Rochelle Ashana is an American actress and entrepreneur who is best known for her role as ‘Mylee’ from the movie Kickboxer. But what has Ashana been up to since the movie first premiered over 34 years ago?
Background info
Raised in Los Angeles, California, Rochelle Ashana attended the University of California Los Angeles, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commercial Arts Design and a Minor in Motion Pictures and Television.
As if having those degrees weren’t enough, Rochelle later attended Finance Peace University to earn her degree in Finance. Brains, and does her own stunts. Don’t try messing with her.
Acting career
Rochelle’s first time on screen was on the hit The A-Team, the action-adventure crime series that starred Mr. T. While she appeared in only one episode in 1986, the physicality of the role resonated with her, leading to more action roles down the line.
She then had a small role in the movie Daddy with Patricia Arquette and Dermot Mulroney in 1987.
In 1988 she appeared in one episode of the dramedy series Hooperman and had a little larger of a part in the comedic horror film Friday Night Part 2.
From 1987 until 1997, Rochelle was a member of SAG-AFTRA as a producer, stunt woman, and actress, and was master of ceremonies in 1987.
Kickboxer
It was Rochelle’s role as Mylee in the 1989 action thriller movie Kickboxer that gained her well-deserved attention. While Jean-Claude Van Damme could do no wrong at that time, Ashana held her own in the film. Rochelle played Van Damme’s love interest in the film, and the movie centered around the art of Muay Thai, which she fully embraced.
What did she do after Kickboxer?
Rochelle acted for a little longer after Kickboxer. She popped up in one episode of the comedy series 227 in 1989. Loving the physical aspect of previous roles, Ashana then starred in the action film The Sword of Bushido in 1990.
Rochelle snuck into the 1993 comedy Fear of a Black Hat before her last role in the action movie Carjack in 1996.
But what you may not know about Rochelle is the fact she performed stunts in the films Escape from L.A. in 1996 and Blade in 1998. We love a strong woman.
What is Rochelle doing now?
Though she doesn’t act these days, Ashana is still an active SAG member. But a move to Hawaii gave Rochelle a new path. She was the Visual Arts Educator for the Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center from 2012 until 2015.
Rochelle transitioned to sales in 2019, becoming a retail sales manager for Ohana Furnishings. What we love is that in 2020, she opened the Maui Furniture Gallery. What the company does is take those furniture pieces from hotels that would otherwise be tossed out, and resells them to the public. We love the effort to reduce waste.
Rochelle helped pass the bill that brought 40,000 children to the United States that had been left behind in the closing of the U.S. Navy base in Subic Bay during the Clinton administration. As if all of that isn’t amazing enough, Ashana is active with the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.
As far as a social media presence, even if Rochelle doesn’t have a TikTok herself, there are plenty of videos celebrating her there to find. While she doesn’t post all that often, she does have a personal Instagram page.
Personal life
While Rochelle is single, she has a grown son named Collin Devin Mendoza. When she isn’t being a mom or trying to save the world one way or another, she’s an active Lahaina Yacht Club member.
If there is something this stunning woman can’t do, it hasn’t been discovered yet. While it doesn’t look like Rochelle will be going back to Los Angeles to restart her acting career, we can always watch her kick butt in Kickboxer any time we want an action-filled 80s good time.
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