Erika Eleniak (born September 29, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress, Playboy Playmate, and model known for her role in Baywatch as Shauni McClain. Her film debut was in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). She starred in the films The Blob (1988), Under Siege (1992), and The Beverly Hillbillies (1993).

Erika Eleniak
Eleniak in Los Angeles, California
on October 1, 2011
Born
Erika Maya Eleniak

(1969-09-29) September 29, 1969 (age 55)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
Years active1982–present
Playboy centerfold appearance
July 1989
Preceded byTawnni Cable
Succeeded byGianna Amore
Personal details
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Spouses
Philip Goglia
(m. 1998; div. 1998)
Roch Daigle
(m. 2005; div. 2007)
Children1
Signature
Eleniak in 2010

Early life

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Erika Eleniak was born in Glendale, California.[1] Her father, Dale Alan Eleniak, is of Ukrainian descent and her mother, Iris Maya (Neggo) Arnold is of Estonian and German descent. Eleniak's paternal great-grandfather, Wasyl Eleniak, was one of the first pioneer Ukrainian immigrants to settle in Canada.[2]

Career

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Eleniak's first feature-film role was at age 12, in the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as the girl kissed by Elliott in the classroom scene. Her 10-year-old costar, Henry Thomas, told People magazine that he disliked filming the scene: “When I had to kiss the girl, I had to do it two times! I don’t like girls."[3]

In 1988 she appeared as Vicki De Soto, a victim of the creature in the horror film The Blob, which was a remake of the 1958 film of the same name.

Eleniak appeared in the July 1989 issue of Playboy in a pictorial with a nautical theme. That same year, she began a recurring role in the TV series Charles in Charge as Charles's girlfriend Stephanie Curtis, and also won a role on Baywatch as female lead Shauni McClain, which she played from 1989 to 1992. She also played Carrie, the high-school girlfriend of Jesse (John Stamos), in "One Last Kiss", the November 16, 1990 episode of Full House.

In 1992, Eleniak returned to film acting, playing a Playboy Playmate hired to perform a striptease for the captain of a U.S. Navy battleship in Under Siege. In the film, she is described as "Miss July 1989"—the month that Eleniak was Playmate of the Month in real life.

She had a starring role as Elly May Clampett in the screen adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies in 1993. The next year, she starred in the Dennis Hopper-directed romantic comedy film Chasers with William McNamara. Eleniak shot another movie with McNamara, Girl in the Cadillac (1995), and starred as identical twins in the interactive 1995 video game Panic in the Park. She continued to make more independent films until 2003.[citation needed]

Eleniak appeared on the reality television series The Real Gilligan's Island in June 2005.[4]

Eleniak has suffered from weight issues. At one point, she was underweight due to an eating disorder and was once hospitalized for laxative abuse.[5] By 2006, she was overweight and participated in the fourth season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club.

In 2006, she appeared on '80s Movie and Music Fest Cafe, a British comedy podcast on iTunes, in which she discussed her career with presenters Ross Dyer and Julian Bayes. She gave a lighthearted view of Baywatch and her challenge during filming of Celebrity Fit Club.[6]

Personal life

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Eleniak was once engaged to her Baywatch co-star Billy Warlock, who had played her love interest on the show, as well.[7] Eleniak married bodybuilder Philip Goglia on May 22, 1998, but after just six months, the marriage ended in divorce.[8][9] After filming Snowbound in 2001 in Calgary, Alberta, Eleniak became enamored of the city. She began dating Roch Daigle, a key grip who worked on the set. She had wanted to leave Los Angeles as she found commuting to and from Telluride, Colorado, difficult. She purchased a home in Calgary, where Daigle lived.[10] The two eventually married. Eleniak became pregnant in 2005, but six and a half weeks into her term, the pregnancy was discovered to be ectopic, which required emergency surgery, and ended in a miscarriage.[citation needed] Eleniak later became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter.[11]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Pretty Girl
1983 Imps* Brooke Shields released 2009
1988 Broken Angel Jaime Coburn TV movie
The Blob Vicki De Soto
1989 Baywatch: Panic at Malibu Pier Shauni McClain TV movie
1990 Daughter of the Streets Jennifer TV movie
1992 Under Siege Jordan Tate
1993 The Beverly Hillbillies Elly May Clampett
1994 Chasers Seaman Toni Johnson
1995 Girl in the Cadillac Amanda 'Mandy' Baker
A Pyromaniac's Love Story Stephanie Potts
1996 Bordello of Blood Katherine Verdoux
1997 Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave Det. Eileen Burke TV movie
She's So Lovely Playmate
1998 Captive Samantha Hoffman
One Hot Summer Night Kelly Moore Brooks TV movie
The Pandora Project Wendy Lane
Charades Monica
1999 Love Stinks Gina (voice)
Stealth Fighter Erin Mitchell
Final Voyage Gloria Franklin
2000 The Opponent Patty Sullivan
2001 Vegas, City of Dreams Katherine Garrett
Snowbound Barbara Cates
2002 Second to Die Sara Morgan Bratchett Scucello
Christmas Rush Catherine 'Cat' Morgan TV movie
He Sees You When You're Sleeping Annie Campbell TV movie
Shakedown Julie Hayes Video
2003 Betrayal Emily Shaw
The Librarians Sandi Clark
2004 Brilliant Ricky Smith
Fatal Lessons: The Good Teacher Victoria Paige TV movie
Dracula 3000 Aurora Ash
2005 Caught in the Headlights Kate Parker
Fatal Reunion Jessica Hartley Landers TV movie
2006 Absolute Zero Bryn TV movie
2010 Changing Hands Woman in the Park
2012 Holiday Spin Roxy TV movie
Meant to Be Linda Dickson
Changing Hands Feature -
2017 Boone: The Bounty Hunter Herself
2019 Cor Values Veronica MacDougall

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1987 Silver Spoons Samantha Episode: "Rumors Are Flying"
Still the Beaver Lynn Episode: "I Had It All"
1988 Second Chance Monica Episode: "The Front"
1989 Charles in Charge Stephanie Curtis Recurring Cast: Season 4
1989–92 Baywatch Shauni McClain Main Cast: Season 1-3
1990 Full House Carrie Fowler Episode: "One Last Kiss"
1998 Brooklyn South Officer Christine Bannon Recurring Cast
1999 Fantasy Island Sybil Hammond Episode: "Innocent" & "The Real Thing"
Aftershock: Earthquake in New York Jillian Parnell Episode: "Part 1 & 2"
2005 The Real Gilligan's Island Ginger - Green Team Main Cast: Season 2
2006 Celebrity Fit Club Herself Main Cast: Season 4
2008 Germany's Next Topmodel Herself Episode: "Episode 10"; Reality
2010 CSI: Miami Claire Peterson Episode: "See No Evil"
Desperate Housewives Barbara Fine Episode: "A Humiliating Business"
2023 Meet the Richardsons Herself Episode: "Episode #4.8"

Video games

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Year Title Role
1995 Panic in the Park Janie/Jamie

References

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  1. ^ "Erika Eleniak's Official Bio (archived)". Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "Wasyl Eleniak". Alberta Settlement. Government of Canada. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "Revealing His Secrets at Last".
  4. ^ Wheat, Alynda (June 6, 2005). "Tonight's Best TV". CNN.
  5. ^ Entertainment Tonight, May 24, 2006
  6. ^ "80's Movie and Music Fest Cafe podcast". iTunes. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  7. ^ "Days of Our Lives Stars Get Married". Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  8. ^ "Erika Eleniak;Philip Goglia (& Wife)" Archived 2015-07-25 at the Wayback Machine. Getty Images. August 11, 1999. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  9. ^ "Erika is married!". ErikaEleniak.info. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Official FAQ (2013 archive)". Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "What the Hell Did I Get Into". Celebrity Fit Club. Season 4. Episode 1. August 6, 2006. Vh1.
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