Kelly Ann Hu Kelly with George Lucas, Willow Springs Raceway, CA
CareerHu worked in Japan and Italy, the latter in which she became well-known as the star of a series of ads for Philadelphia brand cream cheese (she played a young Japanese college student named Kaori). Hu moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career in 1987 with a guest starring role on the sitcom Growing Pains. Hu followed this with appearances on TV series such as Night Court, Tour of Duty, 21 Jump Street, and Melrose Place and her first movie role in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Hu also won the title of Miss Hawaii USA in 1993 and was a top 6 finalist at the 1993 Miss USA pageant held in Wichita, Kansas. She made the top 6 in 2nd place after the swimsuit and evening gown competition but fell to 5th place after a low score in the judges questions.
In 1995, Hu played an undercover police officer in the movie No Way Back. While the movie was not a major success, it opened a new career direction for Hu in action adventure roles.[citation needed] She was then cast as Dr. Rae Chang on Sunset Beach for six months in 1997. Afterwards, Hu was cast as police officers Michelle Chan in the television series Nash Bridges (1997 – 1998), as Pei Pei "Grace" Chen on Martial Law (1998 – 2000) and as Agent Mia Chen on the last three episodes of the television series Threat Matrix (2004). Her subsequent movie appearances include The Scorpion King (2002), Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) and X2 (2003). She provided voice talents for the popular video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords as Visas Marr, the Sith woman who joins the Exile's party. Hu has been featured twice in Maxim magazine (May 2002 and May 2005).
In January 2007, Hu began appearing in a full time role on the TV series In Case of Emergency. She plays Kelly Lee, a Korean-American woman who accidentally reunites with her high school classmates, yet realizes none of them grew up according to their high school plans.
During the first quarter of 2007, Kelly completed filming the film Stilleto, and after that, The Farmhouse.
Personal lifeHu, a member of CAUSE USA,[3] an organization which encourages Asian Americans to participate in the democratic process, was instrumental in creating the innovative PSA The Least Likely.[4] This clip purports to be a promo for a typical fantasy-adventure movie, only to reveal its message at the end. It aired on MTV and other networks with appeal to young people and Asian Americans.
Hu graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu. She resides in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. She has never been married.
Her brother, Glenn, is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army.