Bridgette Wilson Biography

American actress Bridgette Wilson rose to popularity in the mid-90s with a slew of high profile roles such as Billy Madison and Mortal Kombat. Her visibility tapered off after that, but she remains active in both film and television.

Bridgette Leann Wilson was born September 25, 1973 in Gold Beach, Oregon. Her parents were Kathy Wilson and Dale Wilson. Before ever stepping in front of the camera, Wilson utilized her classic beauty to be crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990.

She translated that notoriety into a four-episode stint on the teen comedy Saved by the Bell opposite Mario Lopez, Tiffani Thiessen, and Elizabeth Berkley.

Proving a natural, she spent three episodes on the television series Santa Barbara. Wilson then made her film debut in 1993 with Last Action Hero where she shared the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ian McKellen.

Having a breakout year in 1995, she began with a small role in Higher Learning. The ensemble cast included Hollywood hitters Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly, Ice Cube, Tyra Banks, and Laurence Fishburne.

But it was her role as Veronica Vaughn in Billy Madison that really made her a household name. She played the sexy teacher to Adam Sandler’s slacker student. The comedy was a big hit for both Sandler and Wilson, and Wilson was finally on the acting map.

She followed with a prominent role in the action fantasy Mortal Kombat as well as the generally panned Final Vendetta.

She continued to work steadily, but it wasn’t until 1997 that she had another commercial hit with I Know What You Did Last Summer opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr.

She continued in the horror thriller vein with 1999’s House on Haunted Hill. Although the film was not very well received, it did contain a surprisingly stellar cast composed of Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher, and Ali Larter.

She next turned heads with a lead role on the short-lived but well received series The $treet. The series only lasted one season, but her costars included Tom Everett Scott, Christian Campbell, Melissa De Sousa, Sean Maher, Adam Goldberg, and others.

More recently, she appeared in Steve Martin’s 2005 Shopgirl with Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman as well as one episode of Carpoolers with Jerry O Connell.

She is currently in post-production for Phantom Punch with Ving Rhames portraying Sonny Liston.

Outside of acting, Wilson dabbled in singing, finding her largest popularity in Japan. Her 1994 album was entitled I Only Want To Be With You. She also released Gimme A Kiss in 1996.

In her personal life, she married tennis great Pete Sampras on September 30, 2000. They have two children, and they are currently still together.