What is Tia Carrere's Net Worth?
Tia Carrere is a Hawaiian actress, singer, and former model who has a net worth of $5 million. Tia Carrere first gained recognition for her recurring role on the daytime soap opera "General Hospital" in the mid-80s. She went on to have notable roles in the films "Wayne's World" and "Wayne's World 2," "True Lies," and "Lilo & Stitch." Carrere has also starred on such shows as "Relic Hunter," "AJ and the Queen," and the animated series "Duck Dodgers" and "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," and has won multiple Grammy Awards for her music albums.
Early Life and Career Breakthrough
Tia Carrere was born as Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo on January 2, 1967 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother Audrey is a computer supervisor, while her father Alexander is a banker. Carrere is of Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino descent. As a youth, she went to the all-girls Sacred Hearts Academy. Yearning to be a singer, she competed on "Star Search" in 1985; however, she was eliminated in the first round. The same year, Carrere landed her first acting roles on the television series "Airwolf" and "Cover Up." She subsequently received her breakthrough role on the daytime soap opera "General Hospital," playing the character of Jade Soong from 1985 to 1986.
Television Career
Following her breakthrough on "General Hospital," Carrere made guest appearances in episodes of a number of shows. Throughout the remainder of the 80s, she appeared on "The A-Team," "MacGyver," "Tour of Duty," and "Anything But Love," and served as a panelist on "The New Hollywood Squares." She was also in the miniseries "Noble House" and the television movie "The Road Raiders." In the 90s, Carrere guest-starred in episodes of such series as "Quantum Leap," "Married… with Children," "Tales from the Crypt," and "Veronica's Closet," and had a recurring role on the ABC legal drama "Murder One." Additionally, she was in the television movies "Intimate Stranger," "Nothing But the Truth," "Desert Breeze," and "Dogboys."
From 1999 to 2002, Carrere had her biggest television role yet, starring as archeology professor Sydney Fox on the Canadian action-adventure series "Relic Hunter." Following this, she had main roles on two animated shows, "Duck Dodgers" and "Lilo & Stitch: The Series," plus a recurring role on another animated series, "Johnny Bravo."
In 2006, Carrere participated as a contestant on the dance competition program "Dancing with the Stars," ultimately coming in sixth place. Later, she competed on another reality competition series, "The Apprentice." Among Carrere's other television credits are "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Warehouse 13," "True Justice," "In Plain Sight," "Hawaii Five-0," and the short-lived Netflix series "AJ and the Queen." She has also lent her voice to a variety of animated series, including "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," "Uncle Grandpa," "Family Guy," "Mickey and the Roadster Racers," and "Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters."
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Film Career
Carrere made her feature film debut in the 1987 Canadian film "Zombie Nightmare." She went on to appear in "Aloha Summer," "Fine Gold," and the action films "Showdown in Little Tokyo" and "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man." In 1992, Carrere gained mainstream recognition for her role as rock singer Cassandra Wong in "Wayne's World." Playing the love interest of Mike Myers' character, she reprised her role in the film's 1993 sequel.
Throughout the 90s, Carrere also had notable roles in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action comedy "True Lies"; the courtroom comedy "Jury Duty"; the crime thriller "Rising Sun"; the action film "The Immortals"; the high school comedy "High School High"; and the fantasy film "Kull the Conqueror," in which she starred opposite Kevin Sorbo. Carrere closed out the decade with a leading role in the teen sex comedy "My Teacher's Wife."
In 2002, Carrere voiced the character of Nani Pelekai in the Disney animated film "Lilo & Stitch"; she would go on to reprise this role in the film's numerous direct-to-video spinoffs and sequels. The actress didn't appear on the big screen again until 2009, when she was in the teen comedy "Wild Cherry." This was followed by such films as "Hard Breakers," "You May Not Kiss the Bride," and "Showdown in Manila." Carrere has also appeared in several direct-to-video movies, including "Back in the Day," "Dark Honeymoon," and "Gunshot Straight."
Music Career
As a singer, Carrere released her debut solo album, "Dream," in 1993; it ended up going Platinum in the Philippines. The same year, she performed the ending song on the soundtrack to the animated film "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm." After a long break, Carrere returned to her music career in 2007 with her second album, "Hawaiiana," the first of her collaborations with fellow Hawaiian musician and record producer Daniel Ho. The album went on to receive a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hawaiian Music Album. Carrere fared even better with her 2008 album "'Ikena," which won the Grammy in the same category. She received another nomination for her 2009 album "He Nani," and another win for her 2010 album "Huana Ke Aloha."
Personal Life
In 1992, Carrere wed film producer Elie Samaha; they divorced in 2000. Subsequently, she married photojournalist Simon Wakelin, with whom she had a daughter. The couple divorced in 2010 on account of irreconcilable differences, although they reportedly share custody of their daughter. Carrere resides in Los Angeles, California.
Real Estate
In 2005 Tia paid $1.625 million for a home in Topanga, California. She listed this home for sale in 2014 for $2.6 million. She ultimately accepted $2.5 million in December of 2014.
