# Tara Reid

Tara Donna Reid (/riːd/; born November 8, 1975) is an American actress and model. Her film roles established her status as a sex symbol in the late 1990s through the early 2000s.
In film, Reid is best known for her lead ensemble role as Vicky Lathum in the American Pie film series (1999–2001; 2012). Her other notable lead film roles include Urban Legend (1998), Body Shots (1999), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Van Wilder (2002), My Boss's Daughter (2003) and Alone in the Dark (2005). She had supporting roles in the films The Big Lebowski (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), Dr. T & the Women (2000), and Just Visiting (2001).
In television, Reid had recurring roles as Ashley on the soap opera Days of Our Lives (1995) and Danni Sullivan on the NBC series Scrubs (2003–2005). She had a co-lead role as secondary protagonist April Wexler in the Sharknado television film series (2013–2018). Reid hosted her own reality series on E!, titled Taradise (2005–2006).

## Early life

Reid was born on November 8, 1975, and raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the daughter of Donna Reid (née Bennett) (1943 — October 21, 2018) and Thomas Reid (1940 — December 2016), both of whom were teachers and day-care center owners. Her father also worked on Wall Street. She is of mainly Irish with some Scottish, Italian, French, Hungarian, and English descent. Reid has twin younger siblings, Colleen and Patrick, and another brother, Tom.
She attended Professional Children's School in Manhattan.

## Career

Reid began acting at age six, becoming a regular on the game show Child's Play, and appeared in over 100 commercials for corporations including Jell-O, McDonald's, Crayola, and Milton Bradley. As a teenager, she was on Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
After moving to Hollywood in 1997, Reid transitioned to movies, landing a role in 1998's The Big Lebowski. Though the film disappointed at the box office, grossing only $17 million in the U.S., it went on to become a cult classic. Later that same year, she appeared in a larger role in a more financially successful film, Urban Legend, where she portrayed a sexy radio host and which grossed just under $40 million in the US and led to two sequels, though neither included Reid. In 1999, she appeared in a tiny role in another hit, Cruel Intentions. Reid found her first taste of real mainstream success when she portrayed the role of the virginal Vickie in American Pie (1999), which grossed over $100 million in the US. The film also marked her first film to reach number one at the box office. In 2001, she reprised the role in American Pie 2, which opened to $45 million and grossed over $145 million in the US, almost 50% more than its predecessor. Reid did not return for American Wedding (2003), but did reprise the character in the fourth theatrical film in the series, American Reunion (2012).
Following the success of American Pie 2, Reid starred in a number of commercial and critical misfires, including Josie and the Pussycats and Van Wilder. She also starred as the youngest daughter of a Texas gynecologist in Robert Altman's Dr. T & the Women, alongside Richard Gere. She returned to the small screen as a recurring character on the NBC sitcom Scrubs, appearing in 11 episodes of season three. Shortly thereafter, Reid appeared alongside Ashton Kutcher in My Boss's Daughter, for which she was nominated for both Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Screen Couple at the 2004 Golden Raspberry Awards.
In 2005, she co-starred in infamous German filmmaker Uwe Boll's Alone in the Dark with Christian Slater. Her mispronunciation of "Newfoundland" became a popular Internet catchphrase. The film was panned by critics and Reid received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. Reid signed on to host the E!'s Wild On Tara Reid (later renamed Taradise), a program that showcased high-society vacations and hot spots. The show premiered on August 10, 2005, but it was cancelled in September, with Ted Harbert, E! Network's president, saying it was "incredibly difficult to produce with someone well-known."
In January 2007, Reid filmed a commercial with Daniel Conn for Dodo, an Australian budget telephone and Internet service provider. Between 2007 and 2008, she starred in a number of direct-to-video films, including 7-10 Split/Strike, If I Had Known I Was a Genius (which was released at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival), and Clean Break/Unnatural Causes. She also played the main character in the made-for-television horror film Vipers. In 2010, she landed the role of Bonnie in the thriller film The Fields, which was released in 2011. In March 2011, she filmed a Funny or Die spoof trailer for The Big Lebowski 2.
On August 18, 2011, Reid was the second housemate to enter the British reality series Celebrity Big Brother 8. On September 2, she received the fewest votes and became the third celebrity to be evicted from the house.
In September 2011, Reid announced via her official Twitter page that she was to appear in Jedward's new music video for "Wow Oh Wow", which they started shooting in late October of the same year. In 2014, she appeared in their music video for "Ferocious".
In 2013, she appeared in the hit Syfy film Sharknado which spawned five sequels in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Other projects Reid appeared in during the mid-2010s included comedy spoof The Hungover Games, horror film Charlie's Farm, the Bollywood film Tie the Knot, and the TV series The Big Big Show with Andrew Dice Clay and Tom Green.
In 2019, Reid guest-starred as herself in an episode of The Boys where she attended a comic convention with Billy Zane.

## Other ventures

Reid has appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including CosmoGirl, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Maxim, Playboy, Stuff, and FHM. She has appeared in television commercials for Jello, McDonald's, Dodo Australia, and Crayola.
In 2007, Reid had shares in three restaurants (Bella, Geisha House, and The Shore) and opened Ketchup, a fast-food restaurant based in Los Angeles.
Reid and Ed Hardy designer Christian Audigier designed Mantra, a clothing line that hit high-end department stores in 2009. In 2014, she released a new swimwear line and a perfume, Shark by Tara, inspired by the film franchise Sharknado.

## Personal life

In October 2006, Reid acknowledged in an interview with Us Weekly that she had undergone liposculpting. In the interview, she discusses how her plastic surgery "went wrong" and also explains why she decided to have plastic surgery done, saying that her breasts were uneven and that she wanted a "sixpack" for a new movie role. The liposuction resulted in deformity. In the same interview, Reid's new plastic surgeon, Steven Svehlak, reported that he performed a procedure called a "doughnut mastopexy" to correct her original augmentation, and performed additional liposuction in hopes of evening out her abdomen.

### Relationships

In March 2000, Reid met Carson Daly on the set of Total Request Live and they began dating. They shared an apartment in New York City and Daly proposed on October 29, 2000. In June 2001, Reid and Daly broke off their engagement.
On January 18, 2010, Reid's boyfriend, Michael Axtmann, an Internet entrepreneur from Nuremberg, proposed to her at The Little Door restaurant in Los Angeles. The couple had reportedly planned an intimate ceremony for summer 2010. On April 20, it was reported that the wedding had been called off and the relationship had ended, with a representative stating: "Tara Reid has confirmed that she will not be moving forward with her May 22 nuptials."
In November 2010, Reid began dating Danish businessman Michael Lillelund. According to People, on August 14, 2011, Reid's spokesman reported that she and Lillelund had married the day before in Greece. Lillelund denied it, saying he had not been in contact with Reid since February.
In August 2011, Reid publicized that she had married Bulgarian financier Zachary Kehayov. In October of that year, she announced that they were not legally married.
Between 2013 and 2014, Reid was dating Israeli musician Erez Eisen from the band Infected Mushroom.
In 2016, Reid and actor Dean May participated in Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, but were rejected when they were revealed not to be in a relationship.
In 2017, Reid was in a relationship with business executive Ted Dhanik.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | A Return to Salem's Lot | Amanda | |
| 1998 | The Big Lebowski | Bunny Lebowski | |
| 1998 | Girl | Cybil Grimes | |
| 1998 | I Woke Up Early the Day I Died | Prom Queen / Nightclub Bartender | |
| 1998 | Urban Legend | Sasha Thomas | |
| 1999 | What We Did That Night | The Girl | |
| 1999 | Cruel Intentions | Marci Greenbaum | |
| 1999 | Around the Fire | Jennifer | |
| 1999 | American Pie | Victoria "Vicky" Lathum | |
| 1999 | Body Shots | Sara Olswang | |
| 2000 | Dr. T & the Women | Connie Travis | |
| 2001 | Just Visiting | Angelique | |
| 2001 | Josie and the Pussycats | Melody Valentine | |
| 2001 | American Pie 2 | Victoria "Vicky" Lathum | |
| 2002 | Van Wilder | Gwen Pearson | |
| 2003 | Devil's Pond | Julianne | |
| 2003 | My Boss's Daughter | Lisa Taylor | |
| 2005 | Alone in the Dark | Aline Cedrac | |
| 2005 | The Crow: Wicked Prayer | Lola Bryne | |
| 2005 | Silent Partner | Dina Nevskaya | |
| 2006 | Incubus | Jay | |
| 2007 | If I Had Known I Was a Genius | Stephanie | |
| 2007 | 7-10 Split/Strike | Lindsay / Lil Reno | |
| 2008 | Senior Skip Day | Ellen Harris | |
| 2008 | Vipers | Nicky Swift | |
| 2008 | Clean Break/Unnatural Causes | Julia McKay | |
| 2011 | The Big Lebowski 2 | The Dude, Walter, Donnie, The Big Lebowski | Short film |
| 2011 | The Fields | Bonnie | |
| 2012 | American Reunion | Victoria "Vicky" Lathum | |
| 2012 | Last Call | Lindsay | |
| 2014 | The Hungover Games | Effing White | |
| 2014 | Charlie's Farm | Natasha | |
| 2016 | Tie the Knot | Beatrice | |
| 2017 | Party Bus to Hell | Darby | |
| 2018 | United Colors of Bennett Song | Stevie Hawkins-White | |
| 2018 | Worthless | Talia Medici | |
| 2018 | Ouija House | Young Katherine | |
| 2018 | Christmas Manger | Laura | |
| 2018 | Andy the Talking Hedgehog | Fairy BFF | |
| 2019 | American Christmas | Penny | |
| 2019 | Art of the Dead | Tess Barryman | |
| 2020 | Attack of the Unknown | Elizabeth | |
| 2020 | Baby Bulldog | Dr Robertson | |
| 2020 | 5th Borough | Sophia Lehoux | |
| 2021 | Memoirs of a Fighter | Amber | |
| 2021 | Attraction to Paris | Elizabeth | |
| 2021 | Mummy Dearest | Angel | |
| 2022 | Sally Floss: Digital Detective | Michelle | |
| 2022 | Bleach | Maria | |
| 2023 | Of Things Past | Kiki | |
| 2023 | Bloodthirst | Vampire Queen | |
| TBA | Air Force Z | President Olivia Wallace | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Sandy | Episode: "Squash It" |
| 1995 | Days of Our Lives | Ashley | 5 episodes |
| 1996 | California Dreams | Sarah | Episode: "Graduation Day" |
| 2000 | G vs E | Luis' Roommate | Episode: " Underworld" |
| 2003–2005 | Scrubs | Danni Sullivan | 11 episodes |
| 2004 | Quintuplets | Ms. Foley | Episode: "Teacher's Pet" |
| 2004 | Knots | Emily | Television film |
| 2005 | Hitched | Theresa | Television film |
| 2005–2006 | Taradise | Herself | own Reality series |
| 2007 | Wild 'n Out | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2008 | Vipers | Nicky Swift | Television film |
| 2011 | Celebrity Big Brother 8 (UK) | Herself | Reality series |
| 2013 | Fashion Police | Herself | Guest |
| 2013 | Lemon La Vida Loca | Herself | Mockumentary |
| 2013 | Tosh.0 | Herself | Season 5 Worst Impressionist's web redemption |
| 2013 | Sharknado | April Wexler | Television film |
| 2014 | Sharknado 2: The Second One | April Wexler | Television film |
| 2015 | Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! | April Wexler | Television film |
| 2016 | Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars | Herself | Reality series |
| 2016 | Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | April Wexler | Television film |
| 2017 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Chef's table guest; Episode: "Tequila Shots?" |
| 2017 | Sharknado 5: Global Swarming | April Wexler | Television film |
| 2017 | Then and Now with Andy Cohen | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Trailer Park Shark | Billie Jean | Television film |
| 2017 | A Royal Christmas Ball | Allison | Television film |
| 2018 | The Last Sharknado: It's About Time | April Wexler | Television film |
| 2019 | The Boys | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2019 | 2nd Chance for Christmas | Monica Love | Television film |
| 2020 | The Wrong Cheerleader Coach | Coach Hughes | Television film |
| 2023 | Ghosts | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2023 | Special Forces: World's Toughest Test | Herself | 2 episodes |

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2000 | Young Hollywood Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | American Pie | Won |
| 2001 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Female Hottie | Tara Reid | Nominated |
| 2004 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | My Boss's Daughter | Nominated |
| 2004 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Screen Couple (shared w/ Ashton Kutcher) | My Boss's Daughter | Nominated |
| 2006 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Actress | Alone in the Dark | Nominated |