known for her television role as Ming Huang on the MTV series Awkward.

Lu was born and raised in Schaumburg, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Her father, who is Chinese and Japanese, worked as a photographer, and her mother, who is Chinese, worked as a singer; both parents originated from South Korea. Growing up in a household where English, Mandarin, and Korean were spoken, Lu entertained customers at her parents' Chicago restaurant. She began dancing at age six in ballet, tap, and jazz, while also taking singing, piano, and violin lessons. Inspired by Olympic competitors Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan, she practiced figure skating during early morning lessons before school.

She began modeling and acting at a young age, becoming a prominent child talent in Chicago. By age 10, she had appeared in advertising campaigns for brands such as Calvin Klein, Oshkosh, Marshall Field's, Got Milk?, and Chicago Place. Additionally, she performed in commercials for companies including McDonald's, Ford Motors, Orville Redenbacher's, Samsung, and Kaiser Permanente. She later attended Columbia College Chicago, where she graduated with honors with a degree in Musical Theater Performance.

In 2008, Lu relocated to Los Angeles, California, to pursue her career. Shortly after moving, she secured her break-out role as Ming Huang on the television series Awkward. Following this performance, she appeared in a variety of dramatic and comedic television roles. Her guest appearances include playing a hipster alongside Kathy Bates in American Horror Story: Hotel on FX, an upscale escort opposite Tim Robbins in Here and Now on HBO, an admirer alongside Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer on Two and a Half Men on CBS, and a terminally ill teenager on Red Band Society on FOX.

In 2018, Lu starred as tech genius CEO Alexis Barrett on the NBC series Reverie alongside Sarah Shahi, Dennis Haysbert, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Kathryn Morris. Her performance in Reverie earned critical attention, including a Performer of the Week honorable mention from TVLine for the season one finale. She also appeared as a co-star on the CBS television drama series God Friended Me, portraying the character Joy.