| Carmen Electra | |
|---|---|
Electra at the MTV Music Awards 2005, held in Luna Park, Sydney |
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| Born | Tara Leigh Patrick April 20, 1972 Sharonville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, model, dancer, television personality, singer, entertainer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Dennis Rodman (1998–1999) Dave Navarro (2003–2007) |
| Partner | Rob Patterson (2008-present) |
Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), professionally known as Carmen Electra,[1] is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer. She gained fame for her appearances in Playboy magazine, on the MTV game show Singled Out, on the TV series Baywatch, and dancing with the Pussycat Dolls, and has since had roles in the parody films Scary Movie (as well as the fourth film), Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, and Disaster Movie.
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Electra was born in Sharonville, Ohio, the daughter of Patricia, a singer, and Harry, a guitarist and entertainer.[2][3] She attended Ann Weigel Elementary School and then studied dance at Dance Artists dance studio under Gloria J. Simpson, in Western Hills, a neighborhood of Cincinnati. Her mother died of a brain tumor in 1998.[4] Her older sister Debbie died from a heart attack, also in 1998. Carmen graduated from Princeton High School in Sharonville. She also attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in the Cincinnati Public School District (CPS).[5] She has Irish, German, and Cherokee ancestry.[6]
Electra started her professional career in 1990 as a dancer at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio in the show "It’s Magic", one of the more popular shows in the park's history.[7] In 1991, she moved to California and met Prince.[8] Soon after, Electra signed a recording contract with Prince's Paisley Park Records and began a short-lived singing career.[8] During her time at Paisley Park Records, she officially became known as Carmen Electra.[8]
In 1995, Electra started appearing in television programs. In May 1996 she was featured in a nude pictorial in Playboy magazine, the first of several. This exposure led to higher profile television appearances, including Baywatch (cast member from 1997–1998, as Leilani "Lani" McKenzie) and MTV's Singled Out. She returned to Baywatch for the 2003 reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.
Electra was featured in Playboy four more times, with her second appearance in June 1997, third in December 2000, fourth in April 2003 and her fifth in the January 2009 anniversary issue. She was on the cover three times, in December 2000, April 2003 and on the 55th anniversary Issue in January 2009.
Electra has appeared in films such as American Vampire (1997), Good Burger (1997), The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999), the horror spoof Scary Movie (2000) and also appeared in Meet the Spartans (2008), Scary Movie 4 (2006), Epic Movie (2007), Date Movie (2006), Disaster Movie (2008), the remake of the 1970s TV show Starsky & Hutch (2004) and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. She won an MTV Movie Award (best kiss) for Starsky & Hutch. She also appeared in an episode of House in which she portrayed herself as an injured golfer and an injured farmer, playing out House's fantasy.
In 1999, she appeared in the Bloodhound Gang's music video of "The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope." In 2005, she joined the voice cast of the animated series Tripping the Rift, replacing Gina Gershon as the voice of the sexy android "Six". Also in 2005, she began the Naked Women's Wrestling League, acting as the commissioner for the professional wrestling promotion.[9] In late 2006, Carmen began to be featured in commercials by Taco Bell.
Electra's video game work includes appearing as characters in Def Jam: Fight for New York and is one of the celebrity challenges in the video game ESPN NFL 2K5.
Electra has produced exercise videos and equipment. Her Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease is a five-disc DVD series that combines teaching classic stripping moves with a low impact cardio workout, which also starred Jon Eby. She also endorses the Electra Pole, a pole dancing kit released in January 2008.[10]
In 1997, Electra modeled for the covers of the comic books Razor and the Ladies of London Night by London Night Studios.[11]
Electra appeared in commercials for Maxim Men's Hair Color products (2004–2005).
In 2006, Electra signed on as the spokesmodel for Ritz Camera Centers, appearing in their television and print ads with CEO David Ritz. She is featured in some video spoofs of Lonelygirl15 that advertised Epic Movie.[12] That same year she appeared as the face and spokesperson for the MAX Factor Make-Up line (beginning in 2006) in their television and print ads.[13]
Electra appeared as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance Season 8 on July 6, 2011. She appeared along with regular series judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy and fellow guest judge Travis Wall.
Carmen Electra organized a fundraiser for Head to Hollywood,[14] a non-profit organization which offers support to brain tumor survivors. Other charities which she supports include Elevate Hope,[15] a charity which supports abused and abandoned children, and the Hollyrod Foundation,[16] which provides medical, physical, and emotional support to those suffering from debilitating life circumstances, especially Parkinson's Disease.
Electra married basketball star Dennis Rodman in November 1998. Their wedding took place at Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada.[17][18] However, the marriage did not last long, and Electra filed for divorce in April 1999.[19]
On November 22, 2003, Electra married Dave Navarro, lead guitarist for the rock band Jane's Addiction. The couple documented their courtship and marriage in an MTV reality television show called 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave.[20] On July 17, 2006, she and Navarro announced their separation, and Electra filed for divorce on August 10. It was finalized on February 20, 2007.[21][22]
In April 2008, Electra's representative confirmed that she was engaged to Rob Patterson, a member of the nu metal band Otep and hard rock band Filter.[23]