Carmen Electra[1] (bornTara Leigh Patrick; April 20, 1972) is an American actress, model, media personality, and former singer. Often spotlighted for her looks, Electra has been considered asex symbol andpop culture icon since the late 1990s.[2][3]
Electra began her career as a singer after moving toMinneapolis where she metPrince who produced herself-titled debut studio album, which was released in 1993. She began modeling in 1996 with appearances inPlayboy magazine, before relocating toLos Angeles. In 1997, Electra hosted theMTV dating showSingled Out and made her film debut in the comedy horrorAmerican Vampire. That same year, she had her breakthrough portrayingLani McKenzie in the action drama seriesBaywatch (1997–1998).[4][5]
Electra was born Tara Leigh Patrick on April 20, 1972, inSharonville, Ohio (a Cincinnati suburb),[7] to Harry Patrick, a guitarist and entertainer, and his wife Patricia (d. 1998), a singer. Electra attended Ann Weigel Elementary School and studied dance under Gloria J. Simpson at Dance Artists studio inWestern Hills until age nine, when she enrolled in theSchool for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), amagnet arts school in theCincinnati Public School District.[8] There, she was an older classmate ofNick Lachey, with whom she appeared in a production ofPeter Pan.[9][10]
Electra, who toldPeople in 1997 that she had "wanted to dance on Broadway", graduated fromPrinceton High School in Sharonville in 1990, having transferred there from SCPA two years prior.[11][12] Additionally, Electra attended and graduated fromBarbizon Modeling and Acting School in Cincinnati.[13]
Electra is of Cherokee, German, and Irish descent,[14] and was very close to her family. She said of her mother, "My mom was my rock", and described her older sister Debbie as being "like a second mother to me".[15] After Debbie moved to Illinois, Electra said her life "revolved around my mom. She was my best friend, in my life 24/7 whether I wanted her there or not."[15]
Career
Electra started her professional career in 1990 as a dancer atKings Island inMason, Ohio, performing in the show "It's Magic", one of the more popular shows in the park's history.[16] In 1991, she moved toMinneapolis, Minnesota, where she met singer and songwriterPrince.[17] Soon after, Electra signed a recording contract with Prince'sPaisley Park Records and made her singing debut with herself-titled debut studio album in 1993,[18] and would be her only album release.[19] During her time at Paisley Park Records, she officially became known asCarmen Electra.
In May 1996, she was featured in a nude pictorial inPlayboy magazine, the first of several. Electra was featured inPlayboy four more times: June 1997, December 2000, April 2003, and the January 2009 anniversary issue. She was on the cover of the last three of these issues.[20]
Electra moved toLos Angeles, where she made her acting debut in theindependentcomedy horror filmAmerican Vampire (1997). In 1997 she was cast asLani McKenzie in the American drama seriesBaywatch, for which she achieved her breakthrough. The role lasted a year and helped to establish her as asex symbol,[14] which has lasted since the late 1990s and the 2000s. In the same year, she began hosting MTV'sSingled Out.
Electra doing an infomercial for the "Thigh Styler"
In 2005, Electra starred in the family comedy filmCheaper by the Dozen 2, which received negative reviews from critics, although it was a moderate box-office success and Electra's performance was praised, with Andrea Gronvall ofThe Chicago Reader writing that she was "the most winning performer of the bunch".[27] Also in 2005, she appeared in an episode ofHouse in which she portrayed herself as an injured golfer and farmer. That same year, she joined the voice cast of the animated seriesTripping the Rift, replacingGina Gershon as the voice of the android "Six".
In 2007, she became a published author with the release of her book,How to Be Sexy.[28] Electra continued to appear in parody films, most notablyEpic Movie in 2007, andMeet the Spartans andDisaster Movie in 2008. She was featured in some video spoofs oflonelygirl15 that advertisedEpic Movie.[29] Aside fromEpic Movie, all of these films were commercial successes.
In 2012, Electra joinedBritain's Got Talent as a guest judge for the auditions staged in London. She acted as a replacement forAmanda Holden, who was absent due to complications following child birth.
Electra organized a fundraiser for Head to Hollywood, a non-profit organization which offers support tobrain tumor survivors.[34] Other charities which she supports include Elevate Hope,[35] a charity which supportsabused and abandoned children, and theHollyRod Foundation, which provides medical, physical, and emotional support to those suffering from debilitating life circumstances, especiallyParkinson's disease.[36]
She has modeled for the covers of the comic booksRazor and the Ladies of London Night by London Night Studios.[37] In 1997, Electra appeared as the face and spokesperson forMax Factor cosmetics in their television and print ads.[38] From 2004 to 2005, she appeared in commercials forMaxim Men's Hair Color products.
In 2006, Electra signed on as the spokesmodel forRitz Camera Centers, appearing in their television and print ads with CEO David Ritz. She is the oldest cover girl in the publication history ofFHM Magazine.[42]
In 2010, she released a line ofromance toys. To promote them, Electra appeared on an episode of the reality television showThe Spin Crowd and enlisted the help of Command PR, the public relations firm the program followed.[43]
In 2019, The Golden Banana, a strip club which is located inPeabody, Massachusetts, used Electra's likeness on social media without her consent,[44] which led her, among other celebrities whose likenesses were also used without their permission, to launch a legal battle against the establishment.[45]
In 2020, after Electra appeared on the critically acclaimedsportsdocumentary miniseriesThe Last Dance,[46] where she discussed her short-lived relationship withDennis Rodman. Pornographic video sitePornhub reported that her name was searched on the site more than 1.7 million times, much more opposed to the 150,000 average searches her name received previously.[47][48]
In 2022, Electra created anOnlyFans account, stating "I, for once, have this opportunity to be my own boss and have my own creative vision to share with my fans without someone standing over me".[49]
Personal life
Electra in 2018
In August 1998, Electra's mother died ofbrain cancer, and two weeks later, her older sister, Debbie, died of aheart attack.[9][17]
At that time, Electra had been datingNBA sportsmanDennis Rodman. She and Rodman wed in November 1998 atLittle Chapel of the Flowers inLas Vegas,Nevada.[50][51] Nine days later, Rodman filed forannulment, claiming he was of "unsound mind" when the pair wed.[52][53] Electra explained, "It's easy to get caught up in a moment. You think it's romantic, but then you realize,God, we did it in Vegas? It's like getting a cheeseburger at a fast-food restaurant."[11] The couple reconciled and celebrated New Year's Eve together, but four months later they mutually agreed to end their marriage in April 1999 under "amicable circumstances".[11][54] In November 1999, Electra and Rodman were arrested for misdemeanorbattery after police were notified of adomestic dispute at aMiami Beach hotel.[55] They were released on $2,500 bail each and ordered to stay away from each other.[56] The charges were eventually dropped.[57]
Five years later, Electra gave an interview toGlamour in which she admitted that she married Rodman in 1998 in direct response to the numbing emotional pain of having lost both her mother and sister: "I was just going through the motions. I was completely numb. At the time, I was dating Dennis Rodman. He was such a fun person to be around, and we went out every night. I remember thinking, this is my out. I'm just going to have fun, and I'm not going to worry about anything. Right after my mom and sister died, I flew to Las Vegas and Dennis and I got married. I guess I was trying to cling to whatever I had. I'd lost my mom and my sister; I didn't want to lose anyone else."[15]
On November 22, 2003, Electra marriedDave Navarro, lead guitarist for the rock bandJane's Addiction. The couple documented their courtship and marriage in an MTV reality television show called'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave.[58] On July 17, 2006, she and Navarro announced their separation, and Electra filed for divorce on August 10, 2006; it was finalized on February 20, 2007.[59][60]
In April 2008, Electra's representative confirmed that she was engaged toRob Patterson, a member of thenu metal bandOtep and hard rock bandFilter.[61] Despite remaining engaged for several years,[62] the couple did not wed and in 2012, she appeared as one of the celebrity bachelorettes on the TV dating showThe Choice.[63]
In February 2024, theLos Angeles Superior Court granted Electra's petition to legally change her name from Tara Leigh Patrick to Carmen Electra.[1]
^"Carmen Electra (visual voices guide)".behindthevoiceactors.com (Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources). RetrievedNovember 26, 2022.