Born Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo, Carrere, of mixed Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino heritage, longed to be a singer as a child. Although she was eliminated during the first round of her 1985 Star Search appearance at the age of 17, she was spotted by the parents of a local producer while shopping at a Waikiki grocery store and was cast in the role of Lani in Aloha Summer.

Following this initial success, Carrere relocated to Los Angeles and, after several months working as a model, landed a role in the daytime soap opera General Hospital from 1985-87. During this time, she also had a guest appearance on The A-Team, which was supposed to lead to her joining the cast. Unfortunately, her General Hospital obligations prevented her from joining the team. Her character was dropped after one episode, and was never mentioned again.

She emerged into the public spotlight when cast as Cassandra, a rock singer and love interest of Mike Myers' character Wayne, in Wayne's World (1992) - a role she reprised the next year in Wayne's World 2. A trained singer, Carrere performed all of her own songs in the two films, and the "Wayne's World" soundtrack features her vocals. She also turned down a role in the series Baywatch to audition for "Wayne's World."

On November 22, 1992, Carrere married Italian/Lebanese producer Elie Samaha, and she has appeared in several of his films - none of which have achieved widespread success. Other roles in prominent films followed her role in Wayne's World, however, including the part of villain Juno Skinner in True Lies (a 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger action film) and secretary Victoria Chapell in High School High (a 1996 parody).

From 1999 to 2002, Tia Carrere starred as archaeology professor Sydney Fox in Relic Hunter, an action-adventure series reminiscent of the Indiana Jones films. The syndicated series lasted for a total of three television seasons before its cancellation. Most recently, Carrere provided the voice of Lilo's sister "Nani" in the animated film Lilo and Stitch (2002) and its spinoffs.

A striking Asian beauty, Carrere modelled nude for the January 2003 issue of Playboy magazine; years before, however, she had used a body double for a nude scene in Showdown in Little Tokyo. People magazine, in 1992, named her to its annual "50 most beautiful people" list.

Carrere has continued to nurture her singing career. In 1993 her first solo album, Dream, was released, and went platinum in the Philippines. In August of 2003, Carrere was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and she is reportedly working on a new album in her home studio.

Tia Carrere divorced her husband Elie Samaha in February of 2000; she married again, this time to photojournalist Simon Wakelin on December 31, 2002.