Brooke Burns

Widely recognized for her significant character of Jessie Owens in the popular drama series Baywatch, Brooke Elizabeth Burns is an American actress, fitness model, and television personality. She is also notable for her work in a 2001 commercially successful movie Shallow Hal. She debuted her career portraying the supporting character Peg in the Spanish-American teen sitcom Out of the Blue from 1995-1996.

Burns is also known for hosting the GSN game show, The Chase and the NBC game show, Dog Eat Dog for which she won nominations for Daytime Emmy Awards and Teen Choice Awards respectively. Her other prominent work includes Conan the Adventurer, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, North Shore, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Motor City Masters, and Where Hope Grows.

She was married to Australian actor and model, Julian McMahon from 1999-2002. The pair has a daughter named Madison Elizabeth McMahon, born in June 2000. She has been married to American director, Gavin O'Connor since 2013. The couple has a daughter named Declan Welles, born in January 2017. They reside in Los Angeles. 

Early Life and Education of Brooke Burns

Born on March 16, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, in the United States, Brooke Burns is the daughter of Brad and Betsy Burns. She was raised up in her hometown Texas, along with her two sisters. She is American as per nationality and is White American by ethnicity.

During her teenage year, Burns originally focused on a career in ballet dancer and almost 12 years in that field. At the age of 15, she made her transition into modeling after tearing a ligament in her knee during a skiing accident. She subsequently moved to Europe along with her family to pursue a full-time modeling career.

Brooke Burns’ Professional Career

Television Career

Brooke Burns gradually gained attention featuring on television in the late 90s. She started her professional TV career portraying Peg in the teen sitcom Out of the Blue for a year from 1995-96. 

She appeared as a Jessie Owens from 1998 to 2001, in the American action drama series, Baywatch. She was cast alongside David Ha s selhoff, Pamela Anderson, and Alexandra Paul, among others in the series.

Burns also became the host of NBC’s game show Dog Eat Dog from June 2002 to 03. For her exceptional work in the show, she was also nominated for a Teen Choice Award. She played the character of Kathy Dinkle in the WB series Pepper Dennis, in 2006.

Burn’s other iconic roles in television include Nicole Booth in North Shore, Jennifer Cullen in The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and Abby Morgan in Borderline Murder.

She got Emmy nomination in 2016 for the best game show host on the GSN game show The Chase along with British television personality Mark Labbett. Her recent work includes Motor City Masters, Community, Mom, and Christmas Connection among others.

Some of her other hits are:

Film Career

Burns made her film debut in 2001 playing the role of Ugly Katrina in romantic comedy film Shallow Hal. The movie gained mixed reviews from critics. She then went on to portray Jan Lambert in Single White Female 2: The Psycho. She also appeared in the Urban Decay, Titanic II, and Where Hope Grows.

Brooke Burns’ Net Worth, Salary, And Height

Brooke Burns' estimated net worth is around $3 million, at present. She has earned a decent amount of money from her career, as a fashion model, actress, and TV personality.

She has appeared in the movies and TV shows such as Where Hope Grows, Titanic II, Dancing Trees, Smoke Jumper aka Trial by Fire, Urban Decay, Death to the Supermodels, Gourmet Detective, Community, Motor City Masters, The Chase, Borderline Murder, Melrose, Hole in the Wall, Pepper Dennis, and North Shore.

As a fashion model, Burns earns around $50,000. She owned a BMW 5 Series 530d M Sports worth around $54,000.

Burns appeared in a 2001 film Shallow Hall which received average reviews from critics. The movie made $70.7 million in the United States for the total whopping box office collection of $141.1 million worldwide, whereas its producing cost was only $40 million.

Brooke Burns stands at the height of 5 ft 8.5 in (174 cm). She is active on Twitter with thousands of followers.

Injury and Charity Work

On November 10, 2005, Burns was involved in a tragic car accident and broke her neck. She said that her accident could have been fatal.

“I broke my neck, it’s a cla s sic neck break from chin to chest."

She added,

“If I had been alone, I would probably be dead.”

Burns has made a full recovery, but she has a titanium fusion in her neck consisting of a plate, rod, and ten screws. As a result of her driving accident, she got involved with the Think First National Injury Prevention Foundation and the North American Spine Society. The organizations helped to raise awareness of spinal injurious.

Burns also supports the Life Rolls On Foundation which helps people to come back to an active lifestyle after having spinal cord injuries. She also taught inner-city children to swim and worked as a lifeguard while she was filming Baywatch.

Brooke Burns’ Personal Life

The versatile American actress Brooke Burns has been married twice. At present, she is married to her film director husband of four years, Gavin O'Connor. The couple first met in late 2012 and started dating after a few months.

They tied the knot on June 22, 2013, in a private ceremony. In October 2016, Burns made a public announcement regarding her pregnancy and welcomed their child, a daughter Declan Welles, on January 22, 2017. She currently lives in Los Angeles along with her family.

The former Baywatch star Burns was married to Australian actor and model Julian McMahon, in 1999. McMahon is the son of the former Prime Minister of Australia Sir William McMahon.

Along with her ex-husband McMahon, Burns has a daughter named Madison Elizabeth McMahon who was born in June 2000. The couple eventually divorced in 2001. She was reportedly engaged to Bruce Wills for a year from 2003-04.

Here is the short video, where Burns talks about her role in Baywatch,