Li Jun Li

Li Jun Li was born in Shanghai, China. When she was six, her father, a painter, moved the family to Bogotá, Colombia, for work, and the family later immigrated to New York City. Spanish became her second language during her childhood in South America.

She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School's dance program as a dance major and later studied at the SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory. She began performing in classical Chinese dance and school musicals, experiences that led her from dance toward acting. Her childhood experiences of isolation and bullying in South America also shaped her determination and ability to persevere.

Li began her professional acting career in musical theatre. In 2008, she originated the role of Liat in the Tony Award-winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific at New York's Lincoln Center, appearing opposite Matthew Morrison. She subsequently took small roles in television programs including Blue Bloods, Body of Proof, One Life to Live, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Her recurring role as Maggie Huang on the crime series Damages helped bring her greater visibility. She went on to appear in The Following, Chinese Puzzle, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Song One, and Jonathan Demme's Ricki and the Flash. In 2015, she held prominent television roles in Neil LaBute's Billy and Billie and Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, where she played crime scene technician Akeela.

Li joined Quantico in 2016 as FBI recruit Iris Chang and also appeared in the fourth season of Chicago P.D. as Julie Tay. Her later television credits include Rose Cooper in The Exorcist, Jenny Wah in Wu Assassins, Amy Grove in Why Women Kill, Grace Ling in Evil, Wu Zhi in Devils, Francesca in Sex/Life, and Michelle in Based on a True Story. She was cast as Felicia "Cat" Hardy in Spider-Noir and as Min in the fourth season of The Night Agent.

In Damien Chazelle's Babylon, Li played Lady Fay Zhu, a fictional character inspired by the pioneering Asian American actress Anna May Wong. The film is set in 1920s Los Angeles and follows several figures during an era of major change and excess in early Hollywood. Li appeared in the ensemble alongside Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, and Jovan Adepo.

Lady Fay's performance style reflects the character's use of multiple personas, including a faux-Chinese accent that feeds into the period's fetishization of Orientalism. Li performed the song "My Girl's Pussy" in the film, using the role to explore representation, discrimination, and the legacy of Anna May Wong.

Li portrayed shopkeeper Grace Chow in Ryan Coogler's supernatural thriller Sinners, which premiered in 2025. The film received critical acclaim, and Li was part of the cast that received the Gotham Independent Film Awards Ensemble Tribute Award.

Her work in Sinners followed her appearances in Babylon and Wu Assassins, continuing her movement between period cinema, supernatural drama, and genre productions.