Thuy Trang was born on December 14th, 1973 in South Vietnam. Her father served in the Vietnam war,
and after the fall of Saigon he fled to the US, leaving his family behind. When Thuy was six years old her mother brought
her and her two brothers and one sister to the United States on board a ship full of refugees.
They went to a Hong Kong Detention Camp first, however, and Thuy almost didn't survive the journey. She got very sick and many of the passengers wanted
to throw her overboard to make room for those who were more likely to survive the journey, but her mother refused and fought
for her, even force-feeding her while she was unconscious. Thuy was in very poor health when they finally arrived
in the United States, but they all made it.
They arrived in California around 1980, and were reunited with Thuy's father. However, only a few years later,
he died of cancer.
Life finally became rather normal for the family, at nine Thuy began studying kung fu, and pursued an education in
civil engineering for a while. Eventually she became a US citizen.
Then she got into acting, and not long after landed the role of Trini Kwan, the yellow power ranger. Thuy loved the
role and especially enjoyed getting to meet all the children and being a role model for them. She said that was what she missed
the most when she left. She took her position very seriously, and had this to say:
"We should all be responsible for what we're
doing on TV, in films and publications. Each one of us has to take responsibility for reality, and present it so that
kids will grow up familiar with that and say, 'Okay. I know that. I've seen that before. I'm not afraid
of it. That's cool.'"
The business was difficult after she left Power Rangers, no one really thought much of her, coming off a kid's show.
But she got a substantial role in the sequel, "Crow: City of Angels," as Kali, which she enjoyed a lot. It was a "180
degree turn" from Trini, and she loved getting the chance to dig deeper into her talent.
She also appeared in the movie SpyHard as a masseuse, and in the movie CyberStrike alongside Austin St. John.
However, information on that movie is nearly impossible to find, and no one is quite sure whatever happened to it's release.
Thuy enjoyed playing tennis, jogging, and reading novels, along with studying different martial arts. She remained
close friends with fellow PR cast members Austin St. John and Walter Jones.
Thuy died in a car crash on September 3rd, 2001. She died on impact, and the other person in the car, who was wearing
their seat-belt, was left a quadroplegic. Amy Jo Johnson and David Yost attended her funeral, and it's said Austin St.
John did too.
