Carmen Electra Biography

Carmen Electra, Actress

Birthdate: April 20, 1972

Birthplace: White Oak, Ohio

Sign: Taurus

Carmen Electra was born as Tara Leigh Patrick on April 20, 1972. The actress was born in the suburbs of Cincinnatti to Patricia and Harry Patrick. Her mother was a singer and her father was an entertainer and guitarist.

Her rise to fame began in 1994 when she moved to California and auditioned for an all-girl rap group. It was there that she met Prince, who convinced her to change her name to Carmen Electra. She signed a recording contract with Paisley Park Records, Prince's recording company. Electra's singing career was short.

In May 1996, she caught attention when she appeared nude in "Playboy." The publicity from the appearance allowed Electra to segue into television. She scored a role on "Baywatch" from 1997-1998, and co-hosted MTV's game show "Singled Out" for a season and half. Now much more recognizable, Electra appeared in Playboy again in June 1997. She was featured again in the magazine in December 2000 and April 2003.

Electra's film career contains mostly comedies, mockumentaries and horror spoofs. She starred in the mockumentary "The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human" in 1999 and "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" in 2005. She also appeared in "Scary Movie" in 2000 and "Scary Movie 4" in 2006, "Epic Movie" in 2007, "Date Movie" in 2006 and the film remake of "Starsky & Hutch." She won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss in "Starsky & Hutch."

Her other note-worthy media work includes the Naked Women's Wrestling League, which she began in 2005. She appeared in Taco Bell commercials in late 2006, and she is also the current spokesmodel for Ritz Camera Centers.

Electra has also done charity work. She organized a Head to Hollywood, an organization that offers support to brain tumor survivors. She also supports Elevate Hope, which supports abused and abandoned children, and the Hollyrod Foundation, which provides medical and emotional support to those suffering from debilitating life circumstances such as Parkinson's Disease.

Electra's mother died from a brain tumor in 1998, and her older sister Debbie died from a heart attack that same year. The star had a short romantic relationship with Prince. From 1995 to 1998, she was involved with Cypress Hill rap star B-Real. B-Real bought Electra her breast implants. She was married to basketball star Dennis Rodman from 1998 to 1999. Afterwards, she was breifly with Pamela Anderson's ex-husband, Tommy Lee.

She married former Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro in November 2003. The couple appeared on MTV's reality show "'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave," but announced their separation in July 2006. Their divorce was finalized in February 2007. She is currently engaged to Korn guitarist Rob Patterson.

The actress recently starred in the parody "Meet the Spartans," which came out in January 2008, and the comedy "Disaster Movie," to be released in August 2008. She is currently working on "Mardi Gras," expected in 2009.