Kelly Hu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kelly Hu
|
|
|---|---|
Hu in 2016
|
|
| Born |
Kelly Ann Hu
February 13, 1968 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1987–present |
Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968) is an American actress and former model. She is known for playing many exciting roles in movies and TV shows. You might recognize her as the sorceress Cassandra in The Scorpion King or as the powerful mutant Lady Deathstrike in the movie X2.
Hu is also a talented voice actress. She has brought many animated characters to life, including Stacy Hirano in Disney's Phineas and Ferb and the skilled ninja Karai in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She also voiced characters like Cheshire in the superhero series Young Justice.
Contents
Early Life and Pageants
Kelly Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents divorced when she was a child. From a young age, she loved singing, dancing, and martial arts.
Inspired by her cousin who was a model in Japan, Hu decided to enter beauty pageants. In 1985, she won the Miss Hawaii Teen USA title. She then became the first Asian American to win the national Miss Teen USA pageant. This was a huge achievement, and it helped open doors for her career.
Career
Modeling and Early Acting
After her pageant success, Hu worked as a model in Japan and Italy. She became famous in Italy for starring in a series of popular TV commercials for Philadelphia cream cheese.
In 1993, she won the Miss Hawaii USA title, which allowed her to compete in the Miss USA 1993 pageant. She finished in the top six, showing her talent and confidence on a national stage.
Soon after, Hu moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. She started with guest roles on TV shows like Growing Pains and 21 Jump Street. Her first movie role was in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
Breakthrough Roles
Hu's career took off in the late 1990s. She played Dr. Rae Chang in the TV soap opera Sunset Beach and later joined the cast of the police shows Nash Bridges and Martial Law.
In the 2000s, she became a star in action movies. She played the powerful sorceress Cassandra in The Scorpion King (2002) alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The next year, she appeared as Sona in Cradle 2 the Grave and played the villain Lady Deathstrike in X2 (2003), where she had an epic fight scene with Wolverine.
Voice Acting and Television
.jpg)
Besides her movie roles, Kelly Hu is a very successful voice actress. For many years, she voiced Stacy Hirano, Candace's best friend, on the popular Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb. She also voiced the tough and complex character Karai in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.
She has also appeared in many popular TV shows. She played a vampire named Pearl in The Vampire Diaries and the villain China White in the superhero series Arrow. She has also had roles in Hawaii Five-0, The Orville, and BMF.
Hu has also lent her voice and likeness to video games. She played Visas Marr in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords and Khai Minh Dao in Battlefield Hardline.
Personal Life and Activism
Kelly Hu is a skilled poker player and has competed in professional tournaments like the World Series of Poker.
She is also passionate about helping others and protecting the environment. She has worked with charities that support children's hospitals and encourage young Asian Americans to vote. In 2008, she supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign and appeared in the "Yes We Can" music video produced by will.i.am.
Hu is dedicated to protecting the environment in her home state of Hawaii. She has supported efforts to protect coral reefs and helped pass a ban on the sale of shark fins in Hawaii to protect sharks.
Selected Filmography
Here are some of Kelly Hu's most well-known roles in movies, television, and video games.
Movies
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) - Eva Watanabe
- Surf Ninjas (1993) - Ro-May
- The Scorpion King (2002) - Cassandra
- Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) - Sona
- X2 (2003) - Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike
- Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) - Miyumi (Voice)
- Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) - Ms. Li (Voice)
- Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011) - Laira (Voice)
- Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011) - Stacy Hirano (Voice)
- Finding 'Ohana (2021) - Leilani
- Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021) - Lady Shiva (Voice)
- Catwoman: Hunted (2022) - Cheshire (Voice)
- Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023) - Ashrah (Voice)
Television
- Growing Pains (1987–88) - Melia
- Nash Bridges (1997–98) - Inspector Michelle Chan
- Martial Law (1998–2000) - Detective Grace "Pei Pei" Chen
- CSI: NY (2005–06) - Detective Kaile Maka
- Robot Chicken (2005–18) - Various Voices
- Phineas and Ferb (2007–2014, 2025–present) - Stacy Hirano (Voice)
- The Vampire Diaries (2010–11) - Pearl Zhu
- Young Justice (2011–21) - Cheshire, Paula Crock / Huntress (Voice)
- Arrow (2012–19) - China White
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2013–17) - Karai (Voice)
- The Orville (2017–22) - Admiral Ozawa
- Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2018–20) - Adira (Voice)
- The Legend of Vox Machina (2022–24) - Dr. Anna Ripley (Voice)
- BMF (2023) - Detective Veronica Jin
Video Games
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords (2004) - Visas Marr
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (2008) - Suki Toyama
- Sleeping Dogs (2012) - Inspector Jane Teng
- Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) - Lady Shiva
- Battlefield Hardline (2015) - Khai Minh Dao
- Mortal Kombat X (2015) & Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) - D'Vorah
- Mortal Kombat 1 (2023) - Li Mei, Madam Bo
See also
In Spanish: Kelly Hu para niños
