'''Erika Eleniak''' (born September 29, 1969) is an American ''
Playboy'' Playmate and actress, best known for her role in ''
Baywatch''.
Biography
Early life
Erika Maya Eleniak was born in Glendale, California. Eleniak is the eldest daughter in her family of four girls and one boy whose parents divorced. Her father, who was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is of Ukrainian descent, and her mother is Estonian and German. http://www.erikaeleniaksofficialsite.com/faq.html During the late 1970s, Eleniak's father introduced her to her future career in the movie industry when his then girlfriend got Eleniak a part to model children's clothing for TV commercials. Her first acting role was in the world wide hit film ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982) - as the girl kissed by Elliott in the school classroom scene.
During her teens, Eleniak became a regular on the San Fernando Valley party circuit and she began to use alcohol and drugs regularly. http://netglimse.com/celebs/pages/erika_eleniak/index.shtml Steve Ferguson, a quadriplegic who socialised in the same circles as Eleniak, helped curtail her problem by introducing her to Alcoholics Anonymous in 1988 and helping her through her detoxification. http://www.erikaeleniak.info/module_sub.php?idModule=3&idType=2&PHPSESSID=6e788611f06fe6820634cc2742608902 Eleniak dated Ferguson for a while and there was talk of an engagement, but the relationship ended and her mother, Iris, ended up marrying Ferguson's father instead.http://netglimse.com/celebs/pages/erika_eleniak/index.shtml
Career
Eleniak went on to have several small roles in television. She played Stephanie Curtis, Scott Baio's on-screen girlfriend in ''Charles in Charge'' (and was also his off-screen girlfriend), and Jamie Coburn in ''Broken Angel''. In 1989 Eleniak decided that appearing in ''
Playboy'' would help boost her career, and Ferguson put her in contact with a ''
Playboy'' photographer. ''
Playboy'' featured her on two covers and later as the centerfold in the July 1989 issue.
left|thumb|200px|Eleniak as Shauni in ''
Baywatch''.
After an audition and three call backs, Eleniak won a role in ''
Baywatch'' as Shauni McClain. She was the lead female character for three seasons until Pamela Anderson replaced her in 1992. While working on the series, Eleniak became romantically involved with Billy Warlock, who played Eddie Kramer, her character's boyfriend. He was the reason why Eleniak ended up leaving the show after only two seasons.http://www.geocities.com/erikaeleniakgallery/biography.html The two announced their engagement in 1993http://www.superiorpics.com/erika_eleniak/, but the relationship didn't last due to Warlock's jealous nature - he later confessed in an interview, "I can't bear anyone else to see her body."http://www.geocities.com/erikaeleniakgallery/biography.html
In 1992 Eleniak returned to film acting, playing Jordan Tate, a Playboy Playmate hired to do a striptease for the captain of a U.S. Navy ship, in ''
Under Siege'', a film that was one of the year's biggest hits.
