Brooke Burns
Burns in March 2008
Born	Brooke Elizabeth Burns (1978-03-16) March 16, 1978 (age 34) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1996–present
Spouse	Julian McMahon (m. 1999–2001) «start: (1999)–end+1: (2002)»"Marriage: Julian McMahon to Brooke Burns" Location: (linkback://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooke_Burns)
Partner	Bruce Willis (2004)

Brooke Elizabeth Burns (born March 16, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She began her career on the popular TV series Baywatch and Baywatch Hawaii.

Early life

Burns was born in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Brad and Betsy Burns.^[1] Burns has two sisters. She was a ballet dancer for twelve years during childhood and started modeling at age fifteen after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in a skiing accident.^[2] At age 16, Burns and her family moved to Europe, where she later lived in Paris, Milan and Munich.^[2]

Career

From 1998 to 2001, Burns starred in Baywatch as the character Jessie Owens. Burns starred in North Shore, a prime-time soap opera on Fox that consisted of 21 episodes which ran from June 14, 2004 through January 13, 2005. In 2006, starred in the WB series Pepper Dennis playing Kathy Dinkle.

In 2001, she appeared as Vicki Vale in one of several "Batman" commercials for OnStar, opposite Bruce Thomas's Batman, reprising the role made famous by Kim Basinger in the 1989 Tim Burton-directed Batman film.

Burns has also appeared on Ally McBeal, Just Shoot Me!, Drop Dead Diva, CSI: Miami, Out of the Blue, To Tell the Truth, and Average Joe: Hawaii.

Burns hosted NBC's Dog Eat Dog and was nominated for a Teen Choice Award.

In 2009, Burns appeared in the first twelve episodes of the updated Melrose Place playing Vanessa, the most recent wife of Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) and mother of his older son's five-year-old son, Noah.

For her role in the 2001 film Shallow Hal, the Farrelly brothers wrote a specific part for Burns after discovering in her audition she was the "prettiest dorky girl" they'd ever met.^[2]

She appeared in a Hallmark Channel Original Christmas movie, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, co-starring Henry Winkler, on December 13, 2008. Other films include Smokejumpers, Dancing Trees, Trophy Wife, and Art of Travel.

Personal life

Burns was once married to Julian McMahon (1999–2001) and the two have a daughter — Madison Elizabeth McMahon — who was born in June 2000.^[2][3] Burns was engaged to Bruce Willis until they broke up in 2004 after ten months together.^[4] Burns currently resides in Los Angeles.^[2]

She is engaged to Gavin O'Connor.^[5]

Injury

In November 2005, Burns broke her neck in a diving accident.^[2] Although she made a full recovery, she has a titanium fusion in her neck comprising a plate, rod, and ten screws.^[2]

Philanthropy

When Burns was filming Baywatch, she was involved with Camp Baywatch, teaching inner city children to swim, and perform life guard duties.^[2] Burns has mentored for Penny Lane, a home for abused children. She has been involved with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation. She is actively involved in, and was honored by, the Life Rolls On Foundation started by Josh and Jesse Billaur. LRO helps people with spinal cord injuries get back into an active lifestyle. She is also the spokesperson for Give Back a Smile, a program in which dentists donate their time and expertise to restore the smiles of women who are victims of domestic violence.

Filmography

Burns in July 2010

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brooke Burns

• Brooke Burns at the Internet Movie Database
• Brooke Burns at AllRovi