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 “I could not be happier. I truly did not think that this career was going to be this awesome -- and I’m so encouraged about the future. Women are getting better and better, and more empowered. I remember when I was in my 20s and thinking that at 50, I’d be retired, because this industry would retire me. Now, I feel like I’m nowhere near that. I’m stronger and better than ever.” Kelly Hu kicked off her 30 years as a working actress with a role on the daytime soap opera, Sunset Beach. Since then, she’s appeared in a diverse range of television shows and movies, including everything from Hawaii Five-0 to X-Men 2.

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Kelly Hu proved she was beautiful when she won the titles of Miss Hawaii Teen USA and Miss Hawaii USA in 1985 and 1993, respectively.  Since that time, she’s also made a name for herself as a successful and sought-after actress and voice artist. Here’s a closer look at the career of this talented and versatile celebrity.

Born to Break Ground

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Kelly Ann Hu, who is of Chinese, Hawaiian and English descent, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 13, 1968. Her father was a salesman and exotic bird breeder while her mother was an engineering drafter; the two divorced when she was a child. 

At a young age, Hu developed interests in singing and dancing, as well as in the martial arts. During elementary school and high school she participated in many theatrical productions. However, she initially followed her cousin, a successful model in Japan, down another path. It worked out well for her: Not only did Hu win the Miss Hawaii Teen competition in 1985, but she also took home the crown at the 1993 Miss Teen USA pageant. In doing so, she became its first Asian American winner. Hu has said the victory was especially meaningful because her mother had told her that the country was not ready to accept an Asian in such a prominent position. Later in her career, Hu would also break ground as the first Asian-American to grace the cover of Maxim magazine. 

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Hu’s modeling career also included  a top ten finish in the Miss USA pageant, as well as stints in Italy and Japan, where she became a familiar face thanks to an oft-aired commercial for Philadelphia brand cream cheese. 

Breaking Through and Breakout Roles

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At the same time, Hu’s acting career was also taking off. She moved to Los Angeles in 1987, and soon landed a guest-starring role on Growing Pains as a love interest for Mike Seaver. Appearances on various television shows followed, including Night Court, Tour of Duty, 21 Jump Street and Melrose Place.

Hu’s early body of work also included her debut film role in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan and No Way Back. Hu went on to add other blockbuster films to her resume, including The Scorpion King, Cradle 2 the Grave,  The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, and X-Men II. 

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In 1997, Hu had a major breakthrough moment when she was cast on the television soap opera Sunset Beach in the role of Dr. Rae Chang. She also played a police officer on two shows: Nash Bridges and Martial Law.  Hu said of this trend when she was later cast in the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,  “I don’t know why people think I’m dangerous, but for some reason, I keep getting these roles for the ninja, assassin, bodyguard, bad-girl type.” 

Speaking of Hu’s voiceover work, she’s also contributed her talents to other animated television programs including Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters and Phineas and Ferb, as well as to the video games Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords and Batman: Arkham Origins. Meanwhile, both Hu's voice and visage appear in the video game Battlefield Hardline. 

All in all, Hu’s 30-year-plus career is extensive across both big and small screens, and has included roles in Threat Matrix; Underclassman; Americanese, Undoing; Devil’s Den; Stiletto; Farmhouse; In Case of Emergency; The Air I Breathe; Shanghai Kiss; The Tournament; Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology; NICS: Los Angeles; NCIS; The Vampire Diaries; Hawaii Five-0; Warehouse 13; and Arrow.

Hu has also discussed her passion for independent films. “Indie films are so important. When you have less people with their hands in the film, you get a more pure creation. It’s really a labor of love. Nobody is there for a huge payday; they really believe in the project, and I think that shows in the work," she's said. 

When Hu isn’t acting, she is an avid poker player, and has participated in numerous poker competitions, including the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour. In July 2006, she beat nearly 1,000 other competitors to finish in the top 200 of the World Series of Poker Ladies Tournament.

Hu is also known for her activism in support of Asian American empowerment and various children’s causes. She also campaigned for Barack Obama in 2008, and attended the DNC national convention that year. She is also active in protecting her native state of Hawaii, and ran a marathon to raise awareness for Reef Check Hawaii. 

Certainly, Kelly Hu was on the front lines of breaking down barriers for Asians in entertainment. For her efforts and accomplishments, Hu was honored with the Organization of Chinese Americans’ “Pioneer in Entertainment Award” in 2017. 

But Hu has also expressed her appreciation for how far the entertainment industry has come regarding its representation of women. “I love this whole new era of female empowerment... Nowadays, when you think of doctors and lawyers, you don’t just think of men, which wasn’t necessarily the case when I was growing up. Now, you think of women in all kinds of power positions; judges and scientists and computer coding. There are all kinds of things going on in the fields of STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics], and given the opportunity, I think girls can really blossom in these fields,” Hu told Soap Opera Digest.