Early life

Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky

Hazard, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,806 people, 1,946 households, and 1,266 families residing in the city. The population density was 684.6 people per square mile . There were 2,291 housing units at an average density of 326.4 per square mile...

 and raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva (née

Married and maiden names

A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....

 Slone), who worked as a Mary Kay

Mary Kay

Mary Kay, Inc. is a privately held company that sells skin care and cosmetics products. Mary Kay World Headquarters is located in Addison, Texas, United States, a Dallas suburb. Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Inc. on Friday, September 13, 1963...

 independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner

Miner

A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....

 and coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 truck driver

Truck driver

A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...

. She is of Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

, Italian

Italian people

The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

, and German descent. She moved to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 at the age of 15 where she completed her education at New York's Professional Children's School

Professional Children's School

Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...

 and the Lee Strasberg Institute.

Career

In her first film role, Gayheart appeared in Brett Ratner

Brett Ratner

Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...

's New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 (NYU) short film Whatever Happened to Mason Reese? (1990) starring Mason Reese

Mason Reese

Mason Reese is a former child actor who appeared in numerous television commercials in the 1970s, particularly for Underwood Deviled Ham, Post Raisin Bran, and Dunkin' Donuts' Dunkin' Munchkins-brand "donut holes"...

. She also appeared in the Ratner-directed music video "Nuttin' But Love

Nuttin' But Love

Nuttin' But Love is the fifth and final studio album by rap group, Heavy D & the Boyz.-Reception:The album was released on May 24, 1994 by Uptown Records and was produced by DJ Eddie F, Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, Erick Sermon, Kid Capri, Easy Mo Bee, The Trackmasters, and Pete Rock...

" performed by Heavy D and the Boyz.

Gayheart's break into the television industry was a series of television commercials for Noxzema

Noxzema

Noxzema is a skin cleanser marketed by Alberto-Culver. Alberto-Culver bought the rights to the brand in 2008 from Procter & Gamble and now owns and operates the line of skin-care products...

 in the early 1990s, earning her the moniker "The Noxzema

Noxzema

Noxzema is a skin cleanser marketed by Alberto-Culver. Alberto-Culver bought the rights to the brand in 2008 from Procter & Gamble and now owns and operates the line of skin-care products...

 Girl". The commercials began airing in 1991 and brought her recognition. (This was also referred to at the end of the film Urban Legend

Urban Legend (film)

Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Jared Leto, Michael Rosenbaum, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund, John Neville, Joshua Jackson, Regina King, and Tara Reid...

, when one of the new college students remarks, "And Brenda [Gayheart's character] was the Noxzema Girl.")

In 1992, Gayheart was cast in her first major role in the soap opera Loving

Loving (TV series)

Caden Grant Carlton loves Mika Ayako Ryan more.Loving is an American television soap opera which aired on ABC's daytime lineup from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes...

as Hannah Mayberry. In 1993 and 1994, she had a recurring role in the Vanishing Son

Vanishing Son

Vanishing Son is a short-lived syndicated action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four made for television movies in 1994, the series debuted on January 16, 1995...

action pack series. In 1994 and 1995, Gayheart played Bess Martin in the science fiction series Earth 2

Earth 2 (TV series)

Earth 2 is an American science fiction television series which aired on NBC from November 6, 1994 to June 4, 1995. The show was canceled after one season of 22 episodes...

. In 1995, she had a recurring role as Antonia Marchette in the series Beverly Hills, 90210

Beverly Hills, 90210

Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...

as Luke Perry

Luke Perry

Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...

's love interest.

Gayheart has been a regular on the 1999 television series Wasteland

Wasteland (TV series)

Wasteland is an American television drama on ABC network created by Kevin Williamson. The show debuted in 1999, a Miramax Films production....

, Dead Like Me

Dead Like Me

Dead Like Me was an American-Canadian comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for the Showtime network, where it ran for two seasons...

, Vanished

Vanished

Vanished is an American serial drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox. The series premiered on August 21, 2006 on Fox and its last episode aired on November 10, 2006. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the series begins with the sudden disappearance of the wife of a Georgia senator, which is...

, and had a recurring role on Nip/Tuck

Nip/Tuck

Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...

. She was initially hired to play the part of Inara Serra in the 2002 series Firefly

Firefly (TV series)

Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....

, but was dropped after only one day of filming. Morena Baccarin

Morena Baccarin

Morena Baccarin is a Brazilian-born American actress most widely known for roles in several American science fiction television shows: as Inara Serra in the series Firefly; as Adria in the series Stargate SG-1; and as Anna in the 2009 version of the series V...

 took over the role, and none of Rebecca's scenes were used.

In 2007, Gayheart guest-starred on Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

as Jordan, an ex-girlfriend of Alexis Meade

Alexis Meade

Alexis Meade is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series Ugly Betty. She was initially played by Elizabeth Penn Payne for the first 12 episodes of her appearance and was played by Rebecca Romijn for the rest of the series.-Biography:Alex Meade was a background presence in the...

. The following year, Gayheart starred in the Broadway comedy, Boeing-Boeing opposite Christine Baranski

Christine Baranski

Christine Jane Baranski is an American stage and screen actress, and is perhaps best known for her Emmy Award winning portrayal as "Maryanne Thorpe" in the sitcom Cybill, and her Emmy nominated portrayal of "Diane Lockhart" in The Good Wife...

, Mark Rylance

Mark Rylance

Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...

, Greg Germann

Greg Germann

Gregory Andrew "Greg" Germann is an American actor. He played the roles of Richard Fish in the television series Ally McBeal, businessman Mattson from Child's Play 2 and the vet Laurence from Quarantine...

, Paige Davis

Paige Davis

Mindy Paige Davis , billed as Paige Davis, is an American actress best known as a host of the reality television series Trading Spaces.-Early life and career:...

 and Missi Pyle

Missi Pyle

Andrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...

. She has a guest role on The Cleaner

The Cleaner (TV series)

The Cleaner was an A&E television series starring Benjamin Bratt. It debuted on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 10:00 pm EST and the last episode aired on September 15, 2009, when the show was officially cancelled....

in 2009.

Personal life

For a time, Gayheart was engaged to director Brett Ratner

Brett Ratner

Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...

. She and actor Eric Dane

Eric Dane

Eric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...

 were married on October 29, 2004. Gayheart and Dane had their first child, a daughter, Billie Beatrice Dane, on March 3, 2010. On July 8, 2011 the couple announced that they are expecting their second child.

Dane told Flaunt Magazine about how they met:

Leaked tape with former Miss Teen USA

On August 17, 2009, a nude video was posted on the website gawker.com that showed former Miss Teen USA contestant Kari Ann Peniche

Kari Ann Peniche

Kari Ann Peniche is a former beauty queen and entertainer from Fairview, Oregon. She has held the Miss Oregon Teen USA and Miss United States Teen titles. She was stripped of the latter title after appearing nude in the November 2004 issue of Playboy magazine.Peniche lived in San Diego before...

 with Dane and wife Rebecca Gayheart.

Vehicular manslaughter

On June 13, 2001, Gayheart struck and fatally injured nine-year-old Jorge Cruz, Jr. as he walked across a street in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. On November 27, 2001, Gayheart pleaded no contest

Nolo contendere

is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...

 to vehicular manslaughter. She was sentenced to three years' probation

Probation

Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...

, a one-year suspension of her license, a $2,800 fine and 750 hours of community service.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1990	Whatever Happened to Mason Reese	Model #1
1996	Somebody Is Waiting	Lilli
1997	Nothing to Lose	Danielle
	Scream 2 Scream 2 Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series...	Sorority Sister Lois
1998	Hairshirt Hairshirt (film) Hairshirt is a 1998 romantic comedy film starring Dean Paras, Neve Campbell, Katie Wright, Rebecca Gayheart and Stefan Brogren.-Plot:...	Jennifer Scott
	Urban Legend Urban Legend (film) Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Jared Leto, Michael Rosenbaum, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund, John Neville, Joshua Jackson, Regina King, and Tara Reid...	Brenda Bates
1999	Puppet	Lori Myers
	Jawbreaker Jawbreaker (film) Jawbreaker is an American black comedy satire film, directed by Darren Stein. It was released February 19, 1999. The film stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Charlotte Ayanna has a non-speaking cameo role as a...	Julie Freeman
2000	From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter is a 2000 American horror film, a prequel to the 1996 film From Dusk till Dawn. It was released straight to video and nominated for the Best Home Video Release Saturn Award.-Plot:...	Mary Newlie
	Shadow Hours	Chloe Holloway
	Urban Legends: Final Cut Urban Legends: Final Cut Urban Legends: Final Cut is a 2000 slasher film and sequel to the 1998 film Urban Legend. It stars Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, Loretta Devine, Anthony Anderson, Hart Bochner, Rebecca Gayheart, Regina Hall, Yani Gellman, and Eva Mendes...	Nurse Brenda Bates	Cameo/Uncredited
2001	Doppelganger	Brian's Girlfriend
	Harvard Man Harvard Man Harvard Man is a 2001 feature film written and directed by James Toback. It had only a limited distribution in theatres in July 2002, and received little critical or popular acclaim, although it achieved some success when it was released on video and DVD in October of that year.The film stars...	Kelly Morgan
2002	Pipe Dream Pipe Dream (film) Pipe Dream is a 2002 romantic comedy film starring Mary Louise Parker and Martin Donovan set in New York City. The film was directed by John C. Walsh, who previously wrote and directed the film Ed's Next Move.-Plot:...	Marliss Funt
2005	Santa's Slay Santa's Slay Santa's Slay is a 2005 Christmas Black comedy horror film that stars former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg as Santa Claus. The movie was written and directed by David Steiman, a former assistant to Brett Ratner....	Gwen Mason
2007	Bunny Whipped	Beatriz Magdalene Johnson
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992–1993	Loving Loving (TV series) Caden Grant Carlton loves Mika Ayako Ryan more.Loving is an American television soap opera which aired on ABC's daytime lineup from June 26, 1983 to November 10, 1995 for 3,169 episodes...	Hannah Mayberry	Unknown episodes
1994	Vanishing Son Vanishing Son Vanishing Son is a short-lived syndicated action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four made for television movies in 1994, the series debuted on January 16, 1995...	Clair Armstrong	Television movie
	Vanishing Son III Vanishing Son Vanishing Son is a short-lived syndicated action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four made for television movies in 1994, the series debuted on January 16, 1995...	Clair Armstrong	Television movie
	Vanishing Son IV Vanishing Son Vanishing Son is a short-lived syndicated action television series that was part of Universal Television's Action Pack. Starting as a series of four made for television movies in 1994, the series debuted on January 16, 1995...	Clair Armstrong	Television movie
1994–1995	Earth 2 Earth 2 (TV series) Earth 2 is an American science fiction television series which aired on NBC from November 6, 1994 to June 4, 1995. The show was canceled after one season of 22 episodes...	Bess Martin	21 episodes
1995	Beverly Hills, 90210 Beverly Hills, 90210 Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...	Antonia "Toni" Marchette	8 episodes
1996	Sliders Sliders Sliders is an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast for five seasons, beginning in 1995 and ending in 2000. The series follows a group of travelers as they use a wormhole to "slide" between different parallel universes. The show was created by Robert K. Weiss and Tracy Tormé...	Natalie	1 episode Uncredited
1997	Invasion Invasion (1997 film) Invasion is a TV film based on Robin Cook's book Invasion. It starred Luke Perry, Kim Cattrall, and Rebecca Gayheart.-Plot:Small rocks fall from the sky which, when touched, trigger a latent virus that has always existed in humans and begins mutating them into an alien species...	Cassy Winslow	Television movie
1998	Hercules	Medea (Voice)	1 episode
1999	Wasteland Wasteland (TV series) Wasteland is an American television drama on ABC network created by Kevin Williamson. The show debuted in 1999, a Miramax Films production....	Samantha "Sam" Price	13 episodes
2001	Inside Schwartz Inside Schwartz Inside Schwartz was an American sitcom starring Breckin Meyer as the titular character. The show was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and National Broadcasting Company and first aired on NBC.- Plot :...	Nadia	1 episode
2003	Dead Like Me Dead Like Me Dead Like Me was an American-Canadian comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for the Showtime network, where it ran for two seasons...	Betty Rhomer	5 episodes
	What I Like About You What I Like About You (TV series) What I Like About You is an American television sitcom set mainly in New York City, following the lives of two sisters, Valerie Tyler and Holly Tyler . The series ran on The WB Television Network from September 20, 2002, to March 24, 2006, with a total of 86 episodes produced...	Dana	1 episode
2004	The Division The Division The Division is an American Lifetime Television original series about a team of women police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The series premiered on January 7, 2001 and ended on June 28, 2004 after 88 episodes.-Synopsis:...	Suzanne Richland	3 episodes
2004–2006	Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...	Natasha Charles	3 episodes
2005	The Christmas Blessing The Christmas Blessing The Christmas Blessing is a 2005 television film directed by Karen Arthur. It first aired on December 18, 2005 on the CBS networks. It also featured songs by country artist Blake Shelton, including the hit "Nobody But Me", and "The Christmas Blessing" by Newsong...	Meghan	Television movie
2006	Scarlett	Scarlett	Television movie
	Medium Medium (TV series) Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...	Jessica Delaney	1 episode
	Vanished	Judy Nash	13 episodes
2007	CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....	Claire Gibbs	1 episode
	Ugly Betty Ugly Betty Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...	Jordan Dunn	1 episode
2009	The Cleaner The Cleaner (TV series) The Cleaner was an A&E television series starring Benjamin Bratt. It debuted on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 10:00 pm EST and the last episode aired on September 15, 2009, when the show was officially cancelled....	Carey Kern	1 episode

External links