Lucy Liu loves the mom life.
The Charlie’s Angels star, who celebrates her 57th birthday on Dec. 2, 2025, welcomed her first and only child Rockwell through a surrogate on Aug. 27, 2015.
“It just seemed like the right option for me because I was working and I didn’t know when I was going to be able to stop,” she told PEOPLE in 2016 of her decision to have her son via surrogacy.
He’s starting to become aware of how much starpower his mom has, too. While promoting her holiday film Red One, she recalled Rockwell’s reaction to seeing her on screen.
“I think he forgot that I was in the movie, and then, he saw me and started hugging my arm and said he was so proud of me,” she said on Live with Kelly and Mark. “I almost burst into tears.”
As Rockwell has grown up, Liu has occasionally given glimpses into his childhood in New York City — and has even brought him to her Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in 2019. On her 57th birthday, see rare photos of the SAG Award-winning actress and her beloved son.
Welcome to the World
Lucy Liu Instagram
“Introducing the new little man in my life, my son Rockwell Lloyd Liu,” she wrote on Instagram, announcing her baby’s birth.
Works of Art
Lucy Liu Instagram
Liu, who is also painter, started her baby boy’s appreciation for art early with a visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Fruits of Their Labor
Lucy Liu Instagram
In an intimate snap from Rockwell’s toddler years, the trailblazer shared a bowl of fruit with her son, whom she named after a store she encountered while filming a project.
Dog Days
Lucy Liu Instagram
Rockwell’s addition to the family brought their household to three, as Liu previously owned a chocolate Labrador named Apple.
“She’s really gentle,” Lucy told PEOPLE in 2016. “She’s protective, too. She’ll sit between him and whoever else comes in just to make sure they don’t step on him. It’s really beautiful to see how they interact.”
Toothy Grin
Lucy Liu Instagram
They grow up so fast! She shared a smiley selfie of the two after Rockwell began losing his baby teeth.
Star Support
Morgan Lieberman/FilmMagic
At the Elementary actress’ Hollywood Walk of Fame star unveiling, Rockwell supported his mom as she became the second Chinese American woman to receive the honor.
New Year, New Me
Lucy Liu Instagram
She dressed a cheery Rockwell in traditional Chinese New Year garb to ring in the Year of the Ox.
Fancy Family
Lucy Liu/Instagram
At a White House event for AANHPI Heritage Month in May 2024, Liu took an 8-year-old Rockwell for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see his mom introduce then-President Joe Biden.