Born Tara Leigh Patrick
April 20, 1972 (1972-04-20)
(age 37)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation Actress, Model, Dancer, TV personality, Entertainer
Years active 1990 – present
Spouse(s) Dennis Rodman (1998-1999)
Dave Navarro (2003-2007)


Tara Leigh Patrick (born April 20, 1972), professionally known as Carmen Electra,[1] is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, dancer, and singer. She gained fame for her appearances in Playboy magazine, on the MTV game show Singled Out, on the TV series Baywatch, and Summerland, for her appearances dancing with the Pussycat Dolls and has since had roles in the parody films Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, and Disaster Movie.

Patrick was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Patricia, a singer, and Harry, an entertainer and guitarist.She attended Ann Weigel Elementary School and then studied dance at Dance Artists dance studio under Gloria J. Simpson, in Western Hills, a neighborhood 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.[6]

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 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 television programs. In May 1996 she was featured in a nude pictorial in Playboy magazine, the first of several.