Of mixed Korean, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Hawaiian ancestry, Brook Mahealani Lee was crowned Miss Hawaii USA and went on to win the Miss USA crown prior to winning the Miss Universe pageant.

Lee attended the prestigious Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Chaminade University of Honolulu.

After her reign as Miss Universe, Lee made several appearances in feature films, television shows, and has hosted numerous television shows in Asia and the United States. She played herself (Miss USA) on a hilarious episode of THE NANNY, hosted HAWAII SPORTS ADVENTURE for ESPN, hosts TOP TEN BEACHES OF AMERICA for Travel Channel, host of CASTING SESSIONS for Fox Movie Channel, host of E! BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT MISS UNIVERSE on E! Entertainment Television and her current project is a regional television show known as PACIFIC FUSION, which focuses on Asian-American lifestyles.