Brooke Burns Biography and Wiki
Brooke Burns is an American actress, model, and television host who first became widely known for playing Jessie Owens on Baywatch. After leaving the series, she built a second career in game-show television, hosting programs such as Dog Eat Dog, The Chase, Master Minds, and Tic-Tac-Dough. She remains active in television and is currently the host of Tic-Tac-Dough on Game Show Network.
Brooke Burns Age and Birthday
Brooke Burns was born on March 16, 1978, in Dallas, Texas. She is 48 years old as of August 5, 2026. She grew up in Texas and began taking ballet lessons as a child, spending around 12 years training before an injury brought that path to an end.
Brooke Burns Height and Weight
Brooke Burns is 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 meters) tall. Her weight is often reported online at around 126 pounds (57 kg).
Education
Burns attended Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas. Her early years were heavily influenced by ballet, which she studied for about 12 years. Although she had hoped to pursue ballet further, a knee injury changed her plans and eventually led her toward modeling and acting.
Brooke Burns Parents and Family
Brooke Burns was born to Brad Thomas Burns and Betsy Davis Burns in Dallas, Texas.
She grew up with her family in the Dallas area and has two sisters, including Becky Katherine Burns.
Brooke Burns Husband and Married
The American actress and model has been married twice, She is currently married to Gavin O’Connor, a filmmaker known for directing and writing movies including Warrior and The Accountant. The couple married in 2013 and have one daughter together.
Before her marriage to O’Connor, Burns was married to Australian actor Julian McMahon. They married in 1999 and later divorced. Burns and McMahon have one daughter, Madison Elizabeth McMahon. Julian McMahon died in July 2, 2025 from lung metastasis caused by head and neck metastatic cancer.
Brooke Burns Children
Baywatch actress Brooke Burns has two daughters.
Her first daughter, Madison Elizabeth McMahon, was born during her marriage to Julian McMahon. Madison later became known as a volleyball player and played college volleyball at Pepperdine University.
Burns and Gavin O’Connor have a daughter named Declan Welles O’Connor, born in 2017.
Career
Brooke Burns began working in entertainment in the 1990s, initially as a model before moving into television acting. One of her early television roles was on the sitcom Out of the Blue. She also made guest appearances on shows including Ally McBeal.
Her big break came in 1998 when she joined Baywatch as Jessie Owens. She went on to appear in Baywatch: Hawaii, becoming one of the recognizable faces associated with the franchise. Burns eventually left the series after becoming pregnant with her first daughter.
Following Baywatch, she continued working in television and film. Her acting credits include appearances in Just Shoot Me!, North Shore, Pepper Dennis, Melrose Place, CSI: Miami, and the film Shallow Hal. She also became a familiar presence in made-for-television movies.
Burns’ career later took a different direction when she moved into television hosting. In 2002, she became the host of NBC’s Dog Eat Dog, a role that helped establish her as a game-show personality in addition to her acting work.
She went on to host several other programs, including Hole in the Wall and You Deserve It. From 2013 to 2015, she hosted the American version of The Chase. Her work on the show earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host.
Burns later became the host of Master Minds on Game Show Network, further establishing her place in the world of quiz and game shows. She eventually took over hosting duties for the network’s revival of Tic-Tac-Dough, which began airing in 2025.
Her career is unusual in that she has remained active in two very different areas of television. While she became famous through acting, game-show hosting has become one of her most recognizable professional roles.
Brooke Burns Salary
Burns’ exact salary is not publicly known. Her income has come from a combination of television hosting, acting, modeling, and other entertainment work.
Brooke Burns Net Worth
Burns’ net worth is estimated to be around $5 million. Her wealth has been built through a career spanning more than three decades, with earnings from acting, modeling, television hosting, and appearances in films and television productions. Her work as a game-show host, including Dog Eat Dog, The Chase, Master Minds, and Tic-Tac-Dough, has also been an important part of her long-running television career.
Injury and Recovery
In November 2005, Brooke Burns suffered a serious neck injury in a diving accident at her home in Los Angeles. She misjudged the depth of the swimming pool and injured her cervical spine. A friend who witnessed the accident helped keep her stable until paramedics arrived.
Burns underwent surgery and had her neck stabilized with a titanium plate, rod, and 10 screws. She made a full recovery and regained her mobility, although she still has the permanent spinal fusion. Remarkably, she returned to television work about five months after the accident.
In May 2014, Burns was also involved in a car accident in Los Angeles. She has spoken publicly about her recovery from her earlier neck injury and has used her experience to support greater awareness of spinal cord injuries
Sources
X
IMDb
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