A wide-eyed blonde starlet best known for her outrageous off-screen life, Reid appeared in commercials as a child before transitioning to film and TV roles. After an inauspicious start on
Saved by the Bell: The New Class, she landed a part in the Coen Brothers' 1998 cult comedy
The Big Lebowski. Never again would she be associated with such a classy project. Instead Reid became a men's-magazine favorite with scantily clad roles in
Urban Legend and two
American Pie movies. Her pretty face and giddy (if vapid) persona were tapped for a succession of forgettable flops (
Josie and the Pussycats,
Just Visiting,
My Boss' Daughter), but Reid remained in the spotlight thanks to her tabloid-tailored personal life, which included high-profile romances (Carson Daly, quarterbacks Tom Brady and Kyle Boller), catfights (Cindy Margolis), infamous gal pals (Paris Hilton), a bout with anorexia, red-carpet wardrobe malfunctions and lots of public intoxication. In 2005 Reid attempted to turn her negative notoriety into reality-TV magic with the short-lived
Taradise, but she was no Anna Nicole Smith and soon returned to B-movies (
Alone in the Dark) and a recurring role on the wacky sitcom
Scrubs.
Tara Reid Fast Facts:
- Attended New York City's Professional Children's School on scholarship with fellow classmates Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jerry O'Connell and Macaulay Culkin.
- As a child, appeared in commercials for Jell-O, Crayola and McDonald's.
- Her first acting break was a CBS children's game show called Child's Play.
- Launched her own production company called Hi Happy Films.
- Filed a defamation of character suit against an upscale Las Vegas condo for using a partially nude picture of her on a billboard ad.
- Tara Reid Relationships:
- Carson Daly - Ex-fiancé
- Colleen Reid - Sister
- Donna Reid - Mother
- Patrick Reid - Brother
- Tom Reid - Brother
- Tom Reid - Father
