Yasmine Bleeth

Yasmine Bleeth (born June 14, 1968) is an American actress and model. Her television roles include Caroline Holden on Baywatch, Ryan Fenelli on Ryan's Hope, Inspector Caitlin Cross on Nash Bridges and LeeAnn Demerest on One Life to Live.

Early life and career Bleeth was born in New York City. Her father, Philip, is of Russian-Jewish and German-Jewish descent. Her mother was a Pied-Noir from Algeria, with French ancestry; she was Catholic. Phil Bleeth was associated with a group of friends that included Arlo Guthrie and Alice Brock (of "Alice's Restaurant" fame) around the time of Yasmine's birth. Yasmine's earliest known acting role was in a Johnson & Johnson's No More Tears baby shampoo television commercial at age 10 months in 1969. At the age of 6, she appeared on Candid Camera. Later that year she appeared in a Max Factor cosmetic advertising campaign with model Cristina Ferrare. Her work in this campaign caught the eye of fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo, who subsequently included her and her mother in his book entitled Scavullo Women.

Total Film magazine quoted Bleeth stating, "When I was a little girl I used to have to force boys to kiss me. My toughest friend had to hold them down."

In 1980, 12-year-old Bleeth was cast in her first film role, opposite Buddy Hackett in the feature film Hey Babe!. In 1983, she was in a commercial with Puerto Rican group Menudo. At age 16, she began appearing as grown up Ryan Fenelli on the daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope in February 1985 until the soap's final episode on January 13, 1989. A few months after that show's 1989 cancellation, Bleeth's mother, Carina Bleeth, was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. She died within a year at the age of 47, after which Bleeth dealt with her grief, thus: "I stayed home, watching cooking shows, taking walks." She turned down acting offers for eight months, but then won the role of LeeAnn Demerest on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live.

Following her first effort in a drug rehabilitation clinic in late 2000 (see below), Bleeth only shot one more performance, the 2003 television film Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding.

Bleeth made her comeback after a lengthy hiatus with a 2021 indie comedy Whack the Don.

Personal life Bleeth met her future husband, strip club owner Paul Cerrito, in December 2000 when she voluntarily entered the Malibu-based Promises Rehabilitation Clinic to overcome a cocaine dependence. Bleeth would later comment, "They say you shouldn't get into any relationship in the first year of sobriety — especially with someone in the program, but Paul and I fell in love immediately." They were married in Santa Barbara, California, on August 25, 2002, and now live in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona. Bleeth and Cerrito do not have children.

Charity work Bleeth was the 1998 spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraising campaign, which raises money for breast cancer research and education. On October 9, 1998, it was called the "Wear Jeans to Work" campaign. With Bleeth's help, $5 million was raised on that one day to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Cocaine addiction and arrest In December 2000, Bleeth voluntarily entered the Malibu-based Promises Rehabilitation Clinic to overcome a cocaine dependence. On September 12, 2001, Bleeth was arrested in Romulus, Michigan, after she drove her car off the highway onto a median strip on Interstate 94 as she and her future husband, Paul Cerrito, were heading to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. No other cars were involved. Police found four syringes with an injectable form of cocaine in them and a small plastic bag with cocaine residue on it. The next day police conducted a search of her hotel room, where they discovered more cocaine and drug paraphernalia. In November 2001, through a plea bargain, Bleeth pleaded guilty to possessing less than 25 grams of cocaine and to driving while impaired. She was sentenced in January 2002 to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

Bleeth's lawyer, Jerry Sabbota, stated after sentencing that the actress was satisfied with the plea bargain, noting that her record will be cleared of any felonies after she fulfills the terms of her probation. "When all is said and done she'll have a traffic ticket on her record. She wasn't treated any better than anyone else, and she wasn't treated any worse," Sabbota said. Her attorney stated that Bleeth was receiving therapy from the founder of the Promises Rehabilitation Clinic that she had previously attended in 2000.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1983 Hey Babe! Theresa O'Brian 1994 Coral Wilson Direct-to-video 1996 Heaven or Vegas Rachel 1998 BASEketball Jenna Reed 1999 Coming Soon Mimi 1999 Undercover Angel Holly Anderson 2003 Game Over Jo Direct-to-video; Bleeth's parts were filmed in 1996

Television

Year Title Role Notes 1985–1989 Ryan's Hope Ryan Fenelli 1991–1993 One Life to Live LeeAnn Demerest Buchanan 1993 Herman's Head Linda Episode: "An Actor Prepares" 1993–1997 Baywatch Caroline Holden main (seasons 5-7); guest/recurring (season 4, 8) 1995 Baywatch the Movie: Forbidden Paradise Caroline Holden TV film Boy Meets World Herself Episode: The Thrilla in Phila 1996 Baywatch Nights Caroline Holden Episode: "The Curator" A Face to Die For Emily Gilmore TV film Talk to Me Diane Shepherd TV film 1997 Natalie Episode: "The Dating Game" Crowned and Dangerous Danielle Stevens TV film 1998 Jackie Ivers TV film Veronica's Closet Katerena Episode: "Veronica's a Drag" Nash Bridges Inspector Caitlin Cross main (seasons 4–5)1999 Ultimate Deception Terry Cuff TV film It Came from the Sky Pepper Upper TV film Road Rage Ellen Carson TV film 2000 Goodbye Casanova Lavinia TV film Hidden War Alexia Forman TV film Titans Heather Lane-Williams Main cast 2002 V.I.P. Kristen Grayson Episode: "Miss Con-Jeanie-Ality" 2003 Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding Caroline Holden TV film

Video games Maximum Surge (cancelled) – Jo

Theatre Welcome to My Life (October 1991). Starring role; a series of three one-act plays written by Charlie Loventhal (Second Stage Theater, New York, New York, USA)

Music videos Bleeth appeared in The Rembrandts' video "This House is Not a Home", a follow-up song to their single "I'll Be There for You".

Awards and nominations

Soap Opera Digest Awards 1986: Nominated, "Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress on a Daytime or Prime Time Serial" – Ryan's Hope 1993: Nominated, "Hottest Female Star" – One Life to Live