In a live telecast world wide, Kelly was catapulted into the spotlight when she was crowned Miss Teen USA 1985 becoming the first Asian American to win the title witnessed by over 50 million viewers. Her exposure in the pageant led to more modeling assignments and her first acting job, a guest star role on the television series Growing Pains.

She would soon begin appearing in feature films such as THE DOORS, directed by Oliver Stone and NO WAY BACK, opposite Russell Crowe. Additionally, Hu joined casts as a regular in the Aaron Spelling soap opera Sunset Beach, CBS action drama Martial Law, which received a TV Guide award for Best New Drama Series, and Nash Bridges with Don Johnson and Cheech Marin.

Kelly would later be cast to star opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the Universal Pictures’ SCORPION KING, and join the A-list cast of X2: X-MEN UNITED, the sequel to the blockbuster sci-fi tale X-MEN. Playing the role of the villainess Yuriko Oyama a.k.a. Lady Deathstrike, Hu gets to demonstrate her mutant powers in an extraordinary fight scene with Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. She displays her black belt skills again in the action film CRADLE TO THE GRAVE battling Jet Li.

During the course of her career, Kelly has recurred on numerous television series including Vampire Diaries, Warehouse 13, and Arrow. She currently recurs on Seth MacFarland’s The Orville.

Kelly also has an extensive list of credits in voice acting having long voiced the character Stacy on the animated series, Phineas and Ferb and the character of Karai on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She can most recently be found voicing roles on Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, Young Justice and Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters. Kelly has also lent her voice to numerous video games including Mortal Combat, Comand & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Battlefeild Hardline.

She recently starred in Netflix’s hit film called Finding Ohana and is in production as the lead in the drama Breast Cancer Bucket List.

Kelly’s most recent venture is a line of graphic’s t-shirt she started during the pandemic called 33 Edge as a response to the protests and discrimination demonstrated at this time. Kelly has always sought equality and justice for everyone and designed this line in the hopes of encouraging more unity, equality and respect for fellow human beings.