Brooke Burns was born in Dallas, Texas, on October 28th, 1977. The middle child of three siblings, Brooke learned wholesome family values from her supportive parents. Her mother encouraged her from a young age to pursue her dream, which was to become a ballet dancer.
Unfortunately, a serious ski accident stopped Brooke's dreams in their tracks as she was unable to perform the flexible moves needed to become a top tier dancer. Mrs. Burns, convinced of her daughter's unique talents, sent her to do some modeling as a solid back-up plan. At 16, Brooke was appearing in European and American fashion magazines, though still in high school.
The photo lens was soon traded in for the video camera, when Burns started appearing in commercials for Mug Root Beer and popular restaurants. Her appearances translated into a successful audition for Out of the Blue, a show filmed at Sea World in Orlando.
After her success in Florida, Brooke decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting full time. Shortly thereafter, she auditioned for a role on Baywatch and while she didn't get the part, she was eventually called back to fill a permanent role as Jessie Owens. It would be her big break.
After two years of playing Jessie on Baywatch and Baywatch Hawaii, Burns decided to leave the show when she found out that she was pregnant. The father was recent hubby Julian McMahon of Charmed. In addition to her role on Baywatch, Brooke appeared in several episodes of Ally McBeal.
After her daughter Madison was born in 2000, Brooke turned toward movies and took a small yet significant role in the 2001 comedy Shallow Hal (with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow), where she played a woman whose inner beauty transforms her into a goddess.
Her next big opportunity came after appearing in a celebrity edition of the popular reality show Fear Factor, where she leapt on top of a speeding double-decker bus. Producers from NBC were impressed with her charisma and sense of adventure and asked her to sign on as host of a new reality show/game show under development called Dog Eat Dog. She eagerly took the position and has enjoyed great Nielsen ratings since its recent debut.
Although her accomplishments are not Walk-of-Fame worthy, Brooke has the wit and looks to last a long time on screen, whether it's big or small.
