Kelly Hu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kelly Hu
Hu in 2016
Born	Kelly Ann Hu (1968-02-13) February 13, 1968 (age 57) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Occupation	Actress model
Years active	1987–present

Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968) is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles in many movies and TV shows.

You might have seen her as Dr. Rae Chang in the TV show Sunset Beach. She also played Michelle Chan in the police drama Nash Bridges. Kelly Hu has been in big movies like The Scorpion King (2002) where she played Cassandra, and X2 (2003) as Lady Deathstrike. She also appeared as China White in The CW series Arrow.

Kelly Hu is also a talented voice actress. She has voiced characters like Pearl in The Vampire Diaries, Karai in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Stacy Hirano in Phineas and Ferb. She also voices Cheshire and Paula Crock in Young Justice.

Early Life and Pageants

Kelly Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mom, Juanita Perez, was an engineering drafter, which means she drew plans for buildings and machines. Her dad, Herbert Hu, was a salesman. Kelly has a brother named Glenn. Her family background includes Chinese, English, and Hawaiian roots. She went to elementary and high school in Honolulu.

From a young age, Kelly loved singing and dancing. She was also very interested in martial arts. Her cousin was a successful model in Japan, which inspired Kelly to try modeling too.

Becoming Miss Teen USA

Kelly Hu won the title of Miss Hawaii Teen USA. Then, she competed in the Miss Teen USA 1985 pageant. She made history by becoming the third Miss Teen USA ever and the first Asian American winner! Kelly shared that her mom once told her that America might not be ready for an Asian person in such a big role. After winning, she found out she couldn't do other activities during her year as Miss Teen USA. Luckily, this rule changed for future winners.

Kelly Hu's Career Journey

Modeling Success

Kelly Hu as Miss Hawaii Teen USA in 1985

After winning Miss Teen USA, Kelly modeled in Japan and Italy. In Italy, she became famous for a series of TV ads for Philadelphia cream cheese. She played a young Japanese college student named Kaori in these ads.

In 1993, Kelly won the title of Miss Hawaii USA. This made her the first person to win both Miss Teen USA and a Miss USA state title! She then competed in the Miss USA 1993 pageant. She did very well, making it to the top ten and then the top six. She finished in fourth place, just barely missing the top three.

Starting Her Acting Career

After her pageant days, Kelly moved to Los Angeles in 1987 to start acting. Her first TV role was on the sitcom Growing Pains. She played a Hawaiian girl who was the love interest of one of the main characters.

She then appeared in many other TV shows, including Night Court and 21 Jump Street. Her first movie role was in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. In 1997, she joined the cast of Sunset Beach as Dr. Rae Chang. Later, she played police officers Michelle Chan in Nash Bridges and Grace Chen in Martial Law.

Big Movie Roles

Kelly Hu starred in the movie The Scorpion King in 2002. She also appeared in Cradle 2 the Grave in 2003. In the superhero movie X2 (2003), she played Yuriko Oyama, also known as Lady Deathstrike. This character was a powerful fighter controlled by a villain.

She continued to act in many films like Underclassman (2005) and Americanese (2006). In 2009, she played Lai-Lai Zhen in the movie The Tournament.

Voice Acting and Recent Work

Kelly Hu has a very successful career in voice acting. From 2007 to 2014, she voiced Stacy Hirano in the popular animated series Phineas and Ferb. She returned to this role for the movie Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe in 2020.

She also voiced the character Pearl in The Vampire Diaries and Karai in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She mentioned that she often gets roles as ninjas or tough characters! In 2012, she joined the cast of Arrow as China White.

Kelly has also lent her voice to many video games. She voiced Visas Marr in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords and Lady Shiva in Batman: Arkham Origins. She even used her face and voice for the character Khai Minh Dao in Battlefield Hardline. More recently, in 2023, she joined the cast of the TV show East New York.

Beyond Acting: Personal Life and Activism

Hobbies and Interests

Kelly Hu enjoys playing poker. She has even competed in big tournaments like the World Series of Poker. In 2006, she placed in the top 200 in the World Series of Poker Ladies Tournament, beating almost 1,000 other players!

Making a Difference

Kelly Hu in April 2013

Kelly Hu is also very active in supporting important causes. She has worked with the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment. In 2004, she made a public service announcement to encourage young Asian Americans to register and vote.

In 2007, she participated in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. This event raises money for children's hospitals across the United States. In 2011, she helped host an event to raise money for Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims. She also supports Best Buddies International, a charity that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Kelly has also been involved in politics. In 2008, she appeared in a video called "Yes We Can" to support Barack Obama's presidential campaign. She also campaigned for him in Hawaii.

She cares deeply about protecting Hawaii's environment. She supported Reef Check Hawaii by running in the Honolulu Marathon to raise awareness. She also supported the Shark Fin Ban in Hawaii, which made it illegal to sell or distribute shark fins there starting in 2010.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Documentary

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Kelly Hu para niños