Camille Grammer

Camille Grammer (née Donatacci; born September 2, 1968) is an American television personality, most known for starring in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She started her career as a dancer, model, and actress, and worked as a producer and writer for Grammnet Productions. She was married to Kelsey Grammer from 1997 to 2011.

Early life

Born in Newport Beach, California, Grammer grew up in an upper-middle-class family in New Jersey. Her father is a financial adviser, who still worked in New York City as of 2011.^[1] Grammer studied English literature at Montclair State College in New Jersey,^[2] attending New York University^[3] and the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in Los Angeles as well.^[4]

Career

Grammer started her career as a dancer in the 1980s, working on Club MTV for many years, starring in a dance group performing at the Tavern on the Green in New York City,^[2][5] and appearing in several music videos,^[6] including "Give It All You Got" by Rights of The Accused, "The Party Starts Now!" by Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, and "Back to the Grill Again" by MC Serch.^[7] In the 1990s, she started working as a model and actress as well, modeling in Playboy publications like Playboy's Book of Lingerie,^[8][9] and appearing in R-rated erotic films such as Marilyn Chambers' Bedtime Stories, New York Nights, and The Naked Detective. Grammer also had small roles in mainstream films Private Parts and Deconstructing Harry, in addition to her guest appearance in one episode of Frasier.

Grammer owns half of Grammnet Productions,^[10] which has produced a number of television shows from the late 1990s through 2010s, including Girlfriends, Medium, and The Game. Within the production company, Grammer has worked as a creator, writer, and executive producer.^[11][12][13]

Since 2010, Grammer has been one of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.^[14] The January 13, 2011 episode of the show, in which Grammer revealed that her husband wanted out of their marriage, was the No. 1 telecast among adults 18–49 versus all cable competition in its timeslot, as well as the highest rated episode of the season among all viewers. In addition, the Watch What Happens Live episode featuring Grammer as a guest right after the show outperformed all late night cable talk shows that night.^[15]

In 2011, Grammer returned to acting, guest-starring on the season finale of the CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says, playing a recently divorced reality star named Camille.^[16] Describing her role, Grammer said: "My character Camille is basically a parody on myself, obviously, from 'Housewives of Beverly Hills.' Just making fun of it, you know, making fun of all the quirky things I do and say."^[17] On whether she is pursuing a full-time acting career, Grammer told: "I studied acting years ago; it was kind of a dream I had years ago, but I gave that up when I got married and had children. I'm not pursuing this. I definitely have to go back and take some acting classes if I was! But I have to say, my experience was very enjoyable and of course it would be something I would love to do. It's so much fun to work with such talented people and be involved in the creative process."^[16]

Grammer has also made other appearances in various events like co-hosting the Showbiz Tonight special on CNN live from the Academy Awards in Los Angeles^[18][19] and presenting at the 2011 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.^[20]

In March 2012, it was announced that Grammer would not return for the 3rd season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for personal reasons. In May 2012, while on the red carpet attending the Race to Erase MS gala, Grammer then stated that she will be returning to the show after all.^[21]

Personal life

Grammer met actor Kelsey Grammer in 1996, and they married in Malibu, California, in 1997.^[22] They have two children together, both born via a surrogate mother.^[23][24] In July 2010, she filed for divorce,^[25] seeking primary physical custody of the couple's daughter and son, in addition to child and spousal support. The divorce was finalized on February 10, 2011.^[26]

After her divorce, she began dating Dallas, Texas, fitness trainer and lawyer^[27] Dimitri Charalambopoulos.^{[28][29][30][31][32]} On October 29, 2013, Grammer filed a domestic violence protective order against Charalambopoulos, saying that he assaulted her two days after her radical hysterectomy for endometrial cancer, when she was staying at Hotel Zaza in Houston, Texas, recovering.^{[33][34][35][36]} The Houston Police Department said that Grammer and Charalambopoulos "broke each other's cell phones" and that Grammer's injuries were minor, so no charges have been filed against Charalambopoulos.^[37] He was then charged with assault of a family member and a felony by the Harris County, Texas, district attorney.

Grammer was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in 1996, and has been featured in a Public Service Announcement to raise awareness of the disorder.^[38][39]

Filmography

References

External links

• Camille Grammer at the Internet Movie Database
• Official blog