Trivia
Her father Peter is of Mexican descent. Her mother Patricia is of French, Italian, and Portuguese descent. She is the youngest of four children. All of her family remains living in Indio, California, USA.
As a child, she was given the option of skipping second grade along with a friend. She and her parents decided against it.
Attended Indio High School, Indio, California. Was part of the Circle Theatre Acting Company in Indio.
Attended College of the Desert, Palm Desert, California, where she studied law.
Has a tattoo on her lower back of a tribal symbol representing peace and love in the universe.
Named one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996. Was offered the cover and a layout in Playboy but she declined. She is reportedly very shy about revealing her body.
Gave birth to son, Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green, who is also the son of actor Brian Austin Green. Kassius was named after Muhammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay), of whom Brian is a fan [March 30, 2002].
Is a vegetarian.
Has two dogs named Woof and Joey.
Performed her own song at a 6th grade talent show and won.
Named in honor of actress Vanessa Redgrave.
She has designed a line of children's clothing called, 'Kass' (named in honor of her son Kassius) for Africa. A portion of the proceeds will go to help build schools and open centers to support and empower mothers and their children in Africa.
Was offered the role of Nell Porter on "Ally McBeal" (1997) but was forced to turn it down because she had already signed on to "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990). The role was then given to Portia de Rossi.
Auditioned for the part of Nancy in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) however, the part was eventually given to Jennifer Esposito, since the director felt her beauty would give less attention to the lead actors of the film.
Opened Patricia House in Los Angeles, which will aid women who can no longer care for their children. Created a hotline for these women to have their babies placed in good homes.
She has suffered from agoraphobia.
She remarked on "Today" (1952), 5 November 2004 that she is the great granddaughter of French mime Marcel Marceau, though she never met him.
Named #19 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list. Named #92 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).
Has a grandmother named Sally.
Named #92 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).
Loves to ride motorcycles.
Named on People magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People" list (2008), reportedly for being a muse to musician Prince, who wrote his 1994 song "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" about her.
Is best friends with "The Biggest Loser" (2009) trainer Jillian Michaels who is the godmother of her son Kassius.
Personal Quotes
"Because of my crazy work schedule, I have become something of a master at changing my clothes while driving. The men driving next to me love it." - on driving to work while changing clothes.
"Acting probably saved my life. It gave me a home and a safe place to let out all of my emotions and have it be OK." - in having it be an outlet.
"I don't know any woman who doesn't have an anxiety attack about wearing a bathing suit. I was on the show ("General Hospital" (1963)) for two years before they got me to wear a bathing suit and I almost had a heart attack the whole time".