Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, magician's assistant, dancer, entertainer 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 become recognizable for her 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, she is the daughter of Patricia, a singer, and Mr. Schneck, an entertainer and guitarist. She attended Ann Weigel Elementary School. Her mother died of a brain tumor in 1998. Her older sister Debbie died from a heart attack, also in 1998. Carmen graduated from in Sharonville. She has Irish, German, and Cherokee ancestry.
Career
Patrick started her professional career in 1990 as a magician's assistant 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 was assigned to perform three specific illusions: the double sawing, in which she and another dancer were sliced in half, and had their lower halves swapped, an illusion in which she was produced from an empty cooking pot on a stove, and an illusion in which she was impaled on dozens of neon bulbs.
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 instead 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 various television programs. Then, 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) and MTV's Singled Out. She returned to Baywatch for the 2003 reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.
Electra became so popular among readers of Playboy that she was featured in the magazine four more times, with her second appearance in June 1998, third in December 2000, fourth in April 2003 and her fifth in the January 2009 anniversary issue. She subsequently graced 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 several films, such as Good Burger (1997), The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999), the horror spoof Scary Movie (2000) and also appeared in 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".
In 2005, Electra began the Naked Women's Wrestling League, acting as the commissioner for the professional wrestling promotion. She took an active role in the shows produced by the League, including becoming involved with mud wrestling and being placed into magic tricks by April Hunter. The most notable incident involved Electra being sawn in half in the Thin Model Sawing, and it was implied that Electra was nude inside the box. She did not actually appear nude or topless, in contrast to April Hunter who was nude through out.
In promotional still from Criss Angel's Extreme Magic special, Carmen Electra greets Criss on the beach. He invites her to let him use her to demonstrate some magic.
In 2006, Electra began to be featured in commercials by Taco Bell, and took part in a segment of the Extreme Magic TV Special with Criss Angel. The segment featured Angel and Gillian Anderson meeting a Electra on a California beach, apparently at random. Angel invited Electra to help him show Anderson some magic. At a beach front cafe, Angel hypnotised Electra (still in her bikini) and had Anderson place her in hand and ankle cuffs. Electra was then pushed into a canvas sack, and the sack was placed into a cardboard box. Angel then instructed Anderson to drive metal swords through the box, to her obvious concern. At the conclusion of the trick the top of the box was opened, revealing the sack impaled on the poles, but no trace of Electra herself.
In 2007, Electra was due to take part in a major new show in Las Vegas with the magician Hans Klok. She participated in a number of press events to launch the show, and it was reported that several unique illusions had been specifically designed for her, including a pole dancing impalement and a routine in which Electra would be assembled and then disassembled by the show's chorus line. It was later announced that she had withdrawn from the production, and she was replaced by Pamela Anderson.
Electra is the current 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.
In July 2009, Electra appeared as a guest star in 'Crazy Horse' in Las Vegas. Although the dancers normally wear pasties as part of the show, Electra chose to perform topless, and then nude. Three routines saw Electra: sliced into three and undressed to a basque in the Disembodied Princess; hypnotised, levitated, and vanished ; and produced topless in a clear sided box. For the show's finale, she stripped nude, and was sawn in half by the chorus line with a buzz saw .
Other work
Electra portrayed Velvita, a.k.a. 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.
The Electra Pole is a pole dancing kit inspired and endorsed by Carmen Electra that users can assemble in their home in 5-minutes. Suitable for all levels of dancer from beginners to professionals, it is stable enough to support any pole dancing move, including flips and inverts. Electra's promotion of pole dancing as exercise later inspired an illusion for Hans Klok's Vegas show in which Electra was to be impaled on a pole dancing pole.
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 legendary 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 currently appears as the face and "spokesdiva" 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.
Personal life
Electra had a relationship with Prince, though the relationship was short-lived. Electra was also romantically involved with rap star B-Real of Cypress Hill from 1995 to 1998. It was revealed when B-Real and Electra were both on The Howard Stern Show that B-Real had bought her breast implants.
Electra achieved publicity during her on-again, off-again marriage to basketball star Dennis Rodman from 1998 to 1999. The wedding to Rodman took place at Little Chapel of the Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada. Later, she had a brief affair with Tommy Lee, Mötley Crüe drummer and ex-husband of Pamela Anderson.
On November 22, 2003, Electra married Dave Navarro, former lead guitarist for the rock bands Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The couple documented their courtship and marriage in an MTV celebrity reality show called 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen & Dave. On July 17, 2006, she and Navarro announced their separation. Their rep confirmed their separation to Star Magazine. Electra filed for divorce on August 10. It was finalized on February 20, 2007.
In 2006, Electra stated that when she was eight years old she had a "little girl crush" on Joan Jett. In 2007, tabloid sources linked the two of them together romantically. However, Electra's spokeswoman has insisted "They are just friends." In June 2007, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel asked Electra if her relationship with Jett was romantic. Electra stated, "We're just friends". She went on to say that she collects tabloid articles that suggest she and Jett are dating because she is a fan of Jett and finds them amusing as well. Carmen is currently dating Rob Patterson, former live guitarist for KoЯn. She recently got an "R" tattoo behind her ear.
Charity work
Carmen Electra organized a fundraiser for Head to Hollywood, a non-profit organization which offers support to brain tumor survivors. Other charities which she supports include Elevate Hope, a charity which supports abused and abandoned children, and the Hollyrod Foundation which provides medical, physical, and emotional support to those suffering from debilitating life circumstances especially Parkinson's Disease.
Discography
- Carmen Electra, 1993
Filmography
- American Vampire (1997)
- Good Burger (1997)
- Starstruck (1998)
- The Chosen One: Legend of the Raven (1998)
- The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999)
- Christmas Vacation 2000 (1999)
- Scary Movie (2000)
- Sol Goode (2001)
- Perfume (2001)
- Get Over It (2001)
- Rent Control (2002)
- Whacked! (2002)
- Uptown Girls (2003)
- My Boss's Daughter (2003)
- Starsky & Hutch (2004)
- Mr. 3000 (2004)
- Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon (2004)
- Monster Island (2004)
- Dirty Love (2005)
- Lil' Pimp (2005) (direct-to-DVD) (voice)
- Searching for Bobby D (2005)
- Getting Played (2005)
- Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)
- Date Movie (2006)
- Scary Movie 4 (2006)
- Hot Tamale (2006)
- lonelygirl362436 (2006)
- National Lampoon's Pledge This! (2006)
- Epic Movie (2007)
- I Want Candy (2007)
- Full of It (2007)
- Vaya par de productorex (2007)
- Christmas in Wonderland (2007)
- Meet the Spartans (2008)
- Last Call at Murray's (2008)
- Disaster Movie (2008)
- Leisure suit Larry: Box Office Bust (2008) (post-production) (voice)
- Mardi Gras (Filming) (2009)
Television work
- Singled Out (host in 1997)
- Loveline (host in 1997)
- Baywatch (cast member from 1997-1998)
- Hyperion Bay (cast member 1998)
- VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock (host in 2000)
- Electra's Guy (2002)
- Carmen and Dave: An MTV Love Story (2002)
- Cleavage (narrator in 2002)
- Livin' Large (2002-2004) (frequent host throughout run)
- BattleBots (host in 2002)
- Dance Fever (2003) (canceled after 6 episodes)
- Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
- 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave (2004) (limited run of 7 episodes)
- Monster Island (2004)
- Summerland as Mona (2004)
- Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model (2004-2005)
- Tripping the Rift (cast member in 2005) (voice)
- House M.D. ("Three Stories" (Season 1, Episode 21)) (as herself twice, first being a replacement for Gregory House in the third story then as a farmer from the first story because "If we're gonna look at a leg...")
- Lolo's Cafe (2006) (voice)
- Full Frontal Fashion (2007 guest host)
- Joey (TV series) (guest star as herself in two episodes, one of each season)