Kelly Ann Hu Bio
Kelly Ann Hu, also known by her Chinese name Kai Li Hu, is an American actress and model whose career has spanned television, film, voice work, and video games. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she first gained visibility through modeling in Japan and Italy before becoming a familiar face in Hollywood action and science fiction projects. She is recognized for performances in The Scorpion King, X2, Cradle 2 the Grave, and The Tournament, as well as recurring television roles on Sunset Beach, Nash Bridges, and Arrow. Hu continues to take on diverse parts across stage, screen, and animation, including recent work on East New York.
Hu has also built a steady presence in animated series and comic-based properties, lending her voice to Phineas and Ferb, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Young Justice, and several video game franchises. Beyond acting, she is known for her philanthropic work with charities supporting children, Asian American empowerment, and Hawaiian ecology.
Early Life and Background
Kelly Ann Hu was born on February 13, 1968, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Juanita and Herbert Hu. Her parents divorced during her childhood, and her mother later married Roy Takara. She has a brother named Glenn, who served as a lieutenant colonel and human resources officer in the United States Army. Hu grew up in a multicultural household and is of Chinese, English, and Native Hawaiian descent.
She attended Maʻemaʻe Elementary School and went on to study at Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, an institution with strong historical ties to Hawaiian education and culture. Growing up in Hawaii, Hu was surrounded by a vibrant local community that nurtured her early interest in performance and the arts. Her Hawaiian upbringing shaped both her personal identity and her approach to storytelling, themes she has carried into her work throughout her career.
Before pursuing acting, Hu entered the world of pageants and modeling. She modeled in Japan and Italy, becoming especially well known in Italy as the star of a series of television advertisements for Philadelphia brand cream cheese, where she played a young Japanese college student named Kaori. In 1993, she won the title of Miss Hawaii USA, becoming the first former Miss Teen USA to win a Miss USA state title. At the 1993 Miss USA pageant in Wichita, Kansas, she finished in fourth place overall, after winning the preliminary interview competition and earning strong placements in swimsuit and evening gown.
Path to Acting
Hu moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career in 1987, with a guest-starring role as Mike Seaver’s Hawaiian love interest on the sitcom Growing Pains. She quickly followed this with appearances on a range of television series, including Night Court, Tour of Duty, 21 Jump Street, and Melrose Place. Her first film role was in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, after which she took a minor role in the Jim Morrison biography The Doors. In 1995, she starred as an undercover police officer in the film No Way Back.
These early credits established Hu as a versatile supporting performer, comfortable in both comedy and drama. She built a reputation for tackling physically demanding roles, a foundation that would later support her transition into the action genre.
Her career took a major leap forward when she was cast as Dr. Rae Chang on Sunset Beach for six months in 1997. Soon after, she took on the role of police officer Michelle Chan on the television series Nash Bridges, followed by the role of Pei Pei “Grace” Chen on Martial Law. These recurring roles positioned her as a recognizable presence in American television and opened the door to feature film opportunities.
Kelly Ann Hu Career
Early Career (1987–1996)
Hu’s earliest work centered on guest spots across popular television series and her first film appearances. Her debut on Growing Pains marked the start of a steady run of small roles on shows like Night Court, Tour of Duty, 21 Jump Street, and Melrose Place. She made her film debut in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan and appeared briefly in The Doors. These formative projects allowed her to refine her on-screen presence while pursuing larger opportunities.
By the mid-1990s, she had added her first lead in a feature film, No Way Back, in which she played an undercover police officer. Her growing profile, supported by her pageant success and modeling work, helped her secure more substantial roles as the decade progressed.
Breakthrough (1997–2003)
Hu’s breakthrough arrived with her casting as Dr. Rae Chang on Sunset Beach in 1997, a role that introduced her to a national daytime audience. She quickly followed this with the role of Michelle Chan on Nash Bridges and Pei Pei “Grace” Chen on Martial Law, expanding her range across police and legal dramas.
She moved firmly into feature film leading roles with The Scorpion King in 2002, playing Cassandra opposite Dwayne Johnson and Kelly Hu’s first major action vehicle. The next year brought two more memorable performances: Cradle 2 the Grave alongside Jet Li, and X2, where she portrayed Yuriko Oyama, also known as Lady Deathstrike, under the control of William Stryker. Her work in X2 cemented her status as a notable presence in the comic book film genre.
Notable Works and Milestones
Across the 2000s and 2010s, Hu built an extensive résumé across film, television, voice acting, and video games. She starred as Lai-Lai Zhen in The Tournament (2009), appeared in White Frog (2012), and delivered a memorable recurring performance as China White, also known as Chen Na Wei, in The CW series Arrow. Her voice work includes Stacy Hirano on Phineas and Ferb, Hamato Miwa/Karai on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Cheshire and Paula Crock/Huntress on Young Justice. She has also voiced characters in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Batman: Arkham Origins, the latter reprised in the 2021 animated film Batman: Soul of the Dragon. In 2023, she joined the cast of East New York.
Kelly Ann Hu Award Nominations
Kelly Ann Hu has been recognized for her work in entertainment through nominations tied to her pageant achievements and ongoing on-screen presence. Her competitive placement at the 1993 Miss USA pageant, where she finished fourth overall after winning the preliminary interview competition, stands as one of her most prominent early honors.
Kelly Ann Hu Awards Won
Kelly Ann Hu’s most established title remains Miss Hawaii USA, which she won in 1993, making history as the first former Miss Teen USA to win a Miss USA state title. The recognition helped launch her transition from modeling into acting and remains a defining milestone in her public career.
Kelly Ann Hu Family
Kelly Ann Hu was raised in Honolulu by her mother, Juanita, and her father, Herbert Hu, whose family name she carries. Her parents divorced during her childhood, and her mother later married Roy Takara, who became part of Hu’s family life in Hawaii. Her brother, Glenn Hu, served as a lieutenant colonel and human resources officer in the United States Army, reflecting the family’s tradition of public service.
Personal Life
Outside of her entertainment career, Kelly Ann Hu has been active in charitable causes and civic engagement. She has supported the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment, recorded a 2004 public service announcement titled “The Least Likely” encouraging young Asian Americans to vote, and lent her voice to campaigns supporting Save the Children following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. She has been a longtime supporter of Best Buddies International and has hosted charity poker tournaments on its behalf.
Hu is also a passionate advocate for Hawaiian ecology. She has supported Reef Check Hawaii, completed the Honolulu Marathon to raise awareness for the organization, and backed the Shark Fin Ban that took effect in Hawaii in July 2010. An avid poker fan, she has competed in the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour, including a Celebrity Charity match in 2008, and placed in the top 200 in the World Series of Poker Ladies Tournament in July 2006. She also campaigned for Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primaries and appeared in his viral video “Yes We Can.”