Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968 ) is an American actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen
who was
Miss Teen USA 1985
Miss Teen USA 1985, the 3rd Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from the James L. Knight International Center Arena in Miami, Florida on 22 January 1985. At the conclusion of the final competition, Kelly Hu of Hawaii was crowned by outgo ...
and
Miss Hawaii USA 1993. Hu starred as
Dr. Rae Chang on the American television soap opera ''
Sunset Beach'' and as Michelle Chan on the American television police drama series ''
Nash Bridges
''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
The seri ...
''. She has starred in numerous films including ''
The Scorpion King
''The Scorpion King'' is a 2002 American sword and sorcery action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is both a prequel and spin-off of ''The ...
'' (2002) as Cassandra, ''
Cradle 2 the Grave
''Cradle 2 the Grave'' is a 2003 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak and starring Jet Li and DMX. The film was released in the United States on February 28, 2003.
Plot
Anthony Fait and his crew of thieves attempt to steal diamon ...
'' (2003) as Sona, ''
X2'' as
Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike (2003), ''
The Tournament'' (2009) as Lai Lai Zhen, and ''
White Frog
''White Frog'' is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Quentin Lee and written by Fabienne Wen. The film's plot follows neglected 16-year-old Nick Young, played by Booboo Stewart, a teenager with autism spectrum disorder whose life is chan ...
'' (2012).
Hu has had recurring roles as Pearl on
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
series ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...
'', as
China White on the CW series ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
'',
Hamato Miwa / Karai on ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
'', Stacy Hirano on the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
animated series ''
Phineas and Ferb
''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was originally broadcast as a ...
'', and as Adira in ''
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure
''Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure'' (known as ''Tangled: The Series'' during its first season) is an American animated television series developed by Chris Sonnenburg and Shane Prigmore, and produced by Disney Television Animation. It premiered on Di ...
''.
Early life
Hu was born in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, the daughter of Juanita Perez, an
engineering drafter from Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder. Her parents divorced during Hu's childhood. Her brother, Glenn, is a Resource Manager in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. She is of Chinese, English, and Hawaiian descent. She attended Maemae Elementary School and
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaii established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal membe ...
in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Hu has held a lifelong interest in singing and dancing and has also been interested in
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
since her early childhood. Hu's cousin was a successful model in Japan, and Hu decided to follow her example. Kelly Hu won the title of
Miss Hawaii Teen USA
The Miss Hawaii Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss Teen USA pageant.
Although Hawaii has made the cut fewer times than many states, they have achieved a number of high p ...
and competed in the
Miss Teen USA 1985
Miss Teen USA 1985, the 3rd Miss Teen USA pageant, was televised live from the James L. Knight International Center Arena in Miami, Florida on 22 January 1985. At the conclusion of the final competition, Kelly Hu of Hawaii was crowned by outgo ...
pageant, becoming the
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant formerly run, since 1983, by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. Unlike its sister pageants Miss Universe, which currently broadcasts on Fox and Miss USA, this pageant is webcast on the Mis ...
pageant's third titleholder in history and its first
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
winner. Hu has mentioned in interviews that her mother had told her America was not ready for an Asian as such a prominent role model. She discovered after winning that she was prohibited from appearing in non-contest related activities for the year of her reign, though this rule was changed in later years.
Career
Hu modeled in Japan and Italy, and became well known in the latter as the star of a series of television advertisements for
Philadelphia brand cream cheese
Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration de ...
, playing a young Japanese college student named Kaori.
Hu won the title of
Miss Hawaii USA
The Miss Hawaii USA competition, previously known as Miss Hawaii Universe, is a beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of Hawaii in the Miss USA pageant.
Kiana Yamat of Honolulu was crowned Miss Hawaii USA 2022 on Februar ...
in 1993, becoming the first former Miss Teen USA to win a Miss USA state title. In the
1993 Miss USA pageant, held in
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, Hu entered the top ten in second place, after winning the preliminary interview competition and placing second and third, respectively, in swimsuit and evening gown. She then made the top six, ranked second, winning the top ten evening gown competition and placing second in swimsuit. She was eliminated in fourth place after the judges' questions, just 2/100 of a point from the final three.
Hu moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and began her acting career in 1987, with a guest starring role as
Mike Seaver's Hawaiian love interest on the sitcom ''
Growing Pains
''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Se ...
''. Hu followed this with appearances on various television series, including ''
Night Court
''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portray ...
'', ''
Tour of Duty
For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...
'', ''
21 Jump Street
''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...
'' and ''
Melrose Place
''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...
''. Her first film role was in ''
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan''. In 1995, Hu starred as an undercover police officer in the film ''No Way Back''. Hu was cast as
Dr. Rae Chang on ''
Sunset Beach'' for six months in 1997. Afterwards, she was cast as police officers Michelle Chan in the television series ''
Nash Bridges
''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
The seri ...
'', and Pei Pei "Grace" Chen on ''
Martial Law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
''. Her subsequent film appearances include ''
The Scorpion King
''The Scorpion King'' is a 2002 American sword and sorcery action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is both a prequel and spin-off of ''The ...
'' (2002) and ''
Cradle 2 the Grave
''Cradle 2 the Grave'' is a 2003 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak and starring Jet Li and DMX. The film was released in the United States on February 28, 2003.
Plot
Anthony Fait and his crew of thieves attempt to steal diamon ...
'' (2003). In ''
X2'' (2003), she appeared as Yuriko Oyama/
Deathstrike,
William Stryker
The Reverend William Stryker is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A minister and former sergeant with a strong hatred for mutants, he is usually depicted as an enemy of the X-Men. He is also the f ...
's controlled partner.
She was Agent Mia Chen on the last three episodes of the television series ''
Threat Matrix
''Threat Matrix'' is an American drama television series created by Daniel Voll that aired on ABC from September 18, 2003 to January 29, 2004 which lasted 16 episodes. The plot consisted of the events in a United States Homeland Security anti-t ...
'' in 2004. She also starred in 2005's ''
Underclassman
''Underclassman'' is a 2005 American action comedy film directed by Marcos Siega and starring Nick Cannon, Shawn Ashmore, Roselyn Sánchez, Kelly Hu, Hugh Bonneville, and Cheech Marin. It was released on September 2, 2005, had been originally se ...
'' alongside
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
and in 2006's ''
Americanese
''Americanese'' is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Eric Byler and starring Chris Tashima, Allison Sie, Kelly Hu, Ben Shenkman, Autumn Reeser, and Joan Chen. It is based on the novel ''American Knees'' by Shawn Wong, concerning the ...
'', ''
Undoing'' and ''Devil's Den''. During the first quarter of 2007, she completed filming the film ''
Stilletto'', followed by ''
Farmhouse
FarmHouse (FH) is a social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 33 active chapters and four associate ch ...
''.
In January 2007, Hu began appearing in a full-time role on the
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
In Case of Emergency
In Case of Emergency (ICE) is a programme designed to enable first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, as well as hospital personnel, to contact the next of kin of the owner of a mobile phone in order to obtain im ...
''. She played Kelly Lee, a
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian Americans ...
woman who accidentally reunites with her
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
classmates and realizes none of them grew up according to their high school plans. The show did not have a successful run, being cancelled after airing 12 episodes and leaving its season finale un-aired. The same year she appeared in films, ''
The Air I Breathe
''The Air I Breathe'' is a 2007 crime drama film and the directorial debut of Korean-American filmmaker Jieho Lee, who co-wrote the script with Bob DeRosa. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gella ...
'' and ''
Shanghai Kiss
''Shanghai Kiss'' is a 2007 direct-to-DVD film directed by Kern Konwiser and David Ren. It was released on DVD on October 9, 2007. Hayden Panettiere won the Feature Film Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival for her role as Adelaide.
Liam Liu ...
.'' By the same year, Hu recurringly voiced Stacy Hirano in the animated series ''
Phineas and Ferb
''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was originally broadcast as a ...
'' until 2015 when the show ended. In 2020, she would reprise her role in the animated film ''
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe''.
In 2009, she appeared in the film ''
The Tournament'' as Lai-Lai Zhen. In April 2009, Hu developed the character JIA for ''
Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology''. She was the first guest actor to cross over between the television series, ''
NCIS: Los Angeles'' and ''
NCIS'', playing Lee Wuan Kai in a two-episode arc within both series. In 2010 and 2011, Hu guest-starred as a vampire named Pearl on the
CW television series, ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...
''.
In 2010, Hu began a recurring role on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
television series ''
Hawaii Five-0
Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to:
* Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series
* Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series), ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an Ame ...
''. In 2012, Hu was cast in the role of
Karai in the animated series ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
''. She commented: "It wouldn't quite be the first time I played a ninja, I think. Yeah, I don't know why people think I'm dangerous, but for some reason, I keep getting these roles for the ninja, assassin, bodyguard, bad-girl type." In 2013, she joined the cast of the series ''
Warehouse 13
''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executive produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Described ...
'' as Abigail Cho, the new owner of the Warehouse-connected B&B.
She also provided voice talents in video games including ''
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords'' as Visas Marr, the
Sith woman who joins the
Jedi Exile
''Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords'' is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by LucasArts. It is the sequel to BioWare's ''Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game), Star Wa ...
's party, and ''
Batman: Arkham Origins'' as
Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva (real name Sandra San or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and first appeared in ''Richard Dra ...
, among the eight assassins hired by Black Mask to kill Batman
(a role she reprised in the 2021 animated film ''
Batman: Soul of the Dragon''). In a personal first, she lent both her face and voice to the in-game character Khai Minh Dao in ''
Battlefield Hardline
''Battlefield Hardline'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in March 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Unlike the prev ...
'', who partnered alongside the protagonist in roughly half of the game levels.
Hu has been featured twice in ''
Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
'' magazine (May 2002 and May 2005). In 2015, she became the face of Viagra, appearing in the commercials.
Personal life
Hu is an avid
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
fan and has frequently taken part in competitions such as the
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...
and
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the fi ...
, including the WPT Celebrity Charity match on March 3, 2008. She was part of HollywoodPoker.com's "Celebrity Poker Night" on May 30, 2006, and in July 2006 placed in the top 200 in the World Series of Poker Ladies Tournament, besting nearly 1,000 other competitors.
Activism
![Kelly Hu on April 10, 2013 (by May S](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Kelly_Hu_on_April_10%2C_2013_%28by_May_S.Young%29.jpg)
Hu has supported the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment and in 2004 starred in a public service announcement for them titled "The Least Likely" to encourage young Asian Americans to register and vote.
In 2007, Hu was a driver in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race a national fund-raising program supporting children's hospitals throughout the United States. In April 2011, Hu was a celebrity host for Save the Children's "Caring for Japan's Keiki" a benefit for Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims. Also in 2011 she hosted a Celebrity Poker Tournament in support for Best Buddies International, a charity to which she has given support for several years.
In January 2008, Hu participated in a video for
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
produced by
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
called "
Yes We Can". She campaigned for Obama in Hawaii in the run-up to the February 19, 2008,
Democratic caucuses. In February 2008, Hu also appeared in another
viral video
A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Haupt ...
in support of Obama, "
Sí Se Puede Cambiar", written and performed by
Andrés Useche, directed by
Eric Byler
Eric Byler (born January 15, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter and political activist.
Personal life
Byler identifies as hapa biracial, born to a Chinese American mother and a white American father. He grew up in Virginia, Hawa ...
. She was the emcee of the
Asian American Action Fund
The Asian American Action Fund (AAAFund) is an American Democratic political action committee founded in 1999. AAAFund's goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in every level of local, state and federal g ...
's annual fundraiser on June 10, 2008. She was present at the DNC national convention in 2008.
Hu has been active to protect the Hawaiian ecology. She supported Reef Check Hawaii by running in and successfully completing the Honolulu Marathon to raise awareness for the organization. She also gave support to the
Shark Fin Ban which took effect in Hawaii July 2010.
This made it illegal to possess, sell, or distribute shark fins in Hawaii.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hu, Kelly
1968 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Honolulu
Actresses from Los Angeles
Female models from Hawaii
American film actresses
American actresses of Chinese descent
American people of Native Hawaiian descent
American soap opera actresses
American television actresses
American video game actresses
American voice actresses
Hawaii Democrats
Kamehameha Schools alumni
Living people
Miss Photogenic at Miss USA
Miss Teen USA winners
Miss USA 1993 delegates
Hawaii people of Chinese descent
Native Hawaiian actresses