The milky-skinned, curly-haired Rebecca Gayheart won attention as both the Noxzema Girl in a series of TV commercials in the early 1990s, and as the bride of Dylan (Luke Perry) on “Beverly Hills, 90210″ (Fox, 1995), whose death was used as the actor’s out from the series. Since then the attractive brunette with striking blue eyes has begun racking up both TV and feature film credits as a leading lady whose star is rising.
Born into poverty as the daughter of a coal miner in Kentucky, Gayheart, at age 15, won a modeling contest that promised a career in NYC. With $300 in her pocket (all her parents could afford) she took off for the big city. Within two years, Gayheart had won a contract with Noxzema. While enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Institute, she began to find bit roles and extra work on the soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” and on the NBC sitcom “The Cosby Show”. Her big break came in 1991 when she was cast as Hannah Mayberry, a young woman who becomes psychotically obsessed with her college professor, on the ABC daytime drama “Loving”. After nearly three years on the show, she left in August 1993 to pursue other career opportunities.
Heading to the West Coast, Gayheart soon landed the role of Clair in several installments of the syndicated TV-movies “Vanishing Son”. She then was cast as the wife of a cowardly government agent in the short-lived sci-fi series “Earth 2″ (NBC, 1994-95). In 1997, Gayheart once again played Luke Perry’s love interest, this time in the NBC miniseries “Robin Cook’s ‘Invasion’”, although he was infected with an extraterrestrial virus and it was up to her character to save the earth.
Gayheart made her screen debut in the short film “Whatever Happened to Mason Reese?” (1990). She was featured in Martin Donovan’s 1996 film “Somebody is Waiting” as the girlfriend of a sullen teenager. Gayheart followed with a supporting turn in “Nothing to Lose” (1997), starring Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence.
- Born:
on 08/12/1972 in Hazard, Kentucky
- Job Titles:
Actor, Model
Family
- Father: Curtis Gayheart. born c. 1944
- Mother: Floneva Gayheart. born c. 1948; worked for Mary Kay
Significant Others
- Husband: Eric Dane. married October 29, 2004 in Las Vegas
- Companion: Brett Ratner. directed her in the short film “What Ever Happened to Mason Reese?”; together from c. 1989 to summer 1999; reportedly reconciled in 2001
Education
- The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, New York, New York
Milestones
- 1987 Left home for New York City at age 15
- 1990 Appeared in the short film “What Ever Happened to Mason Reese?”, directed by Brett Ratner
- 1990 Did series of Noxzema commercials for which she is still recognized
- 1991 Played Hannah Mayberry on the ABC daytime drama “Loving”
- 1994 Guested on several installments in the syndicated “Vanishing Son”
- 1994 Was regular on NBC primetime series “Earth 2″
- 1995 Played the doomed bride of Dylan (Luke Perry) on “Beverly Hills, 90210″ (Fox)
- 1996 Feature debut, “Someone Is Waiting”
- 1997 Co-starred with Tim Robbins in “Nothing to Lose”
- 1997 Had small role as a sorority sister in “Scream 2″
- 1997 Starred with Perry in the NBC miniseries “Robin Cook’s ‘Invasion’” (NBC)
- 1998 Appeared in horror film “Urban Legend”
- 1999 Had featured role in the black comedy “Jawbreaker”
- 1999 Was featured in the ensemble of the ABC drama “Wasteland”
- 2001 Charged with vehicular manslaughter stemming from an accident in which the car she was allegedly driving struck and killed a young boy; pleaded no contest in November and was sentenced to three years’ probation, had her license suspended, paid a fine and was sentenced to produce a safe-driving video; in January 2002, she settled out of court a wrongful death lawsuit with the victim’s family
- 2002 Portrayed Marliss Funt in the romantic comedy feature “Pipe Dreams”
- 2005 Starred as Shelby in the Broadway production of “Steel Magnolias”
- Did extra or under five work on ABC soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” and on primetime’s “The Cosby Show” (NBC)
- Raised in Pinetop, Kentucky
