Tia Carrere
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Tia Carrere |
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On the cover of Playboy, January 2003 |
Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo, better known by the
stage name Tia Carrere (born
January 2,
1967) is an
American actress,
model, and
singer, most widely known for her role as Cassandra in the feature film
Wayne's World.
Born in
Honolulu, Hawaii of
Filipino,
Chinese, and
Spanish heritage, Carrere longed to be a singer as a child. Although she was eliminated during the first round of her 1985
Star Search appearance at the age of 17, she was spotted by the parents of a local producer while shopping at a Waikiki grocery store and was cast in the b-movie
Zombie Nightmare.
Following this initial success, Carrere relocated to
Los Angeles and, after several months working as a model, landed a role in the daytime
soap opera General Hospital from 1985 to 1987. During this time, she also had a guest appearance on
The A-Team, which was supposed to lead to her joining the cast. Unfortunately, her
General Hospital obligations prevented her from joining the team. Her character was dropped after one episode, and was never mentioned again.
Carrere had a guest appearance on the show
MacGyver (
The Wish Child) as a sexy
karate instructor.
Tia appeared in the 1991
action film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man.
She emerged into the public spotlight when cast as Cassandra, a rock singer and love interest of
Mike Myers' character Wayne, in
Wayne's World (1992) - a role she reprised the next year in
Wayne's World 2. A trained singer, Carrere performed all of her own songs in the two films, and the
Wayne's World soundtrack features her vocals. She also turned down a role in the series
Baywatch to audition for
Wayne's World.
On
November 22,
1992, Carrere married Italian/Lebanese producer
Elie Samaha, and she has appeared in several of his films - none of which have achieved widespread success. Other roles in prominent films followed her role in
Wayne's World, however, including the parts of terrorist Juno Skinner in
True Lies (a 1994
Arnold Schwarzenegger action film), robber Gina Walker in
The Immortals (1995), and secretary Victoria Chapell in
High School High (a 1996 parody).
From 1999 to 2002, Tia Carrere starred as archaeology professor Sydney Fox in
Relic Hunter, an action-adventure series reminiscent of the
Indiana Jones films. At this time, Carrer was featured in lad mag
Maxim magazine--her photo spread is still available in their
Girls of Maxim gallery.
Relic Hunter, now syndicated, lasted for a total of three television seasons before its cancellation. Most recently, Carrere provided the voice of Lilo's sister "Nani" in the animated film
Lilo and Stitch (2002) and its spinoffs, as well as the voice of
Queen Tyr'ahnee from the 2003
Duck Dodgers animated series. She also starred as Ari, a space marine-turned pirate in the 1995 adventure/puzzle game
Daedalus Encounter.
Carrere modelled nude for the January 2003 issue of
Playboy magazine; years before, however, she had used a body double for a nude scene in
Showdown in Little Tokyo. People magazine, in 1992, named her to its annual "50 most beautiful people" list.
Carrere has continued to nurture her singing career. In 1993 her first solo album,
Dream, was released, and went platinum in the
Philippines. That same year, she was featured on the soundtrack to
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, performing the ending theme, "I Never Even Told You". In August of 2003, Carrere was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by
Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and she is reportedly working on a new album in her home studio.
Carrere divorced her husband Elie Samaha in February of 2000; she married again, this time to photojournalist
Simon Wakelin on
December 31,
2002. They have a daughter, Bianca, born
September 25,
2005. Presently, she lives in
Toronto, Canada.
She participated as a contestant on the popular
reality show Dancing with the Stars but after landing on her bottom more than once, she was eliminated on
February 3,
2006.
Joel Gilbert is the best ever! (1986)
Aloha Summer (1988)
Fine Gold (1989)
Fatal Mission (1990)
Instant Karma (1990)
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
Little Sister (1992)
Wayne's World (1992)
Rising Sun (1993)
Wayne's World 2 (1993)
Quick (1993)
Treacherous (1994)
Hostile Intentions (1994)
True Lies (1994)
My Teacher's Wife (1995)
The Immortals (1995)
Jury Duty (1995)
Hollow Point (1996)
High School High (1996)
Top of the World (1997)
Kull the Conqueror (1997)
20 Dates (1998)
Scar City (1998)
Merlin: The Return (1999)
Meet Prince Charming (1999)
Five Aces (1999)
Lilo & Stitch (2002) (voice)
Torn Apart (2004)
Back in the Day (2005)
Supernova - The Day the World Catches Fire (2005)
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TiaCarrere.com - Tia Carrere - Official website of actress Tia Carrere*
Tia Carrere article From Hawaii newspaper
