Tia Carrere facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tia Carrere
Carrere in 2006
Born	Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo (1967-01-02) January 2, 1967 (age 58) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Occupation	Actress model singer
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Elie Samaha ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 2000)​ Simon Wakelin ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2010)​
Children	1
Musical career
Genres	Hawaiian
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Daniel Ho Creations

Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo (born January 2, 1967), known professionally as Tia Carrere, is an American actress and singer. She became famous for her role in the TV show General Hospital.

Tia Carrere played Cassandra Wong in the movies Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2. She was also Juno Skinner in True Lies. Kids might know her as the voice of Nani Pelekai in the Lilo & Stitch films and TV series. She also voiced Queen Tyr'ahnee in Duck Dodgers. Tia starred as Sydney Fox in the TV series Relic Hunter. She also appeared as Lady Danger with RuPaul in the Netflix show AJ and the Queen. Tia Carrere has won two Grammy Awards for her music.

Early Life and First Steps

Where Tia Grew Up

Tia Carrere was born Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Audrey Lee Janairo, worked with computers. Her father, Alexander Janairo, was a banker. Tia's family has Filipino roots. Her father grew up in Cebu.

Becoming a Star

Tia went to Sacred Hearts Academy, an all-girls school. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a singer. In 1985, when she was 18, she tried out for Star Search. She didn't win, but something amazing happened. The parents of a film producer saw her shopping in a Waikiki grocery store. They helped her get a role in the movie Aloha Summer. Around this time, she chose her stage name, Tia Carrere. "Tia" was her sister's nickname for her. "Carrere" was a tribute to actress Barbara Carrera.

Acting Adventures

Early TV Roles

After her first movie, Tia moved to Los Angeles. She worked as a model for a few months. In 1985, she got her first TV role in an episode of Airwolf. Her first time on screen was in a March 1985 episode of Cover Up. Her big break came on the soap opera General Hospital. She played Jade Soong Chung from 1985 to 1987.

Tia also made guest appearances on other popular shows. She was on The A-Team and MacGyver. She played a karate instructor in one MacGyver episode. Later, she was an assassin in another episode. She also appeared on Married... with Children.

Big Screen Success

In 1992, Tia became very famous as Cassandra in Wayne's World. She played a rock singer and the girlfriend of Wayne Campbell. She sang all her own songs in the movie. She even turned down a role in Baywatch to be in Wayne's World. She played Cassandra again in Wayne's World 2 the next year. In 1992, People magazine named her one of the "50 most beautiful people."

Tia also had roles in other big movies. She was Juno Skinner, a wealthy smuggler, in the 1994 action film True Lies. This movie starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also played a computer expert in Rising Sun. This thriller starred Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. In 1997, she played an evil queen in Kull the Conqueror.

Carrere at the premiere of Up in May 2009

TV Series and Voice Acting

From 1999 to 2002, Tia Carrere starred in Relic Hunter. She played Sydney Fox, an archeology professor. The show was like Indiana Jones but for TV. Relic Hunter was on for three seasons.

Tia is also known for her voice acting. She voiced Nani, Lilo's sister, in the animated film Lilo & Stitch (2002). She continued to voice Nani in the spin-off shows and movies. She also voiced Queen Tyr'ahnee in the 2003 Duck Dodgers animated series. In 2005, she voiced Snookie in Aloha, Scooby-Doo!

She was a contestant on the reality show Dancing with the Stars. She finished in sixth place. She also appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice.

Tia has been a guest star on many TV shows. She was on Back to You and Warehouse 13. In 2020, she played Lady Danger in the Netflix series AJ and the Queen.

Music Career

Carrere at the Filipino American Library Spirit Awards (2006)

Tia Carrere is also a talented singer. In 1993, she released her first solo album called Dream. It became very popular in the Philippines. That same year, she sang the ending theme, "I Never Even Told You," for the Batman: Mask of the Phantasm soundtrack.

Later, Tia started focusing on Hawaiian music. Her second album, Hawaiiana, came out in 2007. It featured Grammy Award-winning producer Daniel Ho. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008.

Tia won her first Grammy Award in 2009 for her album 'Ikena. Her 2010 album He Nani was also nominated for a Grammy. In 2011, she won her second Grammy Award for her album Huana Ke Aloha.

Personal Life

Tia Carrere married film producer Elie Samaha in 1992. They divorced in 2000. In 2002, she married photojournalist Simon Wakelin. They have one child, a son named Jude. Tia and Simon divorced in 2010. They share custody of their child. As of 2010, Tia Carrere lives in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Video Games

Music Albums

• Dream (1993)
• Hawaiiana (2007)
• 'Ikena (with Daniel Ho; 2008)
• He Nani (with Daniel Ho; 2009)
• Huana Ke Aloha (2010)

Awards and Achievements

Tia Carrere has received several awards and nominations for her work.

• In 1994, she won the ShoWest Convention Award for "Female Star of Tomorrow."
• She was nominated for an MTV Movie + TV Award for her role in Wayne's World in 1992.
• She was also nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Supporting Actress" for True Lies in 1995.
• Tia has won two Grammy Awards for "Best Hawaiian Music Album." She won in 2009 for Ikena and in 2011 for Huana Ke Aloha. She was also nominated for this award in 2008 and 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Tia Carrere para niños