Carrie Ann Inaba

Hawaiian-born Carrie Ann Inaba's diverse ethnic background inspired her to pursue a number of divergent paths, each with impressive success. Of Chinese, Japanese, and Irish descent, Inaba attended UCLA and earned a degree in World Arts and Cultures before using her fluent Japanese to live in Tokyo between 1986 and 1988. During that time, she had a successful career as a pop star, releasing three hit singles over the course of her two years in the country. Returning to the States, Inaba focused on her dancing skills, becoming a Fly Girl on the edgy sketch comedy show In Living Color from 1990 to 1992. She also joined many famous and prestigious dancing troupes, appearing as a backup dancer for Madonna's The Girlie Show tour, and Ricky Martin's Living la Vida Loca tour. Inaba also appeared as a dancer in movies such as Austin Powers in Goldmember and Showgirls. In 2005, Inaba put her loads of experience in dance to a different use, becoming a judge on ABC's hit reality series Dancing With the Stars. - Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide