Baywatch Cast: Where The Actors Are Now

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There aren't a lot of shows out there whose mere name evokes an image, but "Baywatch" is one of them. You can't hear the name without immediately picturing a bunch of lifeguards running across a sandy beach in red bathing suits. They're purportedly on their way to rescue someone, but all the camera seems to care about is the fact that they're running, often in slow motion. Although it initially struggled to find an audience and in fact was originally cancelled after just one season before being brought back from the dead, it quickly turned into a phenomenon that lasted throughout the 1990s. It even generated a big-screen adaptation in 2017 starring Zac Efron and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Revolving around a team of lifeguards in Los Angeles (and later Hawaii), "Baywatch" turned some of its stars into icons, cementing their place in television history. But while some of the actors on the show came out bigger than ever, others struggled to reach the heights of their time on "Baywatch." Here's what the cast have been up to, whether it's superstardom, obscurity, or helping to bring down the Berlin Wall.

Back in 1981, Erika Eleniak made her big-screen debut under pretty much the best circumstances you could hope for — as a 12 year old, she was featured in Steven Spielberg's "E.T. The Extra-Terrestial" as one of Elliott's classmates. (She's the girl he kisses in class, in a scene the 10-year-old Henry Thomas was disgusted to perform.) From there on out, she worked consistently during the 1980s, appearing in the remake of "The Blob" as well as the popular sitcom "Charles in Charge" alongside Scott Baio before being cast as Shauni McClain on "Baywatch." 

She also played the role of the gorgeous, animal-loving Ellie Mae in the big-screen version of the popular '60s sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies." After her time on "Baywatch," like many of her co-stars, she turned to reality television. She was featured on the celebrity competition show "The Real Gilligan's Island," as well as appearing on a season of "Celebrity Fit Club." You can also catch her in episodes of "CSI: Miami" and "Desperate Housewives" and a variety of made for TV movies.

If you were familiar with Billy Warlock (excellent name, by the way) before his time on "Baywatch," it was likely as a result of his work in one of two genres: horror and the mighty soap opera. He starred in the now-classic body horror movie "Society," which depicts the ultra-wealthy as an amorphous blob, as well as appearing in "Halloween II." Warlock also worked consistently on television, playing key roles as Frankie Brady on "Days of Our Lives" and AJ Quartermaine on "General Hospital." (He's also married to his "Days of Our Lives" co-star Julie Pinson, providing a lovely contrast to the extramarital antics of most soap opera characters.) 

Warlock has dipped his toe into the world of live theater as well — in 2004, he appeared as Felix in a production of Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" at The Public Theater in New York. His most recent on-screen work was back in 2010, when he did a multi-episode arc on both "One Life to Live" and "As the World Turns."

Sure, Gregory J. Barnett is an actor. He was in 50 episodes of "Baywatch" as Jim Barnett (above left), in addition to appearances on "Hart to Hart," "Murder, She Wrote," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "24," and "The Mentalist," among others. But his career in Hollywood has been defined far more by his work in stunts, for which he has been incredibly prolific. To date, he has 432 stunt credits listed on his IMDb page, which speaks to how consistently he's been working in this field. 

If you've seen "They Live," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Demolition Man," "Armageddon," "Ocean's Eleven," "Hulk," "Mission Impossible III," or "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," you've gotten at least a glimpse of some of his work. In addition to stunts and stunt coordination, he's been credited as a second unit director on multiple projects, including 67 episodes of "Baywatch." Talk about wearing multiple hats! And he's still going strong today — he's slated to do stunt work on the long-awaited upcoming season of "Euphoria."

Although Kelly Packard was cast in the recurring role of April Giminski, who starred in the eighth and ninth seasons of "Baywatch," she had actually appeared on the show a handful of other times as bit characters before landing the part that would make her famous. In the years leading up to her time on "Baywatch," she was a familiar face in the world of family television, with roles on "Boy Meets World," "Blossom," "Step By Step," and "The Wonder Years." 

From 2002 to 2003, Packard served as a co-host on "Ripley's Believe It or Not," and she had a number of other hosting and reality TV gigs during this period, in addition to playing April again in "Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay." Her most recent on-screen performance was in 2018, when she played Lisa in "Family Vanished" (seen above), a made-for-TV movie about a home invasion gone terribly wrong.

Before Gena Lee Nolin joined the cast of "Baywatch" as Neely Capshaw in the show's fifth season, she began her career as a model. After several high-profile campaigns, she was hired on "The Price is Right," showing off everything from stereo equipment to speedboats. In addition to her work on "Baywatch," she's known for her appearances on "The Young and the Restless" and her starring turn as the comic book superhero Sheena on "Sheena," which aired from 2000 to 2002. In 2013, Nolin wrote a book exploring her struggles with thyroid disease entitled "Beautiful Inside and Out: Conquering Thyroid Disease with a Healthy, Happy, 'Thyroid Sexy' Life."

In recent years, she has appeared in various forms of media, primarily reality television, as herself. In 2016, she reprised her role as Neely in the fourth outing of the "Sharknado" franchise, "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens." The following year, she played herself in "Killing Hasselhoff" (pictured above), reuniting her with her "Baywatch" co-star (who she also shared scenes with in "Sharknado").

Yasmine Bleeth was no stranger to Hollywood by the time she was cast in "Baywatch" as Caroline Holden — in fact, she booked her first gig when she was just a baby. As a young actress, the majority of her work was in the soap opera world. She played Ryan Fenelli in "Ryan's Hope" as well as LeeAnn Demerest on "One Life to Live." After leaving "Baywatch," she played Caitlin Cross on "Nash Bridges" (seen above). 

But despite her successes, her continued struggles with cocaine addiction hindered her ability to build momentum in her career. In 2000, she went to rehab for her addiction issues, but the following year, she was arrested for cocaine possession and driving while impaired. Her last on-screen job was in 2003, when she reprised her "Baywatch" role in "Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding," but there are some rumblings that suggest she may have a new horror movie project in the works, "Beautiful Evil." 

Born in Lyon, France, David Charvet brought a little bit of international flavor to the world of "Baywatch" as Matt Brody in Seasons 3 through 6. In addition to his work on "Baywatch," Charvet took on the role of Craig Field on the "90210" spinoff "Melrose Place." Since then, his focus has primarily been on music, as he left acting in 1999 (although he's since returned on a few occasions, like in "Prisoners of the Sun," seen above). 

Charvet has released three pop albums, which have sold a combined 2.5 million copies. He's also made sporadic appearances on reality shows such as "The Superstars," "La Ferme Célébrités" in his native France, as well as "The Apprentice" in 2017. In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Charvet has devoted significant time and energy to conservation efforts, serving as a member of the board of directors for the now-defunct ocean preservation group The Blue Seals.

When David Chokachi was 27 years old, he made his acting debut as Cody Madison on the sixth season of "Baywatch." After that, he had a pretty consistent career throughout the '90s, appearing in "Suddenly Susan," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," and "Witchblade," as well as reprising his role as Cody in "Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay." He also appeared on "Confessions of a Teen Idol," a reality series that was designed to help members of the Tiger Beat elite maintain their careers after aging out of the teen heartthrob role. 

In more recent years, he's carved out a niche for himself in the world of TV movies, including "Christmas in Palm Springs," "A Hole in Time," "A Mother's Greatest Fear," and "Online Abduction." 2025 has seen him in the role of Balam in the mockbuster "Predator: Wastelands," and he doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon, as he's got a slate of upcoming projects a mile long.

Michael Bergin's career began with his work as a model — he was most famous for his involvement in the black-and-white Calvin Klein underwear ad, taking over the lead spot after Mark Wahlberg moved on to bigger and brighter things. He joined the cast of "Baywatch" as J.D. Darius in the seventh season and stuck with it until the end of the show, reprising his role in "Baywatch: Hawaii" and "Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding." 

Bergin drew attention in the early 1990s for his relationship with Carolyn Bessette prior to her marriage to John. F Kennedy, Jr., and the tragic plane accident that claimed both of their lives. Although he continues to work sporadically as an actor, appearing primarily in television movies for Hallmark and Lifetime (including "A Husband for Christmas," as seen above), these days he earns a living as a real estate agent in Beverly Hills. So, you know, he's doing just fine for himself.

Long before playing Stephanie Holden on "Baywatch" from 1992 to 1997, Alexandra Paul made her mark with a key performance in the Stephen King horror film "Christine," which may be getting a new adaptation soon. (No, she's not Christine herself, but she's got the next most prominent female role as the actual human love interest.) In her post-"Baywatch" era, Paul continued to work steadily as an actor, even if she never reached the heights of that hit show. 

She played Terry O'Brien in eight episodes of "Melrose Place," had a one-off appearance on "Mad Men," popped up alongside David Hasselhoff and Gena Lee Nolin in "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens," and was featured in the critically acclaimed indie dramedy "Pink Skies Ahead." Most recently, she acted in "Baby Steps," a film (seen above) about a gay couple struggling to decide whether or not to have a child. She's also known for her work as an activist,  and she's faced legal action over the past few years for her efforts to rescue animals from factory farms and slaughterhouses.

Gregory Alan Williams, who appeared on the first through the sixth season of "Baywatch" as police officer Garner Ellerbee, is the definition of a Renaissance man. Before beginning his career as an actor, he was an active Marine who was later honored for his heroism during the 1992 L.A. riots. He's penned four books, one of which is a memoir about his experiences during the riots. As an actor, he made his debut in the Steven Seagal action flick "Above the Law," and he's never looked back. On the big screen, he was featured in films like "Remember the Titans," "Million Dollar Arm," Terminator Genisys," "Old School," "Hidden Figures," and "Brightburn." 

And on television, he's been arguably even more prolific, with roles on "The Sopranos," "The West Wing," "Boston Public," "Drop Dead Diva," Army Wives," "Secrets and Lies," and "Chicago Med." His most prominent recent role was on the underrated evangelical dark comedy "The Righteous Gemstones" (seen above), where he played Martin, the righthand man of Eli Gemstone (John Goodman) as he oversees his incredibly lucrative religious empire and attempts to wrangle his extremely dysfunctional adult children.

Unlike many of his co-stars on "Baywatch," who were actors or models when they were first hired for the gig, Michael Newman had real, honest-to-God experience in saving lives. Before being cast as Michael "Newmie" Newman, one of the most senior lifeguards on the crew, the real Newman worked as both an actual lifeguard in Los Angeles as well as a firefighter. In fact, he was hired not so much because of his acting skills, but because of the authenticity he brought to the role, and his ability to help train his co-stars along the way. 

As a result, Newman didn't do a ton of acting after "Baywatch" went off the air. He was featured in both "Baywatch Nights" and "Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay," but had only a handful of other credits to his name. Most of his work following "Baywatch" involved conservation and water safety advocacy efforts. In 2006, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and he died in 2024 from heart failure at the age of 67.

Jeremy Jackson joined "Baywatch" in its second season, taking over the role of Hobie, Mitch's son, from Brandon Call, who left the show to star in the blended family sitcom "Step By Step." In addition to his work as an actor, he also found success in music, releasing two albums in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Most of his prominent work following "Baywatch" was in the world of reality television — he was featured on VH1's "Confessions of a Teen idol," for example.

But like many young stars in Hollywood, he faced struggles with drug addiction (he has been open regarding the fact that he was actively on meth throughout the final season of "Baywatch"), leading to several run-ins with the law. He was cast on Celebrity Big Brother Season 15, but was kicked off the show after just four days as a result of sexual harassment towards one of his female co-stars. In 2005, he was arrested for his part in constructing a meth lab, and in 2017, he was sentenced to 270 days in jail as part of a plea bargain for a 2015 stabbing.

When all is said and done, when you think of "Baywatch," you probably think of Pamela Anderson running across the beach in a red bathing suit. But although she's become inextricably linked with the show over the years, she actually didn't join the cast until its third season and was gone by the seventh. That's a testament to how much of an impression she made on audiences. Since "Baywatch," Anderson's career has had its ups and downs. 

She garnered an unfair amount of notoriety in 1995, when a private sex tape between her and her then-husband Tommy Lee was leaked without her consent. For a long time after that, she struggled to have people take her seriously, and not be defined by that sex tape. But in recent years, she's been experiencing a career renaissance. She put in an exceptional performance in "The Last Showgirl," a film she referred to at TIFF as "the role I have been waiting for my entire career" (via Deadline) and earned praise for her comedic chops in the Liam Neeson-led remake of "The Naked Gun."

David Hasselhoff's not just one of the stars of "Baywatch" — he's a big reason it ever got off the ground at all. It was cancelled after its first season, but Hasselhoff believed in the project so much that he used his own money to engineer a syndication deal, which allowed it time to find and audience and become the enduring pop culture classic it is today. And his faith was rewarded. The show, where he plays Mitch Buchannon, is a huge part of his legacy. But it's not the only major project within his filmography. 

Aside from running around on a beach saving lives (and becoming an enduring part of Cold War history through his now-famous performance as the Berlin Wall was being torn down), he's appeared in a number of films and television shows, from "3rd Rock from the Sun" to "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." He stretched his ability as an actor by taking on the dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the musical adaptation "Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical," while also playing right in his wheelhouse with a number of cameos as himself, as well as the movie "Killing Hasselhoff," an action comedy where he's targeted by a hit man. In 2024, he was also featured in two episodes of "The Goldbergs," gamely stepping back into the '80s version of David Hasselhoff.