Biography: Traci Bingham

Traci Bingham (born January 13, 1968) is an American actress, model and television personality. She is best-known for playing the role of Jordan Tate on the television series Baywatch between 1996 and 1998.

Personal life

Bingham was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to a librarian mother and an aircraft technician father.^[1] Her mother is African American and her father is of Cherokee Native American and Italian descent.^[2]

Bingham married Robb Vallier in 1998, but divorced in 2001. She is engaged to banker John Yarbrough, and the pair recently bought a home in Beverly Hills.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Bingham began her career in minor acting roles. In 1991, she appeared in the video for "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Also, in 1999, she appeared in the video for "I Really Like It" by Harlem World featuring Mase and Kelly Price.

Aside from Baywatch, Bingham's appearances include the television series D.R.E.A.M. Team and Beverly Hills 90210, and the film Demon Knight. She also played minor roles in the popular American sitcoms The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Married with Children.

In addition to her acting work, Bingham has posed for Playboy Magazine on a number of occasions. In June 1998, she posed for a "Babes of Baywatch" issue along with Donna D'Errico, Marliece Andrada, Pamela Anderson, Yasmine Bleeth, Carmen Electra, Gena Lee Nolin, and Erika Eleniak.

Bingham appeared as a house-guest in the second season of the reality series The Surreal Life in 2004. Her castmates included Ron Jeremy, Vanilla Ice, Erik Estrada,Tammy Faye Bakker and Trishelle Cannatella.

In 2005, Bingham was hired as a spokesmodel by Empire Poker, an online gambling site.

In 2006, Bingham appeared on United Kingdom's Celebrity Big Brother where she made it to the final six contestants and was evicted on the final night of the show. Bingham was on the receiving end of a highly publicized attack from Pete Burns. She selected Families of SMA as the charity to receive a donation from her participation in the show because her niece had died from Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

In 2007, Bingham appeared on VH1's The Surreal Life: Fame Games and won the $100,000 Goldenpalace.net Grand Prize.

In 2008, Bingham appeard on Fox Reality's Gimme My Reality Show! competing with six other minor celebrities to get their own reality show.

Activism

Bingham is an outspoken vegetarian. Bingham is a member of PETA and has appeared in their "I'd Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign.^[3]

Filmography

• Demon Knight (1995)
• Beach Movie (1998)
• Foolish (1999)
• The Private Public (2000)
• Longshot (2000)
• More Mercy (2003)
• Four Fingers of the Dragon (2003) (short subject)
• Malibooty! (2003)
• Hanging in Hedo (2007)
• Black Widow (2008)

Television work

• Married with Children as Lap Dancer (1 episode, 1996)
• Baywatch (cast member from 1996-1998)
• The Dream Team (1999) (canceled after 4 episodes)
• Strip Mall (cast member in 2000)
• To Tell The Truth (occasional panelist 2000-01)
• BattleBots (host in 2001)
• Celebrity Boot Camp (2002)
• The Surreal Life (cast member in 2004)
• Celebrity Big Brother (cast member in 2006)
• The Surreal Life: Fame Games (2007)
• The Tyra Banks Show (2 episodes) (2007)
• 2 Minute Drill (1 episodes) (2002?)

References

1. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/33/Traci-Bingham.html
2. ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61112263.html - "my mother is African-American and Dad is part Cherokee Indian and Italian"
3. ^ PETA UK: Traci Bingham Gets to the Meat of the Matter

External links

• Traci Bingham at the Internet Movie Database
• Traci Bingham at Allmovie
• Official MySpace
• Photo Gallery

Traci Bingham main page.