Sampras' Partner

Background:

Model-turned-actress Bridgette Wilson first came to notice while portraying Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter, Whitney/Meredith, in John McTiernan's Last Action Hero in 1993. Beginning her acting stint playing the recurring role of Lisa Fenimore Castillo (1992-1993) in the series Santa Barbara, Wilson later gained more attention for acting in such movies as Billy Madison, Mortal Kombat (both in 1995), The Real Blonde and I Know What You Did Last Summer (both in 1997), as well as Love Stinks (1999). She also appeared in recent films like Buying the Cow (2002) and Shopgirl (2005).

Brown-eyed, 5' 9" inches tall Wilson was crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990 and is best known as the wife of the famous and retired professional tennis player Peter Sampras. She is also an avid humanitarian and has supported such charity programs as MADD, American Oceans Campaign, and several AIDS foundations.

Piano Autodidact

Childhood and Family:

"I grew up in a family where everyone was encouraged to learn, so at a young age I taught myself to read music and play the piano." Bridgette Wilson

In Gold Beach, Oregon, Bridgette Leann Wilson was born on September 25, 1973, to parents Dale and Kathy Wilson. The second daughter of the family, Bridgette has one older sister, actress Tracy Wilson. Bridgette taught herself to play the piano when she was just a child and became interested in athletics and volleyball.

Bridgette started dating professional tennis player Peter Sampras (born on August 12, 1971) on May 29, 2000, and became engaged to him on June 20, 2000, right after Sampras lost the French Open. The couple decided to tie the knot on September 30, 2000, and welcomed their first son, Christian Charles Sampras, on November 21, 2002. The pair is expecting a second child in fall 2005.

Last Action

Career:

Getting a taste of fame being crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990, Bridgette Wilson neglected her modeling career and opted to act instead. She packed for Los Angeles and began taking acting lessons. After attending several auditions, Wilson landed her first acting work playing character Ginger (1992) on the long-lived family comedy series Saved by the Bell. In the same year, she won another role on TV, as Lisa Fenimore Castillo (1992-1993) in the long-running soap, NBC's Santa Barbara.

"Arnold loves making movies. It's like watching a kid in a candy store and what's even better is he wants to share the candy with everyone else on the set. I never once saw Arnold in a bad mood." Bridgette Wilson

Wilson debuted on the silver screen in 1993 when filmmaker John McTiernan cast her to play Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter, Whitney/Meredith, in his Last Action Hero. She returned to the big screen two years later playing a role in John Singleton's drama Higher Learning, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kristy Swanson. She also splashed as a guest in an episode of the series Murder, She Wrote.

"Adam is a goof all the time, but he knows that's what people expect of him. I'm sure he has a serious side, but only his closest buddies would have ever seen it." Bridgette Wilson

A considerable role arrived in Tamra Davis' comedy Billy Madison (1995), in which Wilson portrayed Adam Sandler's sexy teacher Veronica Vaughn. She followed it up with Paul W.S. Anderson's adaptation of the famous video game Mortal Kombat, playing warrior Sonya Blade alongside actor Christopher Lambert, and as a vixen in Oliver Stone's Nixon (starring Anthony Hopkins).

Afterwards, she continued to play roles such as surrogate mother Jennifer Clark in René Eram's thriller Final Vendetta (a.k.a. Sweet Evil) and one of Gena Rowland's stuffy daughter-in-laws, Jeannie Hawks, in Nick Cassavetes' romantic comedy Unhook the Stars (both in 1996). She also costarred with Amy Brenneman in Gary Tieche's drama Nevada and with Linda Evans in the USA Network cable movie, Charles Correll's The Stepsister (both in 1997).

Still in 1997, Wilson portrayed prize model Sahara, alongside Matthew Modine, Catherine Keener and Daryl Hannah, in Tom DiCillo's dramatic comedy The Real Blonde. She also played bigheaded Elsa Shivers, along with Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr., in Jim Gillespie's teen horror film, based on Lois Duncan's novel, I Know What You Did Last Summer.

In 1998, Wilson returned to TV playing seductive Julit Spring, opposite Peter Gallagher and Mimi Rogers, in the film version of Peter James' novel, the ABC's sci-fi movie Host (a.k.a. Virtual Obsession). Back to the wide screen, she played a role in John Enbom's Starstruck (1998, a.k.a. Dust and Stardust) and in Donal Lardner Ward's 1980s drama comedy The Suburbans (1999, alongside Jennifer Love-Hewitt and Will Ferrell).

The rest of the 1990s saw Bridgette Wilson became French Stewart's girlfriend, Chelsea Turner, in Jeff Franklin's romantic comedy Love Stinks and she played hot, prejudiced journalist Melissa Margaret Marr in William Malone's blockbuster horror House on Haunted Hill (both in 1999). Afterwards, she became a beauty pageant contestant, Miss Texas Lorna Larkin, in Sally Field's directorial debut Beautiful (2000) and played Jennifer Lopez' client in Adam Shankman's romantic comedy The Wedding Planner (2001). She also costarred in FOX's drama series The $treet (2000) and in Jean-Marie Poiré's fantasy comedy Just Visiting (2001, with Jean Reno and Christina Applegate).

Wilson portrayed Jerry O'Connell's girlfriend Sarah in Walt Becker's comedy Buying the Cow and costarred with Devon Sawa in Christian Duguay's action adventure Extreme Ops (both in 2002). She also has been spotted as a guest in an episode of the series Frasier. More recent, she played a role in the film version of Steve Martin's best-selling novella, Anand Tucker's romantic comedy Shopgirl (starring Claire Danes). As far as more notable TV guest appearances, Wilson has appeared in CSI: Miami, Beyond the Glory and Jake in Progress.

In addition to acting, Wilson also tried her hand in music. She reportedly released two albums: "Gimme a Kiss" and "I Only Want to Be With You."