What is Erika Eleniak's Net Worth?
Erika Eleniak is an American actress who has a net worth of $1 million. Though she made her on-camera debut in the early 80s, appearing in "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial", Erika Eleniak did not pursue an acting career full-time until the late 80s.
At 19, Erika Eleniak auditioned for Playboy Magazine. She appeared in her first pictorial in July 1989. That same year she landed a recurring role on"Charles in Charge," followed by a role on "Full House," and then the role that made her world famous, that of Shauni McClain on "Baywatch."
She shifted her focus to film work, and has appeared in such projects as, "Under Seige" with Steven Seagal, "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Chasers", "A Pyromaniac's Love Story", "Stealth Fighter", "Final Voyage", and "Brilliant". She also guest-starred on "Desperate Housewives". She later competed on the reality shows "The Real Gilligan's Island" and "Celebrity Fit Club."
Early Life
Erika Eleniak was born on September 29, 1969 in Glendale, California to Dale and Iris. She is of Ukrainian descent on her father's side and German and Estonian descent on her mother's side. Eleniak's paternal great-grandfather, Wasyl Eleniak, was among the first Ukrainian immigrants to settle in Canada.
Erika Eleniak in 'Chasers', 1994. (Photo by Morgan Creek/Getty Images)
Television Career
Eleniak first appeared on television as a child in 1980, playing a girl C-3PO in a commercial for "Star Wars" underoos. Her first real acting roles came later, in 1987, when she appeared in episodes of the sitcoms "Silver Spoons and "Still the Beaver." In 1989, Eleniak played the recurring role of Stephanie Curtis, the titular character's girlfriend, on the sitcom "Charles in Charge." Also that year, she had her breakthrough role as Shauni McClain on the action drama series "Baywatch." Eleniak remained in that role for the first three seasons of the show through 1992. During her time on "Baywatch," she made a guest appearance as Jesse's high school girlfriend Carrie Fowler on the sitcom "Full House." After a break from the small screen, Eleniak returned in 1997 to star in the television film "Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave." She concluded the decade with guest roles on the shows "Brooklyn South" and "Fantasy Island," a supporting role in the miniseries "Aftershock: Earthquake in New York," and a lead role in the television film "One Hot Summer Night."
Eleniak has acted less frequently on the small screen in the 21st century. Her credits include episodes of "CSI: Miami" and "Desperate Housewives," as well as such television films as "Absolute Zero," "Dracula 3000," and "Holiday Spin." Eleniak also appeared on some reality competition shows. In 2005, she competed on TBS's "The Real Gilligan's Island," which featured challenges inspired by the titular 1960s television series. The following year, Eleniak competed in the fourth season of VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club," a show tracking the weight-loss journeys of a group of overweight celebrities; she appeared alongside actor Nicholas Turturro, rapper BoneCrusher, and singer Carnie Wilson. Among her other television credits, Eleniak served as a guest judge on the reality competition series "Germany's Next Topmodel" in 2008.
Baywatch Salary
In the 2024 docuseries, "After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun," Nicole Eggert revealed that the standard pay for every cast member throughout the series run was $3,500 per episode. There were typically 22 episodes per season. That would mean the cast members were paid around $77,000 per season. And while those numbers are worth roughly twice as much today after adjusting for inflation, it's still a relative pittance compared to how popular and profitable the show was. Ironically, with overtime pay and other benefits actual California lifeguards probably earned more every year in salary. Today some senior California lifeguards actually earn over $500,000 per year ($150,000 in base salary + $250,000 in overtime + $110,000 in other benefits and perks).
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Film Career
Eleniak made her feature film debut in Steven Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," playing the girl kissed by Elliott in the classroom. She next appeared on the big screen playing Vicki De Soto in the 1988 remake of the horror film "The Blob."
In 1992, Eleniak played Playboy Playmate Jordan Tate in the action thriller "Under Siege." In the movie she refers to herself as "Miss July 1989," which was true!
In 1993, she played tomboy Elly May Clampett in the film adaptation of the television show "The Beverly Hillbillies." The following year, Eleniak starred as prisoner Toni Johnson in Dennis Hopper's comedy "Chasers," costarring Tom Berenger and William McNamara. She starred alongside McNamara again in the 1995 crime drama "Girl in the Cadillac"; the same year, she appeared in the romantic comedy "A Pyromaniac's Love Story." In the latter half of the 90s, Eleniak starred in such films as "Captive," "The Pandora Project," "Charades," and "Final Voyage."
At the dawn of the 21st century, Eleniak starred in the sports drama "The Opponent" as a woman who takes up a boxing career. She subsequently starred in "Snowbound," "Second to Die," "Betrayal," and "The Librarians," among other titles. In 2004, Eleniak starred in the Canadian thriller "Brilliant." After that, she mostly appeared in small or direct-to-video movies, including "Fatal Reunion," "Meant to Be," "Cor Values," and "Marilyn Monroe Back?" Eleniak also starred in the sketch comedy film "Imps*," shot in 1983 but not released until 2009.
Other Appearances
As a model, Eleniak gained attention for being a Playboy Playmate, appearing in a pictorial in the July 1989 issue of Playboy magazine. Among her other media appearances, she starred as identical twins in the interactive video game "Panic in the Park" in 1995.
Personal Life
At one time, Eleniak was engaged to her "Baywatch" costar Billy Warlock, who played her love interest on the show. Her first husband, however, was bodybuilder Philip Goglia, whom she married in May of 1998. The pair ended up divorcing six months later. In 2001, Eleniak married Roch Daigle, who worked as a key grip on the set of her film "Snowbound" in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She became pregnant in 2005, but her pregnancy was ectopic and ended in a miscarriage. Eleniak became pregnant again later on and had a daughter.
