Best known for her Miss USA victory at the age of 20 in 1995, Shanna Moakler subsequently parlayed her fame into recognition as a centerfold model and a reality television star. A native of Providence, RI, Moakler grew up in a middle-class family as a dentist's daughter, then late in high school caught her first taste of fame with a 1992 Miss Teen USA victory at the age of 17. After high school, Moakler spent time in Miami, New York, and Los Angeles, planning to capitalize on her svelte figure, photogenic countenance, and Miss Teen victory by establishing herself as a print and runway model. Her plan worked beautifully, and in addition to culling a tremendous amount of attention in that sphere, Moakler re-entered the world of pageantry and won the 1995 Miss USA title.
At that point, Moakler also began signing for scripted roles, essaying parts in such projects as the features Friends 'til the End (1997) and Love Stinks (1999). In 2001, she posed nude for Playboy and turned up in the December 2001 issue of that magazine as the Playmate of the Month. Her broadest fame, however, arrived courtesy of her relationship with -- and marriage to -- tattooed rock drummer Travis Barker, with whom she had two children. The pair divorced within a couple years, but in the interim starred together on the celebrity reality series Meet the Barkers, which chronicled the vicissitudes of their marriage. Following the Barkers' divorce, Moakler participated in season 3 of Dancing with the Stars as the celebrity half of a pair that also included Jesse DeSoto. They were eliminated second. In 2008, Moakler drew from her extensive pageant experience by serving as a judge on the reality series Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants.
