Biography: Shanna Moakler

Shanna Lynn Moakler (born March 28, 1975) is an American model, actor, reality television star ^{and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was crowned as Miss USA 1995. Moakler began modeling at the age of fifteen and was later chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in December 2001.}

Moakler eventually branched out into an acting career, appearing as a regular for two seasons on the USA Network television series Pacific Blue in 1998, and in 2005 she starred as herself on the reality television series Meet the Barkers with her then husband Travis Barker, a former drummer in the rock band Blink-182. The series aired for two seasons on MTV.

Moakler's private life has been much discussed in the media, including her relationships with rock singer Billy Idol, ^{as well as her relationships with Olympic champion boxer Oscar de la Hoya and the Hollywood actor Dennis Quaid.}

Early life

Shanna Moakler, who is of German, Portuguese and Irish descent, ^{was born to John W. Moakler III, a dentist, and Gail Moakler in Providence, Rhode Island. She has two older brothers, Kirk and John W. IV, and an older sister. As a child, Moakler enjoyed weekend visits to her grandfather's farm, where she could "play outdoors and be a tomboy." Moakler was a competitive roller skater for twelve years (participating in roller skating competitions analogous to ice skating competitions). She attended Barrington High School, where she claims to have been "the biggest dork." According to Moakler, she was "4-foot-11 and 75 pounds" until she finally hit puberty at age seventeen. By the time she graduated, however, Moakler had dated the captain of the football team and was voted "best dressed." She moved to Miami after high school to pursue a modeling career. Moakler later moved to New York City and then to Los Angeles. Moakler is a vegetarian.}

Career

Pageants

Shanna Moakler, at the age of 17, represented Rhode Island in the Miss Teen USA pageant in 1992. ^{She placed third in the preliminaries, sixth in the interview segment, and fifth in the swimsuit competition (scoring 9.115, 9.279 and 9.087 respectively). Moakler made it to the semi-finals and finished seventh overall.}

In 1995, Moakler was named Miss New York USA and represented New York in the Miss USA pageant, held that year in South Padre Island, Texas. ^{Moakler finished second (to Miss Texas USA) in the preliminaries and in each of the interview and swimsuit divisions, with scores of 9.06, 9.62 and 9.61 respectively, and first in the evening gown competition, with a score of 9.86. Overall, Moakler was the first runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant. In May 1995, at the age of 20, Moakler received the 1995 Miss USA crown when the winner, Chelsi Smith, became Miss Universe.}

Moakler enjoyed some aspects of her reign as Miss USA, such as celebrity pool tournaments. ^{However, she has complained that the experience required her to "sign autographs at places like Bob’s Home Furnishing Rentals." She was also forced to live with a pageant chaperone, who made sure she dressed and acted appropriately.}

Modeling

Moakler began her modeling career at the age of fifteen. ^{She appeared in various publications, including such magazines as Cosmopolitan and Brentwood. She signed a contract with Playboy and in December 2001, was named Playmate of the Month. She has admitted that posing nude was "a little scary at first." Moakler's Playmate data sheet listed her measurements as: 34" bust (C), 24" waist, 34" hips, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 117 pounds. She later appeared in a campaign for Cutty Sark that was photographed by David LaChapelle.}

Television

Moakler started her television career in 1996 with appearances on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Due South. ^{Moakler then played "Lisa" in Friends 'Til the End, a 1997 NBC movie of the week starring Shannen Doherty. In 1998 she appeared on an episode of Timecop in the role of Allison Kendall.}

Beginning in 1998, Moakler was a regular on the television drama Pacific Blue. The USA Network series featured a team of police officers who patrolled the beaches of Santa Monica, California on bicycles. ^{In seasons four and five Moakler played Officer Monica Harper, described as the trouble-maker rookie. Moakler has admitted that, even equipped with a $5,000 Trek bike, she was somewhat accident-prone on the set, saying that when the cast had to "ride really close together for the camera" they would often "crash into each other like idiots and end up in a big ball of arms and legs."}

Moakler was a celebrity contestant on Search Party, a game show on the E! network. The show filmed at exotic beach resort locations and required contestants to team up for competitions such as athletic events and scavenger hunts. Moakler appeared on three episodes in 1999 to 2000.

In 2003, Moakler appeared on Punk'd to help Ashton Kutcher and his crew set up her then-boyfriend, Travis Barker. ^{They "punk'd" Barker by having a waiter flirt excessively with Moakler while the couple were on a romantic date at a local restaurant. The episode originally aired on November 30, 2003.}

In 2005, Moakler made a guest appearance as "Mariska" on the television program Joey, starring Matt LeBlanc and also made an appearance as "Josie" on the show Jake in Progress, featuring John Stamos. ^{That same year, Moakler and her husband Barker starred in Meet the Barkers, a reality series for MTV that premiered April 6, 2005. The series followed the couple throughout their daily activities. It covered the couple's wedding and their life as a family. The show continued for two seasons until February 2006.}

Moakler and Barker appeared together in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation entitled "Poppin' Tags", which originally aired on April 13, 2006. ^{She played a character named "J-Lady," while Barker played a rapper involved in conflict with a rival rap artist. Method Man also guest starred on the same episode. Later that year, Moakler was featured on the third season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on September 12, 2006. She was eliminated in week two. She guest starred on several more shows, such as HBO's Entourage, Telemundo's Mas Vale Tarde and as hostess for The CW's Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants. This particular show centered on mother and daughter pairs who competed for $100,000.}

Film

In 1997, Moakler played "Jaime" in Poison Ivy: The New Seduction. The following year she appeared in the role of "Cheryl Tangeray" in Telling You. Moakler was then cast as an air-flight hostess during the final scene of the 1998 movie The Wedding Singer, where her character describes the vulgar way that character Glenn Gulia described her ("grade A top choice meat"). ^{In 1999, she appeared as "Tawny" in the film Love Stinks. She also had roles in Critical Mass in 2000 and Pauly Shore Is Dead in 2003. Other film appearances included Seeing Other People in 2004 as "Kasey" and the part of "Petra" in Big Momma's House 2 which was released in 2006. She appeared as herself on VH1's I Love the New Millennium.}

Relationships

Billy Idol

Moakler had a relationship with rock star Billy Idol in 1997. ^{The couple appeared together in a scene of The Wedding Singer. Moakler has described Idol as a gentleman, but "not too sweet and sensitive." She also praised his intelligence and flair for history and philosophy. Moakler has disclosed that Idol was "horrible in bed," although he was "a good kisser."}

Oscar de la Hoya

Moakler started dating boxer Oscar de la Hoya in October 1997 and they moved in together in early 1998. ^{Moakler and de la Hoya became engaged prior to the 1999 birth of their daughter, Atiana Cecilia de la Hoya (born March 29, 1999). Moakler has said "it wasn’t a planned pregnancy, but it was understood if it happened it was beautiful and if it didn’t that was fine too." In September 2000, the relationship abruptly ended when Moakler, who was at home watching the Latin Grammy Awards on television, saw de la Hoya escorting another woman to the show. In December 2000, Moakler filed a $62.5 million palimony suit against her ex-fiancé, claiming he was an alcoholic, abusive to her and to their daughter, and that he used them "as props to promote his public image." The case was settled out of court in 2001 for an undisclosed amount. After the time of de la Hoya's split from Moakler, he had little contact with his daughter, although he continued to provide financial support.}

Dennis Quaid

Moakler began dating actor Dennis Quaid in 2001. They were together when she was approached by Playboy and they discussed it before she posed nude in the magazine. ^{The relationship lasted for eight months.}

Marriage to Travis Barker

Travis Barker, drummer for the band +44, and formerly of Blink-182, The Transplants, and The Aquabats, proposed to Moakler in the elevator entrance to the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. ^{Barker paid off one of the ride operators so that the couple could have the space to themselves for a few minutes and then got down on one knee and proposed. Moakler said "yes," but she later surprised Barker with her own down-on-one-knee proposal and engagement ring for him. On October 30, 2004, they were married and today have two children together: son Landon (born October 9, 2003) and daughter Alabama (born December 24, 2005).}

Separation

Barker filed for divorce from Moakler on August 8, 2006. Moakler commented on her MySpace page, that she was devastated by the demise of her marriage. ^{Less than a week after filing for divorce, Barker posted negative comments about his estranged wife on his MySpace page. Barker later explained that he was "still absolutely in love" with Moakler, but that he posted the blog about her after "hearing things in the press that Shanna was saying." Both Moakler and Barker quickly removed the blogs from their pages and remained relatively quiet as to their impending divorce.}

Eventually reports began to be circulated that Barker was seeing Paris Hilton. ^{Tensions between Hilton and Moakler led to a confrontation at a Los Angeles nightclub (Hyde Lounge) in early October. Hilton and Moakler each accused the other of battery in separate complaints filed with the Los Angeles Police Department. Hilton claimed Moakler had punched her in the jaw and shouted at her, while Moakler said that Stavros Niarchos (Hilton's ex-boyfriend) bent her wrists, poured a drink on her and shoved her down stairs. Ultimately, no charges came out of the altercation.}

In November 2006, Shanna threw herself a "divorce party" in Las Vegas, complete with a divorce cake (see photo) featuring a bloody groom and a blonde, knife-wielding bride. ^{In response, Barker again posted a blog on his MySpace page, this time criticizing Moakler for throwing the party.}

Reconciliation

Despite Moakler and Barker's pending divorce, by early December 2006 they were seen out and about with their children and having romantic dinners together. ^{Reports surfaced that the couple were quietly trying to give their relationship another chance, after the couple spent a day together (and were seen holding hands) at Disneyland. Moakler, on her MySpace page, denied the rumors of a reconciliation and explained that she and Barker were "working on being good friends and even better parents."}

Moakler and Barker spent Valentine's Day together in Las Vegas, where Barker surprised Moakler with three dozen red roses and a bottle of Dom Perignon. ^{Photos of Moakler with Barker prompted speculation that the couple was expecting another child. Moakler denied that she was pregnant, telling a reporter that she was not expecting a child.}

In March 2007, Moakler revealed that she was still "madly in love" with her husband and that they had reunited. ^{This admission came after the couple was publicly affectionate at a surprise birthday Barker threw for his wife in Miami. In April 2007, Barker told People that they were back together, that they had pulled out of the separation, and that they were doing what was best for themselves and their children—making them happy. The couple showed up at a party, holding hands, kissing and wearing their wedding rings.}

On July 23, 2007, after months of reconciliation, Moakler revealed that her relationship with Barker had ended. ^{Less than two weeks later, on August 2, 2007, the couple were seen together at the Rockstar Energy Drink X Games Kickoff at new club Opera in Hollywood. Not long after this, both Moakler and Barker made an appearance at MTV's 2007 VMA's (Video Music Awards) on September 9. Still, Moakler's myspace page cited her marital status as "single". The issue of the couple's status was officially put to rest on February 11, 2008, when Barker told People magazine "No, I'm no longer with her" over the weekend at the 5th annual Roots Jam benefiting Rock the Vote at West Hollywood's Key Club. "We were actually divorced a few days ago." However, the couple was again seen together wearing wedding bands on November 23, 2008 at a Miss California USA event.}

On September 19, 2008, Moakler's former husband Travis Barker was injured when the Learjet 60 in which he was a passenger crashed outside of Columbia, South Carolina. ^{He was transported to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, where he was listed in critical condition. Shanna Moakler reported to US Weekly magazine that she was supposed to fly with Barker but had a gut feeling not to.}

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