Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968 simplified Chinese: 胡凯丽;
traditional Chinese: 胡凱麗; pinyin: Hú Kǎilì) is an American
actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen who was
Miss Teen USA 1985 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. She has also starred in numerous films including The Scorpion
King (2002) as Cassandra, Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) as Sona, X2 as
Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike (2003), The Tournament (2009) as Lai
Lai Zhen, and White Frog (2012).Hu has had recurring roles as Pearl on
the CW series The Vampire Diaries, as China White on the CW series
Arrow, as Abigail Cho on the Syfy series Warehouse 13, as Stacy Hirano
in the animated series Phineas and Ferb, as teenage Hamato Miwa /
Karai on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and as Adira in Rapunzel's
Tangled Adventure.Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, 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. She is of Chinese, English, and Hawaiian descent. She
attended Maʻemaʻe Elementary School and Kamehameha Schools in
Honolulu, Hawaii.Hu has held a lifelong interest in singing and
dancing and has also been interested in martial arts 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
and competed in the Miss Teen USA 1985 pageant, becoming the Miss Teen
USA pageant's third titleholder in history and its first Asian
American 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.
traditional Chinese: 胡凱麗; pinyin: Hú Kǎilì) is an American
actress, voice artist, former fashion model and beauty queen who was
Miss Teen USA 1985 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. She has also starred in numerous films including The Scorpion
King (2002) as Cassandra, Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) as Sona, X2 as
Yuriko Oyama / Lady Deathstrike (2003), The Tournament (2009) as Lai
Lai Zhen, and White Frog (2012).Hu has had recurring roles as Pearl on
the CW series The Vampire Diaries, as China White on the CW series
Arrow, as Abigail Cho on the Syfy series Warehouse 13, as Stacy Hirano
in the animated series Phineas and Ferb, as teenage Hamato Miwa /
Karai on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and as Adira in Rapunzel's
Tangled Adventure.Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, 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. She is of Chinese, English, and Hawaiian descent. She
attended Maʻemaʻe Elementary School and Kamehameha Schools in
Honolulu, Hawaii.Hu has held a lifelong interest in singing and
dancing and has also been interested in martial arts 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
and competed in the Miss Teen USA 1985 pageant, becoming the Miss Teen
USA pageant's third titleholder in history and its first Asian
American 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.
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