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Yasmine Bleeth

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Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Bleeth (left), November 11, 2006
Born
Yasmine Amanda Bleeth
Other namesYaz, Yazmania
SpousePaul Cerrito (August 25, 2002 - present)

Yasmine Amanda Bleeth (born June 14, 1968 in New York City) is an American TV and film actress.

Bleeth is famous for her role as Caroline Holden on the worldwide-syndicated TV series Baywatch, where she played an always red swimsuit-clad professional lifeguard.

Biography

Family

Philip Bleeth, Yasmin's American father, is Jewish of Russian and German ancestry, while her mother, Carina, was Pied-noir Algerian [1].

Her mother was a former fashion model, while her father was a professional photographer. They both ran a business that rented vans to fashion photographers for on-location shoots. Philip Bleeth became his daughter's business manager. Bleeth's parents separated and later divorced; she was raised by her mother.

Childhood

Bleeth's earliest known acting role was in a Johnson & Johnson's No More Tears baby shampoo television commercial at age ten months at the end of 1968 or the beginning of 1969. She once said: "I did my first commercial when I was 10 months old, and I've been in the business ever since." [2] At age 6 she appeared on Candid Camera. Later that year she appeared in a Max Factor cosmetic campaign, along with the model, Cristina Ferrare. Her work in this campaign caught the eye of fashion photographer, Francesco Scavullo, who subsequently included her and her mother, Carina, in his book entitled Scavullo Women.

Total Film magazine, issue number 21, dated (October 1998), contains a two-page interview with Bleeth. In the article she said, "When I was a girl I used to have to force boys to kiss me. My toughest friend had to hold them down."

File:Yasminebleethheybabepressphoto2.jpg
Yasmine Bleeth in Hey Babe!, her 1st film at 12-years-old

Bleeth attended the United Nations International School in Manhattan, New York, and she received a bilingual (French-English) education [3]. She was very popular with boys. At one time when she was 14 years old, she had to be away from school for a few months for her acting career.

Her given name Yasmine is Persian for a fragrant flower and Hebrew for Jasmine. Bleeth is Yiddish in origin, and was once spelled as Blut, which is German for blood.

On-screen beginnings

Bleeth starred in her first movie at the age of 12. She was cast opposite Buddy Hackett in the feature film Hey Babe! in 1980.

By the time she graduated from high school, she had already been working on the soap opera Ryan's Hope since the age of 16. In 1991, she created the role as Lee Anne Demerest on the highly acclaimed soap opera One Life To Live.

Mother's death

At the age of 20, Bleeth lost her mother Carina to inflammatory breast cancer, the deadliest type of breast cancer. Bleeth said that she never accepted the fact that her mother was dying until Carina took her very last breath. Just two months after Carina's 47th birthday, her fight with cancer was over [4].

After Carina died, Bleeth sank into depression, and she turned down offers for acting or modeling work for about eight months.

Fiancée

After she met Ricky Paull Goldin, a soap actor who helped her with her depression, the two lived in Manhattan, but after she was cast for Baywatch, she moved to Los Angeles. The couple had planned to marry, but shortly after the wedding invitations were made out, she called off the marriage.

Breast cancer advocate

Bleeth was the 1998 spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraising campaign, which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer research and education. In 1998 it occurred on October 9, and was called the 'Wear Jeans to Work' campaign. Through Bleeth's help, $5 million was raised on that one day to help the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.[5] Her primary message to women was to pay attention to their bodies; Her mother was initially misdiagnosed by a doctor who thought that she was going through early menopause.

Bleeth donated the proceeds of her $10,000 win on Celebrity Jeopardy to breast cancer research. She hoped to use her celebrity status to expand breast cancer awareness - particularly to young women who might overlook what an older woman would not ignore [6].

Bleeth has been a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation who, along with corporate sponsor Ford, put together the nationally run Race for the Cure.

Drug addiction and arrest

File:Yasmine Bleeth mugshot.jpg
Booking photograph at time of arrest

In December 2000, Bleeth voluntarily entered the Malibu-based Promises rehabilitation clinic to overcome a cocaine addiction.

On September 12, 2001, Bleeth was arrested in Michigan after her car pulled off the highway and wound up on a median. No other cars were involved. The car accident occurred on Interstate 94 near Detroit as she and her future husband, Paul Cerrito, were heading to Detroit Metropolitan Airport [7]. Police found four syringes with an injectable form of cocaine in them and a small plastic bag with cocaine residue on it. The next day police conducted a search of her hotel room, and they found more cocaine and drug paraphernalia. In November 2001, through a plea bargain, Bleeth pleaded guilty to possessing less than 25 grams of cocaine and to driving while impaired. She was sentenced in January 2002 to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.[8]

Bleeth's lawyer, Jerry Sabbota, stated that the actress was satisfied with the plea bargain, noting that her record will be cleared of any felonies after she fulfills the terms of her probation. "When all is said and done she'll have a traffic ticket on her record. She wasn't treated any better than anyone else, and she wasn't treated any worse", Sabbota said. Bleeth completely fulfilled the terms of her probation as of January 2004, and her record was cleared as previously determined by the plea bargain.

Rehab and sobriety

Attorney Sabbota stated that Bleeth had returned to Promises rehabilitation clinic. In an issue of Glamour from April 2003, Bleeth wrote a three page article entitled "Back From my Drugs Hell" about her rocky path to recovery, her drug addiction, and her struggle to remain sober. She wrote that she had a cocaine habit that was so severe that she collapsed at a photo shoot for Glamour magazine, and she went without sleep for five days at a time. She wrote that "consciously trying to stay off drugs is now part of my life and always will be." [9]

Commenting on her cocaine addiction, Bleeth said, "It was almost like falling in love... It became my boyfriend, my best friend, my family."

Marriage

Bleeth married strip club owner [10] Paul Cerrito on August 25, 2002.[11] They met each other at the Promises clinic. They married in Santa Barbara, California and now live in Birmingham, Michigan. They are currently working together at Cerrito's strip club [12] Jon Jon's Cabaret in Warren, Michigan.

In the (April 2003) edition of Glamour, Bleeth stated, "They say you shouldn't get into any relationship in the first year of sobriety — especially with someone in the program, but Paul and I fell in love immediately."

Work

Due to her role in Baywatch, Yasmine was offered many more roles in television and film. She continued to work as a model, frequently appearing in swimwear or lingerie, but has never appeared nude despite many offers.

Television series

Bleeth turned down roles in Aaron Spelling's Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and Pacific Palisades (1997) but accepted the starring role in the short-lived series Titans (2000) [13]. Aaron Spelling was so eager to cast Yasmine in the role of a vixen on Titans that his company convinced CBS to grant her an early release from her Nash Bridges contract.

Notable TV guest appearances

Filmography

Plays

  • Welcome to My Life (October 1991) ... Starring role; a series of three one-act plays written by Charlie Loventhal (Second Stage Theater, New York, New York, USA)
  • Looking for It (late 1980s) ... off-broadway play

Music Video

  • Bleeth appeared in The Rembrandts' video This House is Not a Home, a follow-up song to their theme song for Friends.

Magazines

  • Bleeth was one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1995. She was also one of FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World every year from 1996 - 2001, and FHM's U.S. 100 Sexiest Women every year from 2000 - 2003.

Interviews

  • Maxim (USA) October 1998, by: Steven Russell, Yasmine Bleeth [14]
  • Details (USA) October 1997 8 Babes A Week
  • E!Online (USA) April 1996 Yasmine Bleeth Q & A
  • Smoke 4th anniversary issue, by: Joan Tarshis, Being Yasmine Bleeth
  • FHM (UK) August 1998
  • SELF (USA) July 1998, by: Susan Mulcaby, Bleeth Spirit
  • OK! (UK) (March 2003) Yasmine Bleeth's Wedding
  • Complete Woman (USA) by: Joan Tavshis, Titans’ Star Yasmine Bleeth
  • Celebrity Style (USA) April 1999 by: Alexis Iacone
  • Glamour (USA) April 2003 Back From My Drugs Hell
  • Maxim (USA) December 1998, Issue 14, pg. 115-118, by: Stephen Russell, Yasmine Bleeth
  • Detour (USA) August 1998, pg. 62-63, by: Robert Ellsworth, All That Yasmine
  • TV Guide (USA) January 31, 1998, Vol. 46, Issue 5, pg. 14-19, by: Hilary De Vries, Beyond The Bay
  • Total Film (USA) October 1998, Issue 21, 2 page interview

Articles

  • Channels magazine (USA) December 1999, by: Dennis Hensley, YAS-AMATAZ (Read article)
  • E!Online (USA) Yasmine Bleeth as Baywatch's Caroline Holden
  • People (USA) 1996 Yasmine Bleeth - Talk To Me
  • People (USA) 1996 Yasmine Bleeth - A Face To Die For
  • Entertainment Weekly (USA) 2001 by: A.J. Jacobs Yasmine Bleeth - The Ultimate Temptation [15]
  • Soap Opera Digest (USA) 1986, Ryans Hope Yasmine Bleeth: Not Your Everyday Ingenue
  • Starlog February 1996, Issue #223
  • Who Weekly (Australia) October 8, 2001 Yasmine Bleeth - full page story with large picture
  • Movieline (USA) July 1998, Vol. 9, Iss. 10, pg. 12, by: Dennis Hensley, She Can Cut It
  • The Newfoundland Herald (Canada) Dec. 16 - 22, 1995 Yasmine Bleeth Brings Character To Baywatch - cover and 1 1/2 page article and pictorial

Pictorials

  • Celebrity Sleuth (USA) July 2003, Iss. 26, pg. 64-67, by: staff, Nose...Out of Joint
  • Playboy (USA) November 2000, Vol. 47, Iss. 11, pg. 184, by: Fitzroy Barrett, Grapevine: Made a Sexy Splash on Nash
  • US Weekly (USA) July 1999, Iss. 258, pg. 74, by: Tom Conroy, The Bod Squad: Yasmine Bleeth
  • Celebrity Sleuth (USA) 1999, Vol. 12, Iss. 9, pg. 48-49, by: staff, Police Sirens: Nash Bridges
  • Maxim (USA) December 1998, Iss. 14, pg. 114-119, by: Albert Sanchez, Yasmine Bleeth
  • Playboy (USA) June 1998, Vol. 45, Iss. 6, pg. 131, by: staff, The Babes Of Baywatch
  • Celebrity Sleuth (USA) 1995, Vol. 8, Iss. 9, pg. 68-69, by: staff, Channel Surfing: Baywatch

Magazine covers

Clothing Line

  • Bleeth had her own line of swimwear called Yaz Wear

Quotes

  • Bleeth was asked by a fan: "On Friends, what do you think of Joey and Chandler's obsession with Baywatch? Chandler even put you on his "five celebrities I can sleep with and my mate can't get mad" list. Is this weird for you, or are you flattered?" Yasmine responded: "I'm flattered — and it sure doesn't hurt our show, either." [16]
  • Bleeth was asked by a fan: "Why have you turned down repeated offers to pose for Playboy?" Yasmine responded: "I'm not interested in Playboy. I'm a fashion maven, and I love people to see me with my clothes on." [17]
  • In an interview with Dennis Hensley, Yasmine stated that she delighted in her over-the-top depiction of a crazed beauty queen in the 1997 TV movie Crowned and Dangerous. She smiled and said, "I keep my crown from that film on my desk in a little Lucite box. My little brother tried it once, and I screamed at him, 'Take it off! Take it off!' I get a little nasty about my crown."
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