Biography of Tara Leigh Patrick (a.k.a.: Carmen Electra)
 Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), professionally known as 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.
Early life
Patrick 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. She has Irish, German,
and Cherokee ancestry.
Career
Patrick 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.
She 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.
Electra 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.
Electra 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. 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.
Other work
Electra and Audrina Patridge.Electra portrayed Velvita, also known as lonelygirl362436,
as a spoof of lonelygirl15 as an Epic Movie teaser.
Carmen 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.
Electra also appeared in commercials for Maxim Men's Hair Color products (2004-2005)
and Taco Bell (2006-2007).
Electra also appears as the face and spokesperson for the MAX Factor Make-Up
line (beginning in 2006) in their television and print ads.
She also appeared in an episode of "House" in which she portrayed
an injured golfer and an injured farmer, playing out House's fantasy. Full name: Tara Leigh Patrick
Born: April 20, 1972
Father: Harry Patrick
Mother: Patricia Patrick
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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