A Walk Through the Films and Career of Canadian Star Pamela Anderson
Jan. 9 2025, Published 3:00 a.m. ET
You’d have to have been living under a rock in the 1990s to have not seen or heard of Pamela Anderson. The former Labatt’s beer spokesmodel, former Playboy model and star of hit TV series “Baywatch” captured the world’s attention with her good looks and acting prowess. Her popularity skyrocketed from there, leading to roles in movies and, on the small screen, appearances in shows such as “Big Brother,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “City Hunter.” Below is a look at how the popular Canadian broke onto the big screen, at some of her most famous movies and how they were received.
Capturing the attention of the world
It was the blonde bombshell’s popularity as “C.J. Parker” on the show “Baywatch,” a soap about the lives of lifeguards who patrol the beaches of LA and Hawaii, that opened the door to the movie world. The show, which often featured her in what became an iconic red bathing suit, transformed Pamela into a household name.
Before then, Pamela had been spotted at a Canadian league football game in the crowd by a cameraman, wearing a Labatt’s beer T-shirt. When the crowd saw her on the screen, they cheered, and the company snapped her up quickly as an ambassador for the beer. From there, she started to model for men’s magazine Playboy and would later make a small appearance in situation comedy show “Home Improvement” before finding mega fame in “Baywatch.”
Barb Wire (1996)
In “Barb Wire,” Pamela stars as Barb Wire herself, a nightclub owner who also figures out a second way to make a living as a bounty hunter. Unfortunately for Pamela, audiences didn’t take the film too seriously and the film flopped at the box office, taking in $3,793,614 worldwide. In the main, film reviewers panned the movie as a serious piece of film making, but conceded the film was still enjoyable.
Some reviewers felt Pamela deserved more credit. Despite the poor reviews, they felt she was impressive on screen and commended her for performing her own stunts and learning martial arts for the role.
Scary Movie 3 (2003)
In “Scary Movie 3,” Pamela delivers the audience some laughs as “Becka,” parodying “Becka Kotler” from “The Ring.” Becka shares a room at a boarding house with her friend Katy, and they end up being terrorized by their TV set. Despite Katy becoming decapitated in one scene, the ditzy Becka thinks she’s alive.
Comedy movie fans generally liked the film, which also spoofs the movies “Signs,” “8 Mile,” “The Sixth Sense” and “The Matrix.” Not everyone liked it, however. Despite some excellent parody, some felt the movie missed opportunities for satire. Even so, the film grossed $220,673,217 worldwide.
Baywatch Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
“Baywatch Hawaiian Wedding” is a spin-off movie from the classic TV series and stars many of the main cast of the show, including David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff, Yasmine Bleeth, Carmen Electra and Billy Warlock. The boat explosion in the 10th series didn’t kill Mitch Buchannon, but left him recovering from amnesia in the LA and, in the movie, he’s returning to Hawaii to get married. What he doesn’t know is that his fiancé, Alison, is working with Mason Sato, who appeared in the second series of the show and is coming back for revenge!
Unfortunately, for the movie makers and stars, reviewers also gave this one very little love. Some claimed it was very Baywatch-esque and that only fans would enjoy it.
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Baywatch today’s pop culture
“Baywatch” is still very well known today, the “Baywatch” online slot is one of many online Canadian slots based on popular TV shows and movies. In the slot, you’ll see Pamela Anderson as CJ, of course. She’s the wild symbol, in fact, in this five-reeler.
There is everything from customizable Baywatch pillows and Funko Pops available to fans of the show, but for those wanting something a little bit more extravagant, a signed Baywatch poster will cost you $369.95, highlighting just how much of a hit the show was at the time.
Since capturing the attention of audiences across the world in “Baywatch,” Pamela Anderson has starred in some highly famous big-screen productions. Some have been more successful than others, but all have helped her cement her name in the public’s consciousness. Other films you can catch her in are “Blonde and Blonder” (2008) and the big-screen adaption of “Baywatch,” which came out in 2017.
