Tia Carrere, born Althea Rae Janairo on January 2, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii, is an American actress, voice artist, singer, and former model. Of Filipino descent, she also traces her heritage to Chinese and Spanish ancestry. Her father, Alexander Janairo, worked as a banker, and her mother, Audrey Duhinio Janairo, was a computer supervisor. Carrere was raised in a stable and supportive home environment and received her early education at Sacred Hearts Academy, an all-girls school in Honolulu.
From an early age, Carrere aspired to enter the entertainment industry. She pursued music and vocal training alongside her general education. After high school, she took her first steps into acting and modeling, driven by her passion for performance.
At the age of 17, Carrere auditioned for the talent show Star Search but was not selected. Undeterred, she landed her first acting role the following year in the 1988 comedy-drama Aloha Summer. This opportunity marked the beginning of her professional career in the entertainment industry. Relocating to Los Angeles, she began to work as a model before securing a recurring role in the television series Airwolf.
Carrere gained significant recognition in the mid-1980s when she portrayed Jade Soong Chung on the long-running soap opera General Hospital from 1985 to 1987. Her performance attracted attention and led to more roles in film and television.
In the early 1990s, she appeared in films such as Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) and Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991). However, her breakout role came when she played Cassandra Wong, a rock singer and love interest, in the hit comedy Wayne's World (1992). Notably, Carrere performed her character’s songs herself, showcasing her vocal talents. She reprised the role in the sequel, Wayne's World 2 (1993), famously turning down a role on Baywatch to participate in the project.
Following her success in Wayne's World, Carrere continued to appear in prominent film and television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Notable film credits include True Lies (1994), in which she played a supporting villain alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Immortals (1995), Kull the Conqueror (1997), and the parody High School High (1996).
In 2002, she lent her voice to the character Nani Pelekai in Disney’s animated feature Lilo & Stitch, a role that she reprised in the follow-up TV series, Lilo & Stitch: The Series. She also voiced a role in Aloha, Scooby-Doo! (2005), further expanding her presence into voice acting.
In addition to her acting and voice work, Carrere appeared on reality television, participating in The Celebrity Apprentice (Season 5) and as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars (Season 2), where she reached the sixth week before being eliminated. These appearances helped keep her in the public spotlight and introduced her to new audiences.
| Birth Date: | 2 Jan, 1967 |
| Age: | 53 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Honolulu |
| Education: | Sacred Hearts Academy |
| Gender: | Female |
| Description: | American actress |
| Twitter Id: | TiaCarrere |
| Spouse: | Elie Samaha[1992-2000] Simon Wakelin |
| Net Worth 2021: | 5 million |
