Rebecca Gayheart

Rebecca Gayheart, born August 12, 1971, in Hazard, Kentucky, is an American actress and model. Raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, she is the daughter of Floneva "Flo" Gayheart, a beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal-truck driver. She grew up with three siblings and is of German, English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish descent. Gayheart began acting in a high school play portraying Lizzie Borden. At age 15, she won a modeling contest and moved to New York City, where she attended the Professional Children's School and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute while appearing in commercials and catalogue modeling.

Gayheart made her initial screen appearances in Brett Ratner's short film Whatever Happened to Mason Reese? (1990) and a Heavy D and the Boyz music video. In 1991, she gained national recognition as "The Noxzema Girl" in a series of TV commercials. Her television roles followed, including her first major role as Hannah Mayberry on the soap opera Loving in 1992. She subsequently held recurring roles in Vanishing Son (1993–1994), the science-fiction series Earth 2 (1994–1995), and Beverly Hills, 90210 (1995).

Gayheart made her feature film debut in the 1997 comedy Nothing to Lose, followed by a role in Scream 2. She earned a lead role in the slasher film Urban Legend (1998) and appeared onstage in Toronto in The Last Night of Ballyhoo. In 1999, she starred in the black comedy Jawbreaker and featured in Train's "Meet Virginia" music video. Her early 2000s film credits include From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000), Shadow Hours (2000), Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000), and Harvard Man (2001).

Gayheart had recurring television roles in Dead Like Me, Nip/Tuck, and Vanished, along with guest roles on Ugly Betty and The Cleaner. In 2005, she starred in a Broadway production of Steel Magnolias, later returning to Broadway in a 2008 revival of Boeing-Boeing. Her later film credits include G.B.F. (2013), Grey Lady (2017), and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), playing Billie Booth.

Gayheart was engaged to director Brett Ratner before separating in 1999. In October 2004, she married actor Eric Dane, with whom she has two daughters born in 2010 and 2011. In June 2001, Gayheart was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles that resulted in the death of a nine-year-old boy. She pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter, receiving probation, community service, a fine, and a license suspension. Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane in 2018, withdrew the petition in March 2025, and publicly spoke about supporting him prior to his death in February 2026.