Tara Leigh Patrick, professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, dancer, entertainer and sex symbol.
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. She studied dance at Dance Artists dance studio under Gloria J. Simpson, in Western Hills, a suburb of Cincinnati. Her mother died of a brain tumor in 1998. Her older sister Debbie died from a heart attack, also in 1998. Carmen graduated from Princeton High School in Sharonville. She has Irish, German, and Cherokee ancestry.
Patrick started her professional career in 1990 as a dancer 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 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 has appeared in several films, such as Good Burger, The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999), the horror spoof Scary Movie and also appeared in Scary Movie 4, Epic Movie, Date Movie, the remake of the 1970s TV show Starsky & Hutch and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. She won an MTV Movie Award 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". Also in 2005, she began the Naked Women's Wrestling League, acting as the commissioner for the professional wrestling promotion. In late 2006, Carmen began to be featured in commercials by Taco Bell. 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.
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. It is confirmed that Rob and Carmen are now engaged.
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.