| Kelly Hu | |
|---|---|
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| Birth name | Kelly Ann Hu |
| Born | February 13 1968 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Official site | KellyHu.com |
Kelly Ann Hu (Chinese name: 胡凱麗; Pinyin: Hú Kǎilì; born February 13, 1968) is an Asian American actress and former fashion model who held the Miss Teen USA 1985 title.
Contents |
Biography
Early life
Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird feeder; the two divorced during Hu's childhood.[1] She is of English, Chinese, and Hawaiian descent.[2] She attended Maʻemaʻe Elementary School and Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.
Hu has held a lifelong interest in singing and dancing and has also been interested in martial arts since her early childhood, when her older brother would arrange for her to fight neighborhood boys. Hu's cousin was a successful model in Japan and Hu decided to follow her example. To gain publicity, Kelly won the Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1985 title and competed in the Miss Teen USA 1985 pageant, becoming the third Miss Teen USA titleholder. Hu has mentioned in interviews that her mother had told her America was not ready for an Asian as such a prominent role model. However, Hu became the first Asian American to win the title. Ironically enough, she discovered after winning that she was prohibited from appearing in non-contest related activities for the year of her reign.
Career
Hu worked in Japan and Italy, the latter in which she became well-known as the star of a series of ads for Philadelphia brand cream cheese (she interpreted a young Japanese college student named Kaori). Hu moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career in 1987 with a guest starring role on the sitcom Growing Pains. Hu followed this with appearances on TV series such as Night Court, Tour of Duty, 21 Jump Street, and Melrose Place and her first movie role in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Hu also won the title of Miss Hawaii USA in 1993 and was a finalist at the 1993 Miss USA pageant held in Wichita, Kansas.
In 1995, Hu played an undercover police officer in the movie No Way Back. While the movie was not a major success, it opened a new career direction for Hu in action adventure roles. She was then cast as Dr. Rae Chang on Sunset Beach for six months in 1997. Afterwards, Hu was cast as police officers Michelle Chan in the television series Nash Bridges (1997 – 1998) and Pei Pei "Grace" Chen on Martial Law (1998 – 2000). Her subsequent movie appearances include The Scorpion King (2002), Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) and X2 (2003). She provided voice talents for the popular video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords as Visas Marr, the Sith woman who joins the Exile's party. Hu has been featured twice in Maxim magazine (May 2002 and May 2005). In January 2007, Hu began appearing in a full time role on the TV series In Case of Emergency. She plays Kelly Lee, a Korean-American woman who accidentally reunites with her high school classmates, yet realizes none of them grew up according to their high school plans. During the first quarter of 2007 Kelly completed filming the film Stilleto, and after that The Farmhouse.
Personal life
Hu, a member of CAUSE USA,[3] an organization which encourages Asian Americans to participate in the democratic process, was instrumental in creating the innovative PSA The Least Likely.[4] This clip purports to be a promo for a typical fantasy-adventure movie, only to reveal its message at the end. It aired on MTV and other networks with appeal to young people and Asian Americans. Hu graduated Pepperdine University in Malibu. She resides in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. She has never been married. Her brother, Glenn, is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army.
Filmography
Anime Roles
- Afro Samurai - Okiku
Non-Anime Roles
- Robot Chicken - Additional Voices
Live-Action Roles
- CSI:NY - Detective Kaile Maka
- In Case of Emergency - Kelly Lee
- Martial Law - Chen Pei Pei (Grace Chen) (1998-2000)
- Mayday - Sharon Crandall
- Nash Bridges - Insp. Michelle Chan (1997-1998)
- Sunset Beach - Rae Chang (1997)
Movie Roles
- Americanese - Brenda Nishitani
- American Eyes -
- Cradle 2 the Grave - Sona
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan - Eva
- Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man - Suzie
- No Way Back - Seiko Kobayashi
- Star Command - Ens. Yukiko Fujisaki
- Strange Days - Anchor Woman
- The Doors - Dorothy
- Fakin' Da Funk -
- Shanghai Kiss - Micki Yang
- Surf Ninjas - Ro-May
- The Librarian: Quest for the Spear - Lana
- The Scorpion King - Cassandra
- The Tournament - (TBA)
- Underclassman - Lisa Brooks
- Undoing - Vera
- X2 - Yuriko Oyama/Lady Deathstrike
Video Games Roles
Other
- The Least Likely PSA (2004)
References
External links
- KellyHu.com (official site)
- KellyHu.net (fan site)
- Kelly Hu at the Internet Movie Database
- CAUSE for Concern - article about Miss Hu's work with filmmaker Mark Allen on The Least Likely.
| Preceded by Malia Yamamura |
Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1985 |
Succeeded by Michelle Hardin |
| Preceded by Cherise Haugen |
Miss Teen USA 1985 |
Succeeded by Allison Brown |
| Preceded by Heather Hays |
Miss Hawaii USA 1993 |
Succeeded by Nadine Tanega |
| Miss Universe titleholders (1985) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Miss Universe Deborah Carthy-Deu |
Miss USA Laura Martinez-Herring |
Miss Teen USA Kelly Hu |
