Born on the 13th of January 1972 in Glendale, California, Nicole Elizabeth Eggert had a beautiful face that drew more than its fair share of pinches as a baby. Confident in her daughter's looks, mother Gina entered her in the Miss Universe Petite Division Pageant and Nicole, only five years old, went home with the crown. Agents looking for child actors were enthralled with this young beauty queen and soon, the Eggerts had a star on their hands.

Nicole appeared in several commercials, including one for Johnson's Baby Shampoo, and, seeing her natural poise and appreciation for the camera, her parents decided to let her pursue a very early career in acting. In 1979, she appeared as Robert Urich's daughter in the made-for-TV movie, When She Was Bad... and landed a guest spot on Fantasy Island in 1981.

That same year, she lent her voice to "Loretta" in a Charlie Brown TV special and was cast as William Shatner's daughter in the popular series, T.J. Hooker. She kept up an amazing streak of jobs by appearing in an I Dream of Jeannie reunion show as well in a few Who's the Boss? episodes.

Eggert gained stable footing after being cast as Jamie Powell in Charles in Charge, a role she kept up from 1987 to 1990. She started to develop a strong following and bonded so well with the cast that she even dated Scott Baio (of Happy Days fame), who is 11 years her senior.

Eggert stepped into the movie spotlight with Blown Away in 1992, which also starred two fellow child actors: Corey Feldman and Corey Haim. That same year, her breakthrough came in the form of one-piece bathing suits, T&A and David Hasselhoff with the role of Roberta "Summer" Quinn on Baywatch.

Along with other beauties like Pamela Anderson, Eggert flourished in the role and even got breast enlargements to better fill out her swimsuit. After two seasons of popularity, however, Eggert realized that she didn't want to be pigeonholed as yet another bombshell. She possessed too much talent to simply fall into obscurity like other Baywatch babes (anyone remember Erika Eleniak? Incidentally, Eleniak was also on Charles in Charge) and so, Eggert left the show despite the protests of many men.

Removing her implants after quitting the show, Eggert hoped to have a little more clout now that her name was known. Unfortunately, life after a big-time TV show was not as successful as Eggert had anticipated. B-movies and independent films now dotted her resume, with The Demolitionist in 1995, and Bartender, The Price of Kissing, and Pink as the Day She Was Born, all in 1997.

Physically, she was still a gem. Through a friend's good word, Eggert got the chance to pose nude for the cover of Lemonade and Brownies, Sugar Ray's debut album. Thanks to the picture, the album cover is often rated as the hottest cover of all time.

But all plans were put on hold one winter day in Lake Tahoe, in 1996. Riding on a snowmobile, Eggert was involved in an accident, leaving her with three broken vertebrae. Spending time recuperating, Eggert reassessed her priorities in life, and decided to be more selective in her roles and settle down with a family.

Following up on her second promise, Eggert gave birth to daughter Dilyn in 1998. Career-wise, Eggert starred opposite Coolio in the straight-to-video Submerged (2000), which she followed up with a pretty solid job in Triangle Square (2001).

Despite a failure to land a quality role since Baywatch (did we just say that?), the media never forgot her; several men's magazines featured spreads of a seductive Eggert in 2003. Poised for a breakthrough with the release of Mob Dot Com, we hope that Eggert has found a comfortable niche once again.

Though reports have swirled that Eggert married fellow actor Justin Herwick, they have never been confirmed. One thing is for sure: Eggert, with her beauty and acting skill, is only now reaching the top of her game.