Carmen Electra is an American glamour model, actress, television
personality, dancer, singer and sex symbol. She gained fame for her appearances
in Playboy magazine, on the MTV game show Singled Out, on the TV series Baywatch
and Summerland, for her appearances dancing with the Pussycat Dolls, and has
since had roles in the parody films Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet
the Spartans, and Disaster Movie.
Biography
Carmen Electra was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Patricia, a singer,
and Harry, an entertainer and guitarist. She attended Ann Weigel Elementary
School and then studied dance at Dance Artists dance studio under Gloria J.
Simpson, in Western Hills, a suburb of Cincinnati. Her mother died of a brain
tumor in 1998. Her older sister Debbie died from a heart attack, also in 1998.
Carmen graduated from Princeton High School in Sharonville. Carmen Electra has
Irish, German, and Cherokee ancestry.
Carmen Electra started her professional career in 1990 as a dancer at Kings
Island theme park in Mason, Ohio in the show "It’s Magic", one of more popular
shows in the park's history.
Carmen Electra moved to California in 1994, where she met Prince while
auditioning for an all-girl rap group. Prince persuaded her to change her name
to Carmen Electra and record a solo album. Soon after, she signed a recording
contract with Prince's company Paisley Park Records, marking the start of a
short-lived singing career.
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.
Carmen was featured in Playboy the magazine 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 subsequently was on the cover
three times, in December 2000, April 2003 and on the 55th anniversary Issue in
January 2009. In the Playboy Cyber Club, she was the first woman invited to be a
celebrity guest photographer; she chose Playmate Jennifer Walcott as her subject
model.
Carmen has appeared in films such as 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), 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.
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.[7] In late
2006, Carmen began to be featured in commercials by Taco Bell.
Electra is 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 are advertising Epic Movie.
She is a playable character in the video game Def Jam: Fight for New York and is
one of the celebrity challenges in the video game ESPN NFL 2K5, along with
Steve-O, Jamie Kennedy and others.
Carmen portrayed Velvita, also known as lonelygirl362436, as a spoof of
lonelygirl15 as an Epic Movie teaser.
Electra Aerobic Striptease is a five-disc DVD exercise series that combines
teaching classic stripping moves with a low impact cardio workout also starring
Jon Eby.
Released in January 2008, the Electra Pole is a pole dancing kit inspired and
endorsed by Carmen Electra that users can assemble in their home. Suitable for
all levels of dancer, it is stable enough to support any pole dancing move,
including flips and inverts.
Embrace is a comic book putatively written by Electra for London Night Studios.
"Glam Slam Ulysses" Interactive Musical Theatrical Production,” conceived by
Prince, choreographed by Jamie King. Debuted at Prince's Glam Slam L.A.
nightclub.
Carmen also appeared in commercials for Maxim Men's Hair Color products
(2004-2005) and Taco Bell (2006-2007).
Carmen also appears as the face and spokesperson for the MAX Factor Make-Up line
(beginning in 2006) in their television and print ads.
Carmen Electra also appeared in an episode of "House" in which she portrayed an
injured golfer and an injured farmer, playing out House's fantasy.
This Carmen Electra Biography Page is Copyright © 2004 - 2009 Chuck Ayoub