Before Betting

Kelly Ann Hu (simplified Chinese) born February 13, 1968 is an American actress and former fashion model who held the Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993 titles. Of Chinese, Hawaiian and English origins, she played a pioneering role in the representation of Asian Americans in the United States, and actively encourages Asian Americans to participate in the American democratic process. She appears in the film The Tournament as Lai-Lai Zen, release date September 2009.

Kelly Ann Hu

Hu has held a lifelong interest in singing and dancing and has also been interested in martial arts since her early childhood, when her older brother would arrange for her to fight neighborhood boys. Hu's cousin was a successful model in Japan and Hu decided to follow her example. To gain publicity, Kelly won the Miss Hawaii Teen USA 1985 title and competed in the Miss Teen USA 1985 pageant, becoming the third Miss Teen USA titleholder. Hu has mentioned in interviews that her mother had told her America was not ready for an Asian as such a prominent role model. However, Hu became the first Asian American to win the title. Ironically enough, she discovered after winning that she was prohibited from appearing in non-contest related activities for the year of her reign, this rule soon changed later on the coming years.

Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during Hu's childhood. She is of Hawaiian, Chinese, and English descent. She attended Maʻemaʻe Elementary School and Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii.

She is an avid fan of poker, and has frequently taken part in World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour competitions (amongst others), most recently taking part in the WPT Celebrity Charity on March 3, 2008. She has taken part in HollywoodPoker.com's "Celebrity Poker Night" (May 30, 2006), and in July 2006 she placed in the top 200 in the World Series of Poker Ladies Tournament, besting nearly a thousand other competitors. Her celebrity teammates included Mimi Rogers, Victoria Pratt, Anne Heche, Mena Suvari, Jean Smart, and Ricki Lake.

In January, 2008, she participated in a video for Barack Obama produced by will.i.am called Yes We Can.[10] She campaigned for Obama in their native Hawaii in the run-up to the February 19th Democratic caucuses. In February 2008, Hu also appeared in another viral video in support of Obama, Sí Se Puede Cambiar, written and performed by Andrés Useche, directed by Eric Byler, from the group United For Obama.