Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson, Actress

Pamela Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada. Her great-grandfather was Finnish and she has Dutch ancestry on her mother's side.

After graduating from Highland Secondary School in 1985, Anderson moved to Vancouver and worked as a fitness instructor. According to legend, during the summer of 1989, Pamela attended a British Columbia Lions football game at BC Place. At one point during the game, she was broadcast on the stadium screen wearing a Labatt's t-shirt, causing a stir among the crowd. Immediately after the game, Labatt's offered her a modeling contract.

Later that year, Anderson also decided to model for Playboy magazine, appearing on the October 1989 cover. She soon decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue a modeling career.

Once in California, she launched her acting career in 1991 on the hit television sitcom Home Improvement, where she remained a member of the cast until 1993. Soon thereafter, she landed the role of C.J. Parker on Baywatch, the character that catapulted her to international stardom. She was the star attraction of the show from 1992 to 1997.

In 1998 she starred and produced the series V.I.P. It was very poorly received and panned by the critics. The show, however, lasted four seasons before being dropped in 2002.

Anderson became a naturalized U.S. citizen in May 2004, while retaining her Canadian citizenship. She has lived in the Golden State since 1989.

In March 2006, it was announced that Pamela Anderson would receive a star on Canada's walk of fame rewarding her fame as a model and actress. She is only the second model to receive a star.

Anderson has recently ventured into activism. A vegetarian, she has become an advocate for animal rights and is an active member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

She has also campaigned against seal hunting in her native Canada. In February 2008, as a spokeswoman for Brigitte Bardot's animal rights association, Anderson delivered a letter to France’s Canadian ambassador criticizing the resumption of seal hunting in Northern Canada.