Raised in Tucson, Arizona, Brooke Burke never envisioned herself in the entertainment industry. "When I was young, I wanted to do something more low-key, like become a drummer in a rock band," says Burke, whose French, Irish and Portuguese descent make up her stunningly exotic look. While accompanying a high school friend to a modeling agency in Scottsdale, Arizona, Brooke was discovered by a talent scout who happened to be there.After pursuing modeling near her hometown and going on to win an acting scholarship, Burke moved to Los Angeles where she studied broadcast journalism at UCLA. In between classes during her first year at school, Burke signed with the industry's highest profile agencies including Ford, Wilhelmina, and Cunningham-Escott-Dipene.
In addition to gracing dozens of magazine covers, billboards, swimsuit editorials, catalogues and posters, Burke has also starred in a string of popular commercials. She is the "beautiful body" in the Bally's Total Fitness commercials as well as Yankee's shortstop, Derek Jeter's dream date for Discover Card. Her other credits include Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, and M Professional Cosmetics.
lthough she kept busy and content with modeling, Burke took an interview with E! Entertainment on the insistence of a friend. The producers were looking for a real person that could go to exotic locations, interact with the people, and be spontaneous. Brooke had a very casual meeting with them, which led to a trial show that they all loved. Before she knew it, she had signed a three year deal and was packing her suitcases.
As evidence of Burke's emerging popularity and fan base, she gets the fourth most hits on E! Online (after Britney Spears, Fashion Emergency and Howard Stern), and she was recently selected as one of three women in the world to be photographed for a 2002 At A Glance Calendar.
