• Erika Elaniak is an actress and former model, best known for her role in "Baywatch".
• She has a net worth of over $4 million.
• She got her first acting role in the 1982 film "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial".
• She became a Playboy Playmate, and starred in the TV series "Charles in Charge".
• She has two children and is active on social media.
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Who is Erika Elaniak?
Erika Eleniak was born on 29 September 1969, in Glendale, California, USA, and is an actress and former model, probably best known for playing the character of Shauni McClain in the television series “Baywatch”. She also has several notable film credits, including “E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial”, “The Blob”, and “Under Siege”.
The Wealth of Erika Elaniak
How rich is Erika Elaniak? As of mid-2024, sources estimate a net worth that is close to $5 million, earned through success in her numerous endeavors. She’s been active in the entertainment industry since 1982, and has also worked with “Playboy” magazine, making her a Playboy Playmate.
Early Life and Acting Beginnings
There is very limited information when it comes to Erika’s life prior to her career as an actress, as she hasn’t shared any details regarding her family, upbringing, and educational achievements. She grew up in California, which made her relatively close physically to the entertainment industry.
She got her first role as a teenager in the 1982 film “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial”, produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, in which she had a kissing scene with the character Elliot. The science fiction film follows the story of a boy who helps an extraterrestrial stranded on earth, and he along with his siblings must find a way to bring him back to his home, while avoiding the government. The film was a blockbuster, at that point becoming the highest grossing film of all time, and held that record for 11 years before it was surpassed by “Jurassic Park” – it’s considered one of the best movies of its generation. Following the film, she opted to continue her education before taking more acting roles.
Modelling and Rise to Fame
At the age of 19, Eleniak started doing modelling work, and quickly caught the attention of “Playboy” magazine, which signed her to work on a nautical themed pictorial. This elevated her popularity significantly, as the magazine is one of the world’s best known brand, gaining particular popularity through its feature of nude and semi-nude models called Playmates. The magazine is noted for making a big contribution to the sexual revolution.
Around the same time, she was cast in a recurring role in “Charles in Charge”, and continued to expand her reach, rising to greater prominence when she was cast as one of the female leads in the TV series “Baywatch”. She played the role of Shauna McClain for three years, in the show which follows lifeguards of Los Angeles County, who work patrolling the beaches of the area. While working on the show, she also made a guest appearance in “Full House” playing the role of the high school girlfriend of John Stamos’ character. After her run with “Baywatch”, she was cast as a Playboy Playmate in “Under Siege”, performing striptease in the film.
Latter Career
In 1993, Erika worked on an adaptation of “The Beverly Hillbillies”, in which she had the starring role of Elly May Clampett. The following year, she starred in the film “Chasers” alongside William McNamara – the comedy film is known to be the last directing effort of Dennis Hopper, and is about two US Navy shore patrollers who must escort a beautiful prisoner. In 1995, she appeared with McNamara once more in “Girl in the Cadillac”, before working on the interactive video game entitled “Panic in the Park”, in which she played the dual role of identical twins.
She worked on several independent films over the next few years, and in 2005 forayed towards reality television, appearing in “The Real Gilligan’s Island”. The TBS show was filmed in the Mexican Caribbean, and follows contestants as they try challenges based on the television show “Gilligan’s Island”, which aired during the 1960s. She also participated in the fourth season of “Celebrity Fit Club” due to her problems with weight – naturally the series follows overweight celebrities as they try to lose weight. One of her latest projects was a guest appearance in the television show “Desperate Housewives”. She also continues to do independent work.
Most recently, Erika appeared as Veronica McDougall in “Cor Values” in 2019, and as herself in an episode of “Meet the Richardsons” in 2023.
Personal Life and Social Media
For her personal life, it’s known that Elaniak was engaged to her “Baywatch” love interest and co-star Billy Warlock, but that was as far as it went. In 1998, she married Philip Goglia in a marriage that lasted for only six months before the two divorced. In 2001 she began dating a key grip crew member named Roch Daigle while she was filming “Snowbound”; they later settled in Calgary, Alberta, and the two are still married. In 2005, she had an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in a miscarriage. She later became pregnant once more, and this time, was able to deliver a daughter with no complications.
Similar to numerous actresses, she is active online through accounts on social media. She has followers on the website Twitter, on which she posts a lot of throwback photos, also photos alongside her child, and gives updates to some of her recent life events. Another account she has is on Instagram on which she posts similar photos to those on Twitter, while also posting other photos which can only be seen there. She also promotes her blog through both accounts, but on which she only posts a few times each year – her last post was in June 2019.
