Erika Eleniak Biography:

This sparkling blonde performer of television and film made her feature acting debut as the young girl who gets kissed by Elliot in Steven Spielberg's "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). The real-life California Girl got her start as a child model and actor, with guest appearances on television shows such as "Silver Spoons", "Charles in Charge" and "Full House". Her stage works include "Nightmares" at Theater East, and "Sea Mother's Son" at the Gene Dynarski Theater. 

She also appeared in the television-movies "Broken Angel" (1998) and "Daughter of the Streets" (1990). But she is best recognized for her performance as the Beverly Hills rich kid turned lifeguard, Shauni McLain, on the hit series "Baywatch" with Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth and Gena Lee Nolin, Carmen Electra and Vanessa Angel (1989-90). Her character was married off to coworker Eddie Kramer (Billy Warlock) when both actors choose to exit the show at the end of the season.

She returned to movies after a six-year vacation with "The Blob" (1988), a remake of the 1959 horror sci-fi about a deadly blob which is the spawn of a secret government germ warfare project which consumes everyone in its path. Young teens try in vain to warn the townsfolk, who refuse to take them seriously, while government agents try to cover up the evidence and confine the creature. She then appeared in a Playboy Magazine photo pictorial and centerfold spread. 

Her photo debut in Playboy actually helped prepare her for her next role in the action thriller "Under Siege" (1992), an action film starring Steven Segal with the actress playing a Playboy Bunny. Everybody wanted to see her nude, and while the naked pictures from Playboy quickly found their way onto the internet, it was the magazine that won big. That months issue was the fastest selling monthly since the early days at Playboy. 

Her first leading role was in the 1993 remake of that loved 1960s television series, "The Beverly Hillbillies", in which she played Ellie May Clampett. More leads followed with "Chasers" (1994), the well-received comedy "A Pyromaniac's Love Story", about a young pastry boy and the son of a hair-piece mogul who become involved in an arson scandal.  Next was the crime adventure "Girl in the Cadillac" (1995) where a runaway meets up with a young man in the bus station who leads her to a rendezvous with two others who are planning a bank robbery. She was featured in the comic horror film, "Bordello of Blood" (1996) where the crypt keeper returns to tell the story of a funeral parlor that moonlights as a vampire bordello. She was then the lead star in the dramatic "Action" (1998) where after a botched suicide attempt Sam Hoffman finds herself trapped in an evil insane asylum.

She wrapped that year with Daniel Baldwin in the action movie "The Pandora Project" (1998) about a CIA agent who has to stop a former associate who has stolen a weapon which kills people without harming buildings, all before he is to get married in a few days. The actress was then cast in the mystery drama "Charades" (1998) with James Wilder, and "Stealth Fighter" (1999) with Ice-T as a naval pilot that fakes his own death, and later ends up employed by a Latin American arms dealer. She then teamed with Ice-T again in "Final Voyage" (1999). 

Erika was then hired for the little-seen boxing film "The Opponent" (2000) and "Vegas, City of Dreams" (2001), and the dull mystery "Snowbound" (2001). Other low profile, and B-rated films incuded "Second To Die" (2002), "Betrayal" (2003), "The Librarians" (2003) and "Caught in the Headlights" (2004). 

She was quickly becoming labeled as an action movie utility player. She was beautiful, and could shoot a gun and scream. Her last major film was "Brilliant" (2004), before starting on a string of made for television classic Monday night at the movies type of material. These incuded "Fatal Lessons: The Good Teacher" (2004) about a woman who finds her life unraveling after she makes friends with her daughter's teacher. Next was "Dracula 3000" (2004), "Fatal Reunion" (2005) and finally "Absolute Zero" (2005).

While most of these movies were unremarkable, it does show that she has the staying power and ability to survive in Hollywood as a gainfully employed actress. She has done very well for herself despite the lack of big-name, big-budget Hollywood productions produced with Oscar or Emmy aspirations. 

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