If you grew up watching Baywatch you probably recognize Yasmine Bleeth. She played Caroline Holden on the show and was quite a celebrity in her day. But since then it seems like she disappeared off the face of the Earth, or at least off the screen and off the grid. You haven’t seen her on TV since the early 2000s. If you’ve found yourself wondering what happened to Yasmine Bleeth – keep reading.
First Acting Job
Yasmeen started out her career when she was only a baby. Her first acting job was a baby shampoo commercial when she was 10 months old. From then on she did a few more commercials and was even featured on the reality TV show called Candid Camera.
Teen Years
When Yasmine was a teenager she acted in soap operas and musicals. In 1980 she got a leading role in “Hey, Babe!”, a musical drama about a 12-year-old orphan who desperately wants to make it in show business and a vaudevillian has-been who lost his career due to alcoholism. Yasmine also got a job on the soap opera “Ryan’s Hope” in the 80s.
First Breakthrough
In 1991 Yasmine was offered the role of LeeAnn Demerest Buchanan on the hit soap opera “One Life To Live”. It was a big deal, that show’s been on air since the 60s, and what actor doesn’t want a steady job. But Jasmine almost turned it down, because she was too distraught with grief. Her mother passed away only several months before. Thankfully, Yasmine realized that it was a chance for her and took the role.
Baywatch
In 1993 Yasmine got the role of Caroline Holden on Baywatch. She worked alongside Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff. This was her time to shine. Yasmine spent 5 years on the show and filmed over 70 episodes. She was also featured in 3 spin-off TV movies: “Baywatch the Movie: Forbidden Paradise”, “Baywatch Nights” and later in 2003 she was featured in “Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding”. Baywatch series brought a lot of fame and opportunities for Yasmine, she was frequently offered parts on popular shows and modeling gig in the most popular magazines.
Swimsuit Modeling
Since she spent a lot of time on Baywatch in that iconic red swimsuit, she naturally got quite a few modeling offers. Yasmine was featured in many magazines and often was listed among the 100 sexiest women of the year and sexiest women in the world between 1996 and 2001. She even got her own line of swimwear called Yaz Wear.
Dark Side of Success
While her popularity granted her quite a few parts on popular TV shows like “Veronica’s Closet” and “Nash Bridges”, it also facilitated her drug addiction problems. Towards the end of the 90s more and more directors and film studies would not want to work with Yasmine anymore. She was difficult behind the scenes, and her drug addiction was getting worse and getting in the way of her work. By the early 2000s, she could no longer get work as most studios blacklisted her.
Rehab cycles
Yasmine has been in and out of rehabilitation facilities a few times. Once in 2000 she voluntarily admitted herself into a rehab to help with her cocaine addiction, and it worked while she was there. However, soon after she left the clinic she was back at it and in 2001 she was in a car accident. The police found traces of drug use in the car and later the suspicion was confirmed when they searched her room. The court ordered a 2-year probation period and 100 hours of community work.
Marriage and Sobriety
Yasmine met her husband, Paul Cerrito, soon after leaving the rehab facility and they got married in 2002. While it’s said that in general one shouldn’t get into a relationship a few years after getting sober, it somehow worked out for Yasmine. She has said that actively choosing to stay away from drugs will always be a part of her daily life, her husband has been a great source of support for her.
Forgotten Career and private life
Yasmine hasn’t been working in show business since the early 2000s. Her last notable role was in 2003 in “Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding”. In fact, she’s hardly been seen in public since. The years of drug addiction have taken their toll and her reputation has been ruined, so she left the spotlight behind. She showed up at an event in 2015 in Venice Beach because she was invited by her friend, but she’s changed so much no one really recognized her. She’s been living quite a private life for about 20 years now and seems happy with it. Her short but productive time in the spotlight has ensured a comfortable life for her.
