Pamela Anderson has succeeded in many areas throughout her lifetime. She is an actress, model, television personality, author and activist. One of her proudest achievements is motherhood. Anderson had two beautiful children with Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. The couple both had extremely successful careers and were constantly in the spotlight, but wanted to raise their children away from everyone. Anderson did her best to keep her children away from the paparazzi despite the list of controversies that surrounded their mother and father.
The multi-talented woman was born July 1, 1976 in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada. Anderson has citizenship in both Canada and the United States, and has also spent some time living in France. Her list of accomplishments and list of relationships is lengthy. By the 1990s, Anderson was a household name.
The star grew up in Canada, going to secondary school in Comox, British Columbia. She played volleyball in high school, graduating in 1985. Anderson made the decision to move to Vancouver in 1988 to pursue a career as a fitness instructor. A year later, she attended a sports game at the British Columbia Place Stadium in Vancouver where she was featured on the jumbotron while wearing a Labatt’s Beer t-shirt. The company loved her and hired her shortly after as their spokesmodel. This launched Anderson’s modelling career, helping her get featured on the cover of “Playboy” in October 1989.
Anderson went on to be incredibly successful with her career, as well as doing whatever she could to keep her children out of the media’s focal point. Although it wasn’t always an easy task, the icon managed to keep family life as private as possible.
Model, Actress, And Icon
The model moved to Los Angeles to further pursue her career in the entertainment industry. Her hard work quickly paid off and she appeared in the notorious centerfold of “Playboy” in February 1990. The rising star was also named the Playmate of the Month that same February.
Also around this time, Anderson landed a starring role on the television series “Baywatch.” The show went on to be a commercial success with Anderson as one of the most prominent actresses. The show had some movie spin-offs, with Anderson reprising her role for the reunion movie “Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding” in 2003. She made a few other television appearances throughout her career including supporting roles and guest appearances. She was a contestant on two seasons of “Dancing with the Stars,” partnered with professional dancer Damian Whitewood in 2010 and with Tristan MacManus for the all-star season in 2012.
She made a name for herself with yet another entertainment venture. Anderson released three autobiographical books and two novels, her first being released in 2004.
Anderson has become such an icon that there was even a piece of art created in her honor. The Sam Newman House in Victoria, Australia features a large image of Anderson’s face. The building was constructed in 2003, designed by Cassandra Fahey. Sam Newman and Fahey had permission from Anderson to use her image as part of the final design. The pop architectural building became a landmark and won the Best New Residential Building Award at the RAIA Victorian Architecture Awards.
The Pamela Anderson Foundation
Anderson is very involved with activism. She gave up eating meat when she was a teenager and has shown support for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA. She became a celebrity spokesperson for the American Liver Foundation. She also became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetic’s MAC AIDS Fund in March 2005, an organization dedicated to helping people affected by AIDS and HIV. Anderson helped raise money for the fund through events all across the world.
Her dedication for helping others grew so strong she started her own foundation, the Pamela Anderson Foundation. She has since used the foundation as a way to endorse other charities and organizations she believes in. Written by Anderson herself, the foundation states what it stands for on the official website. “The Pamela Anderson Foundation supports organizations and individuals that stand on the front lines in the protection of human, animal and environmental rights. By funding the efforts of those who inform and defend the planet and all who live within it, the Pamela Anderson Foundation is an agent of change and an advocate for justice.”
During an interview with Ellen Degeneres in February 2011, Anderson talked about her work with Waves for Water, an organization her foundation supports. “I’m very committed to my causes,” she said. She then did a demonstration showing how to make filthy water clean through the use of a filter, showcasing the work the organization does on a daily basis. Anderson then drank the water to show it was safe and clean.
Marriage With Tommy Lee
Anderson also talked about how she rescued a lot of cats and dogs in New Orleans, Louisiana, during her appearance on “Ellen.” The shelters were full, so the actress took it upon herself to adopt 50 dogs and 30 cats. “I spayed and neutered all of them,” she said. She also made sure they received whatever shots and flea protection they needed. The animals were then sent to Virginia where they were all adopted within 24 hours.
The Pamela Anderson Foundation has been awarded multiple times, including the Linda McCartney Award, Sam Simon Award, Spirit Award and the International People’s Choice Award, according to its official website.
Anderson’s personal life has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. The star has been through her fair share of romance and heartache, including a wild relationship with the father of her children, Tommy Lee. Lee was born October 3, 1962 in Greece. His family moved to California when he was about one-year-old. He is most famous for being one of the founding members of Motley Crue, as well as the band’s drummer. Like his now ex-wife, Lee has been through a number of relationships including engagements, marriages, divorces, and everything in between.
Anderson and Lee got married February 19, 1995, after only knowing each other for four days. Their love was passionate and they started a family together quickly after tying the knot. Their first son, Brandon Thomas Lee, was born June 5, 1996. Their second, Dylan Jagger Lee, was born December 29, 1997. Unfortunately, the relationship ended almost as quickly as it began, with the couple divorcing in 1998.
New Love, Same Family
Her fallout with Lee didn’t stop Anderson from finding new love. She got engaged to model Marcus Schenkenberg shortly after divorcing Lee, but the couple broke up in 2001. She also went through a rollercoaster relationship with musician Kid Rock, getting engaged, breaking up, then finally getting back together and tying the knot in 2006. They got married on a yacht near Saint-Tropez, France, but got divorced just a year later. Anderson kept her heart open as she engaged in a new relationship with Rick Salomon. The couple got married in October 2007, but had the marriage annulled just a few months later. They got remarried a few years later, but then once again divorced, finalizing the end of their relationship in 2015.
Lee still worked at being a father despite his troubling relationship with Anderson and some personal struggles he was dealing with. “The boys miss Pam and me together,” he said during an interview with People magazine in 2005. “When we’re together, they’re so happy. At the end of the day, that’s truly what my heart wants. I want us all to be together,” Lee said, hopeful about keeping the family close. He went on to explain how he has kept the love for children and their love for him permanently with, and on, him. “I let them write their names on me with a Sharpie, and I had a tattoo artist come over and ink it in” Lee said about keeping his bonds with his sons with him forever.
Life As A Mother
Anderson has been married to her bodyguard and now-husband Dan Hayhurst since December 24, 2020. She is currently living on Vancouver Island and trying to sell her Malibu beach home, since she has no plans to move from her current residence. According to Architectural Digest, the home is listed for just under $15 million.
While she may live apart from her grown children, the love Anderson has for them is still incredibly strong. Anderson talked about how stunning her boys grew up to be, inside and out, while appearing on “Ellen” in May 2015. “They’re genetically loaded,” she said about her children. She went on to talk about how much they both have started to look more like their father. Thankfully, the pair of now men are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the out. “They’re real sweethearts,” Anderson said about them.
During an interview with the Today Show in September 2015, she talked about how she tried to protect her children from the spotlight so they could have a normal childhood. “They’re going to make their own choices for the rest of their lives, and it wouldn’t be their choices if we were dragging them down red carpets,” Anderson said about her and Lee’s choice on how to raise their children together. When her oldest son turned 18, she took him to his first red carpet. “He got so much attention,” Anderson said. This even inspired him to want to become an entertainer like his parents and venture into the field of acting.
An Introduction To Brandon Thomas Lee
Brandon followed his dreams and started a career in acting. He has been in a few films and television series, such as the Netflix film “Sierra Burgess is a Loser.” He also starred in a reality series, “The Hills: New Beginnings,” a revamped edition of the popular show. The time on this series helped launch Brandon as the latest breakout star. While he may have been the youngest castmate and one of the new additions to the show, he already had some friends before filming began.
“I knew Brody [Jenner] growing up in Malibu and we’ve been friends for years,” Brandon said during an interview with Town & Country. He wasn’t completely sure if it was the right move, since he wanted to do more serious acting, but ultimately decided to join the hit MTV show. “In the end I thought it would be a great opportunity for people to get to know me,” Brandon said.
Brandon almost became a reality star when he was younger, but his mother made sure it didn’t happen. “Our family has been approached maybe over 100 times to do our own show,” Brandon told Town & Country, “but that was something we never were interested in.” He went on to say how great it was having a pretty normal childhood and being able to choose when to enter the spotlight. “[My mom] was never willing to put me and Dylan into the position where we would be forced into the spotlight, which I’m thankful for, because having that ability to make that decision for yourself means you can shape your own life,” he said.
New Beginnings
Family is something Brandon holds dearly. “The relationship with my brother is really important to me,” he told Town & Country. “I’m the older brother and I’ve always done everything first and made sure everything was okay.”
Even though he now goes to red carpets without his mother, Brandon still craves the normalcy his childhood gave him. “I hope people realize that I’m just a normal kid working really hard,” he said. “And it’s not as easy as it looks, no matter who your parents are.”
Growing up with such huge celebrities surrounding him sounds like a dream to most, but Brandon has learned the silver spoon doesn’t always taste so great. “It honestly is harder sometimes when your parents have a big name because of the stigma that comes with that,” he said. “I feel like people don’t really understand that and most celebrity kids ride on their parents’ coattails, and I never wanted to do that.”
According to People magazine, the cast and crew of “The Hills: New Beginnings” have gone back to work and started filming the second season. Brandon is set to return alongside his friend Jenner and other returning cast members, such as Heidi and Spencer Pratt and Audrina Patridge. Even Kristin Cavallari, who starred in the original series, is set to make an appearance.
While it’s still unknown what exactly will happen during the second season, viewers can expect to learn more about Brandon’s life and potentially even more about his adoration for his family. Brandon is definitely on his way to stardom.
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