Tia Carrere
Biography
Althea Janairo was born
January 2, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii. A mix of Hawaiian, Chinese,
Spanish, and Filipino ancestry, young Althea has one sister. We
know her today as Tia because her younger sister Alesaundra had
difficulty pronouncing Althea's name. Now with an easier name --
Tia -- the aspiring singer changed her last name to Carrera, apparently
as a tribute to the actress Barbara Carrera.
By the age of 11, Tia
was taking voice lessons to fulfill her dreams of becoming a singer,
but fate played its part and Tia was discovered by the parents of
a film producer while in a Waikiki grocery store, who thought she'd
be perfect for their son's film, Aloha Summer.
With a desire to take
her new acting career further, Tia headed to Los Angeles. In LA,
Tia began modeling while several bit acting parts came her way.
She appeared in popular television shows such as The A-Team and
MacGyver, but hit it big when she was cast in the recurring role
of nurse Jade Soong Chung in the daytime soap General Hospital in
1985.
After her 2-year nurse
stint, Tia's television resume was gradually increasing, and included
appearances in Tour of Duty, Anything But Love, Friday the 13th,
and Quantum Leap, as well as credits in Made-for-TV movies such
as Noble House, The Road Raiders and Fine Gold. Tia then made the
leap to the silver screen with film roles in Showdown in Little
Tokyo and Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, both in 1991.
In 1992 her big break
came when she co-starred with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in the
comedy Wayne's World (a role she chose over Baywatch). As Wayne's
dream girl, aspiring rock star Cassandra, Tia made it clear that
she's worthy of a schwing or two. Tia contributed several songs
to the film's soundtrack, which wasn't such as stretch for the vocalist.
She had musical experience as the former vocalist of a rock band
and a jazz orchestra. She even released her debut album, Dream.
Tia joined Sean Connery
and Wesley Snipes to star in Rising Sun, and reprise her role of
Cassandra in the 1993 sequel to the successful Wayne's World. In
1994, Tia appeared as Juno Skinner in the Schwarzenegger hit True
Lies, and appeared in the films Treacherous and Hostile Intentions
that same year.
By the time she starred
in the comedy High School High in 1996, Tia had already completed
at least 15 films, and she was on her way to even more film and
television roles. In 1997, Tia co-starred with Hercules star Kevin
Sorbo in Kull the Conqueror, and provided her voice for Disney's
animated television version of the film Hercules. In 1998, she made
a cameo appearance in the film 20 Dates, for which she also served
as executive producer.
In 1999 Carrere took
the lead for her own television adventure series Relic Hunter (inspired
by the success of the Tomb Raider video games), and during the series'
three-year run she would also appear in the television miniseries
Merlin (1999) and provide voice work for the Disney feature Lilo
& Stitch as well as its sequel and television spin-off.
Next up, Tia will appear
in the TV miniseries "Supernova". She currenly lives in
Los Angeles where she is an active supporter of charitable organizations
such as Planned Parenthood.
Tia Carrere Filmography
"Supernova"
(2005) (mini) TV Series
Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) (V) (voice) ....
Nani
Aloha, Scooby-Doo (2005) (V) (voice) .... Snookie/Local Woman #1
Back in the Day (2005) .... Loot
Torn Apart (2004) .... Vicki Westin
Stitch! The Movie (2003) (V) (voice) .... Nani
... aka Disney's Stitch! The Movie (USA: complete title)
"Lilo & Stitch: The Series" (2003) TV Series (voice)
.... Nani
Lilo & Stitch (2002) (voice) .... Nani
"Relic Hunter" (1999) TV Series .... Sydney Fox (1999-2002)
... aka Relic Hunter - Die Schatzjägerin (Germany)
... aka Sydney Fox l'aventurière (France)
The Night of the Headless Horseman (1999) (TV) (voice) .... Katrina
Van Tassel
Five Aces (1999) .... Karen Haggerty
Meet Prince Charming (1999) .... Samantha Feld
Merlin: The Return (1999) .... Maxwell
Scar City (1998) .... Candy
... aka S.C.A.R. (New Zealand: English title)
... aka Scarred City
Dogboys (1998) (TV) .... D.A. Jennifer Dern
... aka Dressés pour tuer (Canada: French title)
... aka Tracked (USA: video title)
Kull the Conqueror (1997) .... Akivasha
Natural Enemy (1997) (TV) .... Christina D'Amelio
Top of the World (1997) .... Rebecca Mercer
... aka Cold Cash
... aka Showdown
High School High (1996) .... Victoria Chapell
Hollow Point (1996) .... Diane Norwood
... aka Arsenal de pointe (Canada: French title)
... aka Rysk Roulette
Nothing But the Truth (1995) (TV) .... Simone Gideon
Jury Duty (1995) .... Monica
The Daedalus Encounter (1995) (VG) .... Ari
"Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995)
TV Series (voice)
The Immortals (1995) .... Gina Walker
My Teacher's Wife (1995) .... Vicky Mueller
True Lies (1994) .... Juno Skinner
Hostile Intentions (1994) .... Nora
Treacherous (1994) .... Dr. Jessica Jamison
Wayne's World 2 (1993) .... Cassandra Wong
Quick (1993) .... Janet Sakamoto
... aka Crossfire (UK: video box title)
Rising Sun (1993) .... Jingo Asakuma
Wayne's World (1992) .... Cassandra Wong
Intimate Stranger (1992) (TV) .... Mina
Little Sister (1992) .... Adrienne
... aka Mister Sister (UK)
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) .... Kimiko
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) .... Minako
Instant Karma (1990)
Fatal Mission (1990) .... Mai Chang
Oro fino (1989)
... aka Fine Gold (International: English title) (USA)
The Road Raiders (1989) (TV) .... Diane
Aloha Summer (1988) .... Lani Kepoo
"Noble House" (1988) (mini) TV Series .... Venus Poon
... aka James Clavell's Noble House
Zombie Nightmare (1986) .... Amy
"General Hospital" (1963) TV Series .... Jade Soong Chung,
R.N. (1985-1987) |
