Angie Harmon (Actor)

Angie Harmon arrives at the opening of the Oscar De La Renta Boutique. (Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)

Like many of her fellow models, sultry Angie Harmon made the transition to acting landing the leading role of private detective Ryan McBride on the syndicated series "Baywatch Nights" (1995-97). The only child of models, the Dallas-born beauty actually began her career as a newborn, appearing in a hospital-made film "How to Give Your Baby a Bath". As she matured, Harmon continued to work as a local model moving to a national stage at age 15 when she was named the winner of Seventeen magazine's cover model contest. After completing high school, Harmon won the Spectrum Model Search and soon found herself gracing the runways for such noted designers as Calvin Klein, Versace, Donna Karan and Valentino, among others. She also appeared in photo spreads in such noted publications as the French and Italian editions of Vogue and Glamour as well as American editions of Elle and Cosmopolitan.

Harmon moved to L.A. in the mid-1990s to concentrate on an acting career. By coincidence, she met producer-actor David Hasselhoff on a transcontinental flight and impressed him enough to be offered the lead in the detective series spin-off "Baywatch Nights". Harmon quickly segued to ABC's short-lived drama "C-16" (1997-98), playing a rookie FBI agent. Between series, the actress found time to squeeze in her first feature role, a small part as spoiled wealthy woman in John Duigan's "Lawn Dogs" (1997). In 1998, she was tapped to essay the role of assistant district attorney Abbie Carmichael on the award-winning NBC series "Law & Order", a role she played until spring 2001. Harmon left the series in part because of her marriage to football star Jason Sehorn. In 2003, Harmon sexed up her character for the big-budget film "Agent Cody Banks," by placing big "shoulder pads" into her bra. Harmon played a sexy agent and the boss to the title character, which was played by Frankie Muniz.

She next had a supporting role in “The Deal” (2005), a corporate thriller released straight-to-video about a Wall Street investment banker (Christian Slater) who, along with his environmentalist partner (Selma Blair), gets involved with government conspiracy, illegal oil trading and the Russian mafia. Though the content was timely, critics lambasted the murky storytelling and flat acting. Harmon then returned to television with a regular role on “Inconceivable” (NBC, 2005), a primetime soap opera about the lives of doctors, lawyers and therapists who work together at a San Francisco fertility clinic. Despite a full season order by the network, “Inconceivable” was cancelled after two episodes. Meanwhile, Harmon costarred in “Fun With Dick and Jane” (2005), a remake of the 1976 film starring Jane Fonda and George Segal. In the updated version, Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni played Dick and Jane Harper, a married couple so desperate to retain their deluxe suburban home and luxury cars after Dick loses his job that they resort to armed robbery.