David Charvet’s face would be familiar to you even if you haven’t watched a single episode of “Baywatch” in your life (in which case, what are you doing here?). Born in France, Charvets’s many talents include not only acting but also singing and modeling.
Before playing the role of Matt Brody in 1992, Charvet was nurturing his successful singing career in France. He branched out internationally in the early 90s when he won a green card lottery. Thanks to that green card, he became famous worldwide.
Nancy Valen Then
Nancy Valen's acting career could have gone in a whole different direction. Before moving to LA, Valen was living in New York and dreaming about acting on the theater stage, rather than in front of a camera. At some point, Valen was casted into "Ryan's Hope", a soap opera which was filmed in the city. After two years on the show, she moved to LA.
The first big film she was in was "Porky’s Revenge" (1985). Other memorable credits of hers are "The Heavenly Kid", "Listen to Me", and "Loverboy". She was cast as Samantha Thomas on "Baywatch" in 1996 for seasons six and seven.
Nancy Valen Today
Before walking a mile in Samantha's swimsuit, Nancy Valen was actually featured as a guest in one episode from 1989. Valen has many credits to her name, some of which in hit shows the likes of "Friends", "Boy Meets World", "Saved by the Bell", and "Full House".
Still, her 22-episode-long stint on "Baywatch" is definitely the highlight of her career. Her main focus these days is more behind the scenes as a producer.
David Charvet Today
In 1995, after three seasons on "Baywatch", Charvet left the show and started acting in other projects. He spent the rest of the 90s acting in "Melrose Place", "Derby", "Seduced and Betrayed", "Angel Flight Down", and more, and then decided he wanted to go back to his musical roots.
Charvet went back to France, signed a contract with Universal Music Group France for five albums, and this time, his music went global.
Brooke Burns Then
When Brooke Burns started acting it was on "Out of the Blue", a teen sitcom from 1995. She was a series regular, playing the role of Peg, but it didn't really make her a star. What did make her a star eventually was her performance on "Baywatch". She was cast on the show in 1998.
Her "Baywatch" role was that of Jesse Owens, who started out as a cleaner and officially turned into a lifeguard in the ninth season.