Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo, known professionally as Tia Carrere, is an American actress, singer, and former model who got her first big break as a regular on the daytime soap opera General Hospital.
Who are Tia Carrere’s parents?
Carrere was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is the daughter of Audrey Lee Janairo, a computer supervisor, and Alexander Janairo, a banker. She is of Filipino, Chinese, and some Spanish descent.
Carrere attended Sacred Hearts Academy, an all-girls school. She longed to be a singer as a child. Though she was eliminated during the first round of her 1985 Star Search appearance at the age of 18, she was spotted by a local producer while shopping at a Waikiki grocery store and was cast in the movie Aloha Summer.
At around this time, she adopted her stage name by using her sister’s nickname for her, “Tia” and using a variation of the last name “Carrera” in tribute to actress Barbara Carrera