Pamela Denise Anderson was born July 1, 1967, in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada. The daughter of a waitress and a furnace repairman, Anderson was destined for far more greater things in her life, and in 1989 after a a successful career in modeling, she packed it in and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. The blond-bombshell took the world by storm and the rest, as they say, is history.

Anderson’s first reoccurring role was on the television show Home Improvement, where she played ‘Tool Time’ girl Lisa. She had appeared on other shows before this, like Married with Children and Charles in Charge, but it took a tight t-shirt and a tool belt to bring her recognition.

From hardware to beach wear, Pamela Anderson traded in sawdust for sand and went on to star in the hit television series, Baywatch, where she played lifeguard, C.J. Parker. Perhaps her most famous television role, Anderson spent her days fighting crime on the beach and her nights partying hard. When Baywatch came to an end, she moved right into the role of Vallery Irons on V.I.P., playing a smart and sexy crime fighter. After a four year run, Anderson took a break from television to pursue a career on the big screen, but she returned in 2005 to co-star in the series, Stacked, playing Skyler Dayton, a party girl who goes to work in a book store. Perhaps too big for t.v., the show only lasted two seasons before it was canceled with some episodes going unaired.

Modeling, television, movies, Pamela Anderson has had a career that most Hollywood starlets could only dream of. She’s been married (three times), had a couple of sex tapes spread about the Internet, done charitable work, and been an activist as well as a columnist. Heck, she even wrote a letter to president Obama, urging the legalization of marijuana.

There’s no denying that Anderson has had a sorted life, both professionally and personally. Behind those big…eyes, though, is a woman who has refused to give up. Just when you think she’s down and out for the count, Pamela Anderson always figures out a way to come back and reinvent herself, and for that she truly is a television icon.