Pamela Lee Anderson

Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress and model. She is best known for her glamour modeling work in ''Playboy'' magazine and for her appearances on the television series ''Baywatch'' (1992–1997).

Anderson came to public prominence after being selected as the February 1990 Playmate of the Month for ''Playboy''. She went on to make regular appearances on the magazine's cover, holding the record for the most ''Playboy'' covers by any person. Anderson became known to a wider audience in 1991 when she appeared on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'''','' playing the role of Lisa for its first two seasons. She gained international recognition for her starring role as "C.J." Parker on the action drama series ''Baywatch'' (1992–1997), further cementing her status as a sex symbol. She played Vallery Irons on the syndicated series ''V.I.P.'' (1998–2002) and starred as Skyler Dayton on the Fox sitcom ''Stacked'' (2005–2006).

Anderson's film credits include ''Raw Justice'' (1994), ''Barb Wire'' (1996), ''Scary Movie 3'' (2003), ''Superhero Movie'', ''Blonde and Blonder'' (both 2008), '' The Institute'', ''Baywatch'' (both 2017), and ''City Hunter'' (2018). She appeared in her own documentary series in 2008, which she also co-directed, and has since taken part in numerous reality television shows, such as ''Dancing with the Stars'' (2010, 2012), ''VIP Brother'' (2012), ''Dancing on Ice'' (2013), and '' Danse avec les stars'' (2018).

Anderson has publicly supported various charitable causes, particularly animal rights, and has endorsed PETA activities. She has also released two autobiographies and four novels. Anderson was the recipient of a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2006. She holds both American and Canadian citizenship.

Early life

Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada, the daughter of Barry Anderson, a furnace repairman, and Carol, a waitress. Her great-grandfather, , was a Finnish native of , and left the Grand Duchy of Finland (which was a part of the Russian Empire at the time) for Canada in 1908. He changed his name to Anderson when he arrived as an immigrant. Anderson also has Russian ancestry on her mother's side. Anderson received press coverage right after her birth as a "Centennial Baby", having been born on July 1, 1967, the 100th anniversary of Canada's official founding via the ''Constitution Act, 1867''.

She has a younger brother, Gerry (born 1971), an actor and producer who worked in some of her movies and TV shows, which are ''V.I.P.'', ''Stripperella'', ''Stacked'' and ''Blonde and Blonder''.

Anderson suffered sexual abuse as a child, a fact she revealed publicly in 2014. She said she was molested by a female babysitter from ages 6 to 10, raped by a 25-year-old man when she was age 12, and gang-raped by her boyfriend and six of his friends when she was 14.

Anderson attended Highland Secondary School in Comox, British Columbia. At high school, she played on the volleyball team. She graduated in 1985. In 1988, Anderson moved to Vancouver and worked as a fitness instructor.

Career

Early modelling

In 1989, Anderson attended a BC Lions Canadian Football League game at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, where she was featured on the Jumbotron while wearing a Labatt's Beer T-shirt. The brewing company hired Anderson briefly as a spokesmodel. Inspired by the event, her then-boyfriend Dan Ilicic produced a poster of her image, entitled the ''Blue Zone Girl''.

Anderson appeared as the cover girl on ''Playboy'' magazine's October 1989 issue. She subsequently moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles to further pursue a modeling career. ''Playboy'' subsequently chose her as Playmate of the Month in their February 1990 issue, in which she appeared in the centerfold photo. Anderson then elected to have breast implant surgery, increasing her bust size to 34D. She increased her bust size again, to 34DD, several years later.

Anderson's ''Playboy'' career spans 22 years, and she has appeared on more ''Playboy'' covers than any other model. She has also made numerous appearances in the publication's newsstand specials. Anderson wrote the foreword in the ''Playboy'' coffee table book ''Playboy's Greatest Covers''.

Entertainment career

After Anderson moved to Los Angeles, she won a minor role as Lisa, the original "Tool Time Girl", on the ABC comedy series ''Home Improvement''. She left the show after two seasons and won the role of C. J. Parker on ''Baywatch'', which she played for five seasons between 1992 and 1997 making her one of the longest-serving cast members. This has been one of her best-known roles to date and has brought her popularity from international viewers. She reprised her role in a reunion movie, '' Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding'' (2003), and also to star in commercials for DirecTV in 2007. Anderson was still modeling for ''Outdoor Life'' and appearing on the cover of the magazine each year. In 1993, Anderson appeared in a music video "Can't Have Your Cake" by Vince Neil to promote his first solo album, ''Exposed''.

In 1994, she was cast in her first starring film role, in ''Raw Justice'', also known as ''Good Cop, Bad Cop'', costarring with Stacy Keach, David Keith, and Robert Hays. Under the alternate title, the film won the Bronze Award at the Worldfest-Charleston in the category for dramatic theatrical films.

In 1996, she appeared in the film ''Barb Wire'', playing Barbara Rose Kopetski, which was later claimed by some sources to be Anderson's real name, although it is not. The movie, a thinly veiled futuristic remake of ''Casablanca'', was not a commercial success. During filming, she had a real barb wire tattoo put on her left upper arm as an alternative to having it painted on by make-up artists every day, but had it removed in 2016.

In April 1997, she guest hosted ''Saturday Night Live''. She appeared on one of two covers for the September issue of ''Playboy''.

In September 1998, Anderson starred as Vallery Irons in the Sony Pictures Television syndicated action/comedy-drama series '' V.I.P.'' created by J. F. Lawton. Blending action and humor in a fast-paced adventure series, with Anderson often poking fun at her tabloid image, the show explored the exciting and sometimes treacherous lives of the rich and famous. The series lasted through a successful four-year run. In 1999, she appeared as a man-eating giantess in the music video for " Miserable" by California alternative rock band Lit. She appeared on ''The Nanny'' as Fran Fine's rival, Heather Biblow.

Sam Newman House, a pop architecture building constructed in 2003 in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, features a large image of Anderson's face. Sam Newman commissioned local architect Cassandra Fahey to design the building, and used the image with Anderson's permission. Permits were issued retroactively when it became a major local landmark and won the award for Best New Residential Building in the RAIA Victorian Architecture Awards. Later that year, Anderson co-starred as herself in the Miller Lite TV commercial "Pillow Fight", the sequel to the brand's earlier commercial "Catfight", with the original's cast, models Tanya Ballinger and Kitana Baker, reprising their roles.

In May 2004, Anderson appeared nude on the cover of ''Playboy'' magazine. Later, she posed naked for ''Stuff'' and '' GQ'' magazines. Anderson was also featured on the cover of the fashion magazines '' W'', British ''Marie Claire'', ''Flare'', and ''Elle'' Canada and in editorials for Russian ''Elle'' and '' V''.

In 2004, she released the book ''Star'', co-written by Eric Shaw Quinn, about a teenager trying to become famous. After this, she began touring the United States, signing autographs for fans at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. Her second book, the sequel ''Star Struck'', released in 2005, is a thinly veiled look at her life with Tommy Lee and the trials of celebrity life. In April 2005, Anderson starred in a new Fox comedy series ''Stacked'' as Skyler Dayton, a party girl who goes to work at a bookstore. It was canceled on May 18, 2006, after two seasons, although some episodes were never aired. On August 14, 2005, Comedy Central created the '' Roast of Pamela Anderson''.

Anderson was named most powerful Canadian in Hollywood in 2005.

In December 2005, NBC cut off a video of Anderson pole dancing to Elton John's "The Red Piano". NBC said that the footage was inappropriate for prime time. The video was shown on huge screens during the event, while John played "The Bitch is Back". In March 2006, it was announced that Anderson would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame thanks to her many years as a model and actress. She is only the second model to receive a star. In April 2006, Anderson hosted Canada's Juno Awards, becoming the first non-singer and model to do so.

Anderson appeared in the 2006 mockumentary, '' Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'', as the title character becomes obsessed with her, and plans to abduct and marry her. She appears as herself at a book signing at the end of the film, confronted by Borat in a staged botched abduction.

She performed on February 13–14, 2008, in a Valentine's Day striptease act at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris. Anderson then starred in '' Pam: Girl on the Loose'', which debuted on August 3, 2008, on E! in the United States.

In December 2009, Anderson guest-starred as ''Genie of the Lamp'' in the pantomime ''Aladdin'' at the New Wimbledon Theatre in Wimbledon, in southwest London. Anderson took over the role from comedian Ruby Wax, with former ''EastEnders'' actress Anita Dobson and comedian Paul O'Grady also booked for the role. In 2010, she appeared in the short film ''The Commuter'' directed by the McHenry Brothers and shot entirely on the Nokia N8 smartphone as promotion for the phone in the UK. Anderson was featured in a beach-themed editorial, shot by Mario Testino for Brazilian ''Vogue''s June 2013 "Body Issue".

Theatre

In March 2022, it was announced that Anderson would make her Broadway debut portraying Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of ''Chicago''.

Reality television

In November 2010, Anderson appeared on season 4 of ''Bigg Boss'', the Indian version of the '' Big Brother'' television franchise. She stayed as a guest in the house for three days for a reported sum of Rs. 2.5 crores (approx US$550,000). Furthering her involvement in the franchise, Anderson took part in the 12th season of ''Big Brother'' in the United Kingdom in 2011. In 2012, she appeared as a Special Houseguest on the fourth season of ''VIP Brother'', which is the celebrity spin-off of '' Big Brother'' in Bulgaria.

On Day 12 for the ''Promi Big Brother (season 1)'' in Germany, she entered the house, as a Special Guest Star on the final day. David Hasselhoff, a former ''Baywatch'' co-star, was a contestant in Day 1 to Day 5.

Dancing with the Stars around the world

Anderson was a contestant on the tenth season of ''Dancing with the Stars'', partnered with professional dancer Damian Whitewood. The season premiered on March 22, 2010, and after seven weeks, Anderson was eliminated. She also took part in the 15th season all-star edition in 2012 with Tristan MacManus. Anderson and MacManus were eliminated in the first week of competition.

In May 2011, she was a contestant on the ''Bailando 2011'' (Argentina), partnered with professional dancer Damian Whitewood. She left the competition after 4 weeks.

In 2018, she was a contestant on the ninth season of French ''Dancing with the Stars''. The season premiered on September 29, 2018. After seven weeks, Anderson was eliminated, on November 8, 2018.

Dancing on Ice

In 2013, Anderson appeared on the eighth series of the British reality TV show ''Dancing on Ice'', partnered with former winner Matt Evers.

Activism

Animal rights

Anderson became the center of controversy when she posed for a PETA ad wearing a bikini with sections drawn on her body dividing it into ribs, rump, shoulder, etc., like a diagram of meat cuts; the ad's tagline was "All Animals Have the Same Parts". The ad was banned in Montreal, Quebec, on grounds that it was sexist. Anderson retorted, "In a city that is known for its exotic dancing and for being progressive and edgy, how sad that a woman would be banned from using her own body in a political protest over the suffering of cows and chickens. In some parts of the world, women are forced to cover their whole bodies with burqas – is that next? I didn't think that Canada would be so puritanical."

She became a company spokesperson for FrogAds, Inc. in March 2012. In February 2014, she stripped for a Valentine's Day-themed ad for PETA, urging dog lovers to cuddle up with their pets during winter.

On July 8, 2015, Anderson wrote to Putin to save whales. On December 15, 2015, Anderson, representing the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), met with top Kremlin officials regarding animals rights in Russia. On December 15, 2016, Anderson and IFAW officials met with Kremlin officials to discuss animal welfare and conservation.

Anti-pornography

Anderson has been critical of pornography. In 2016, she co-authored a viral ''Wall Street Journal'' opinion piece with Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, in which they called online pornography a "public hazard of unprecedented seriousness." The two called for a "sensual revolution" to replace "pornography with eroticism, the alloying of sex with love, of physicality with personality, of the body's mechanics with imagination, of orgasmic release with binding relationships." They later gave a joint lecture at Oxford University to over 1,000 people. Boteach observed: "It can be intimidating to talk about pornography and eroticism alongside an international sex symbol, but I think Pamela has handled it extremely well." The two also wrote a book together, ''Lust for Love'' (2018), about how meaningful, passionate sex has been declining, and called for a new sensual revolution that emphasizes partners connecting in the bedroom.

Julian Assange

In December 2016, in a statement to ''People'' magazine, Anderson called WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a "hero". She stated that he had done everyone "a great service" and that " eryone in the world has benefited because of WikiLeaks," while decrying how "elaborate plots against him and made up sexual allegations could result in him being extradited to the US – where he would not be treated fairly – because of his exposure of truths." In April 2019, Anderson expressed anger on Twitter at Assange's expulsion from London's Ecuadorian embassy. In May 2019, Anderson visited Assange in HMP Belmarsh with Kristinn Hrafnsson and said she believed Assange to be innocent, saying, "He is a good man, he is an incredible person. I love him, I can't imagine what he has been going through."

In October 2019, Anderson announced she would be traveling to Australia in November 2019 to challenge Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to stand up for Assange. In her announcement, she referenced the 'disparaging remarks' he made about her in 2018 and challenged him to debate the matter "in front of the Australian people." She also wrote another letter to Morrison asking him to use his influence to secure Assange's release. Morrison replied with a letter, saying that his government would respect Britain's judicial process and Assange would not receive any special help. In the text of a speech she had intended to give at Parliament House, Canberra, Anderson claimed that Assange was suffering "psychological torture" in jail and that "every moment he is in there, he is in danger".

On January 18, 2021, Anderson spoke on the Fox News show ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'', asking President Donald Trump to pardon Assange.

AIDS and other activism

In March 2005, Anderson became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics's MAC AIDS Fund, which helped people affected by AIDS and HIV. After becoming the official spokesmodel, Anderson raised money during events in Toronto, Tokyo, Dublin, and Athens. Anderson became the celebrity spokesperson for the American Liver Foundation, and served as the Grand Marshal of the SOS motorcycle ride fundraiser.

In 2009, Anderson wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama urging the legalization of cannabis.

In December 2015, Anderson, a close friend of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson and a longtime supporter and advisory board member of that organization, became a full board member in order to further its efforts in opposing the hunting of whales.

In November 2016, Anderson starred in a video public service announcement produced by the National Limousine Association and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center as part of the Ride Responsibly initiative, titled The Driving Game, which aimed to shed light on the lack of universal driver regulations in the private ground transportation industry.

Anderson once again starred in a video public service announcement produced by the National Limousine Association in January 2018, this time in partnership with Promoting Awareness , Victim Empowerment (PAVE), as part of the Ride Responsibly initiative. Titled The Signs, the PSA aims to continue to push for passenger safety and universal driver regulations in the private ground transportation industry.

After supporting the yellow vests movement in France, Anderson attended a meeting of the European Spring with Yanis Varoufakis and Benoît Hamon. She appeared as a supporter on election posters of the German DiEM25 campaign in the run-up to the 2019 European Elections.

Anderson advocates for animal rights, and is an active member of the animal protection organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). She gave up meat in her early teens when she saw a hanging dead deer that her father had hunted.

In the 2019 Canadian federal election, she endorsed the Green Party of Canada.

Personal life

Relationships

Anderson has been married six times. She married her first husband, Tommy Lee, drummer of Mötley Crüe, on February 19, 1995, after only knowing him for four days. They wed on a beach, with Anderson in a white bikini. Anderson's mother did not know, and learned of the marriage from ''People'' magazine. During this time, she was known professionally as Pamela Anderson Lee. They have two sons together: Brandon Thomas (born June 5, 1996) and Dylan Jagger (born December 29, 1997). During their tumultuous marriage, Lee was arrested for spousal abuse after assaulting Anderson. He was sentenced to six months in the Los Angeles County Jail. The couple divorced in 1998. A long custody dispute over their sons followed, and was finalized when both were granted joint custody in October 2002.

In March 2002, Anderson publicly stated that she had contracted by sharing tattoo needles with Lee, and began writing a regular column for ''Jane'' magazine. In October 2003, Anderson jokingly said on Howard Stern's radio show that she does not expect to live more than 10 or 15 years, but this was misconstrued and taken seriously by many websites and tabloids. As of 2015, Anderson was cured of hepatitis C.

After the divorce, Anderson became engaged to the model Marcus Schenkenberg; they broke up in 2001. She then became engaged to the singer Kid Rock; she broke up with him in 2003. On July 18, 2006, it was announced that she would marry Kid Rock on July 29, 2006, on a yacht near Saint-Tropez, France.

: "Feels like I've been stuck in a time warp," said Anderson in her blog entry. "Not able to let go of MY family picture ... it's been sad and lonely and frustrating ... I've raised my kids alone in hope of a miracle. Well my miracle came and went. And came back and back because he knew that I'd wake up one day and realize that I was waiting for nothing." "I'm moving on," she declared. "I feel like I'm finally free ... I'm in love."

There was extensive unconfirmed media speculation that the marriage was pregnancy-related, but the theory was based only on Anderson's representative's refusal to comment on the question.

On November 10, 2006, it was announced that Anderson had miscarried while in Vancouver shooting a new film, ''Blonde and Blonder''. Seventeen days later, on November 27, 2006, Anderson filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. Some news reports had suggested that Kid Rock's outrage during a screening of ''Borat'', in which Anderson has a cameo role, led to filing for divorce two weeks later.

In February 2007, Anderson said that she often had sex with Lee since their divorce. In June 2008, Lee said that they were trying to reconcile.

In September 2007, Anderson stated on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' that she was engaged. On September 29, Anderson and Rick Salomon applied for a marriage license in Las Vegas. On October 6, 2007, Anderson married Salomon in a small wedding ceremony at The Mirage, between her two nightly appearances at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Hans Klok's magic show. The couple separated on December 13, and on February 22, 2008, Anderson requested through the courts that the marriage be annulled, citing fraud.

In October 2013, Anderson stated on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' that she and Salomon were "friends with benefits". In January 2014, she announced that she had remarried Salomon on an unspecified date. Anderson filed for divorce from Salomon in February 2015. The divorce was finalized on April 29, 2015.

Anderson began dating French footballer Adil Rami in 2017. In late June 2019, Anderson declared on an Instagram post that the relationship with Rami was over. On January 20, 2020 Anderson married Hollywood producer Jon Peters. On February 1, 2020, Anderson announced she and Peters had separated, and later claimed to have never been legally married to Peters. On December 24, 2020, Anderson married Dan Hayhurst, her bodyguard. On January 21, 2022, Anderson announced that she had split with Hayhurst.

Legal issues

A sex tape of Anderson and Tommy Lee filmed on a houseboat on Lake Mead was stolen from their home in 1995 and was widely distributed on the Internet. Anderson sued the video distribution company, Internet Entertainment Group. Ultimately, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement with IEG. Thereafter, the company began making the tape available to subscribers to its web sites again, resulting in triple the normal traffic on the sites. Another tape, which was made before the Tommy Lee tape, involving Anderson and musician Bret Michaels from Poison, was later announced, and an abridged version of less than 60 seconds appeared on the Internet. Frames of the video first appeared in ''Penthouse'' magazine in March 1998.

The story of the sex tape was later documented in the miniseries '' Pam & Tommy''. Anderson was repeatedly contacted by the producers and the actress portraying her, Lily James, to get input and permission, but never answered their calls.

Citizenship and homes

Anderson became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2004, while retaining her Canadian citizenship. After moving to California in 1989, Anderson felt that it was important to become an American citizen in order to vote and one day petition to bring her parents to the U.S. and care for them when they were older. Anderson purchased a beach home in Malibu, California, for $1.8 million in 2008 and attempted to sell it in 2013 for $7.75 million, but later took it off the market. Since then, she has been renting out her Malibu home for $50,000 per month and has moved to the French Riviera, mainly because of her relationship with football player Adil Rami. Anderson previously lived in a mansion in Cassis, in the commune of Marseille, France. In 2019 Anderson said that she had recently returned to her native Canada, residing on Vancouver Island. Her move to Canada became permanent in 2021.

Filmography

Film

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, -
, 2015
, ''Unity''
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, ''The People Garden''
, Signe
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, ''Baywatch''
, Captain Casey Jean Parker
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, ''The Institute''
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, ''Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon''
, Jessica Fox
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Television

Bibliography

Autobiographies

* ''Pandemonium'' (1997)
* ''Raw'' (2015)

Nonfiction

* ''Lust for Love: Rekindling Intimacy and Passion in Your Relationship'' (co-writer with Shmuley Boteach) (2018)

Novels

* ''My New School'' series (2003–2004)
* ''Star: A Novel'' (2004)
* ''Star Struck'' (2005)

''Dancing with the Stars''

Season 10 performances

Season 15 performances

Awards and nominations

See also

* List of Canadian actors
* List of animal rights advocates

References

Further reading

*
*

External links

* – official site
*
*

Pamela Anderson
at Playboy online

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Pamela
1967 births
Living people
Sex symbols
1990s Playboy Playmates
20th-century Canadian actresses
21st-century American actresses
21st-century Canadian actresses
Actresses from British Columbia
Actresses from Malibu, California
American cannabis activists
American female models
American film actresses
American people of Finnish descent
American people of Russian descent
American television actresses
American women television personalities
American victims of crime
American voice actresses
American animal rights activists
Anti-pornography activists
Association footballers' wives and girlfriends
Bailando por un Sueño (Argentine TV series) participants
Canadian cannabis activists
Canadian emigrants to the United States
Canadian film actresses
Canadian people of Finnish descent
Canadian people of Russian descent
Canadian television actresses
Canadian victims of crime
Canadian voice actresses
Female models from British Columbia
HIV/AIDS activists
Naturalized citizens of the United States
People from Ladysmith, British Columbia
Sexual abuse victim advocates