One of the most gorgeous women in entertainment today, Carmen Electra is a multi-media star who has parlayed her fantastic looks into a quite successful career. The youngest of five children, Carmen was born in White Oak, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, on April 20, 1972. Oddly enough, Carmen's given name is the same as that of one of porn's biggest starlets -- Tara Patrick.
Even early on, Carmen's talents stood out. She was enrolled at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts at the age of nine, where she honed her singing and dancing skills. As a teenager attending Princeton High School, she worked as a dancer in musicals, as well as at the Kings Island Amusement Park. Her ultimate dream was to become a successful singer and move to Southern California.
At the age of fifteen, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she worked as a model for four years. By the time she was nineteen, she had blossomed into the 5'4" vision of feminine perfection that she's known as today. She changed her name to Carmen Electra and made her long-dreamed of move to Los Angeles to pursue her singing career.
After only a week in SoCal, Carmen's talents -- and other charms -- caught the eye of Prince. He immediately signed her to a deal on his Paisley Park record label, and it seemed that Carmen's dreams were about to come true. Alas, her self-titled album was a flop, the single 'Go Go Dancer' making barely a dent on the charts. She struggled along in the music biz for the next few years.
Carmen's career took an upswing in May 1996, when she appeared in a glossy nude photo spread in Playboy. It began to be clear that Carmen's route to the top would be much easier if she sold herself as a gorgeous pin-up than as a silky soul singer. Her Playboy layout got her noticed by MTV producers. They singed Carmen up to be a guest host on the 'Loveline' TV show. Later that year, she was tabbed to replace Jenny McCarthy when Jenny left the hipster dating program 'Singled Out.'
Within a few months, though, 'Singled Out' was dropped by MTV and Carmen was again left with her career at a standstill. Her big break finally came in 1997, when she was selected to fill the hole in the 'Baywatch' cast left by Pamela Anderson's departure. Carmen's stock soared, and with the exposure from the wildly popular show, she became one of the most sought-after beauties in Hollywood.
Although Carmen left 'Baywatch' after only one year, she has managed to keep her name in the news by dating some of entertainment's baddest boys. She's been linked romantically with Fred Durst and Kid Rock, but her biggest splash came with her unexpected marriage to basketball star Dennis Rodman in November 1998. The pair enjoyed a whirlwind romance, but their marriage lasted only one week before they amicably split. Their marriage was finally annulled in early 1999.
Carmen has spent her post- 'Baywatch' years as one of the top models/spokeswomen around. She was the national face of Budweiser beer for a time, and has even had her own comic book. The lead character in 'Embra' is a foxy vampire/singer who was modeled on Carmen. Her acting career got a boost in 2000 when she turned in a memorable performance in the comedy hit 'Scary Movie.'
Carmen Electra continues to rank as one of the most stunning women in Hollywood. She recently announced her engagement to rock guitarist Dave Navarro, but so far they haven't yet tied the knot. Still, whatever she does and whoever she's with, Carmen Electra's got loads of fans eagerly awaiting her next move. Or at least her next calendar.
