Actress Tiffani-Amber Thiessen was born January 23rd, 1974 in Long Beach California. She gained fame for her role on the hit TV series Saved by the Bell. Thiessen's roots are German, Welsh and Turkish which accounts for her olive-colored skin and distinct looks.
As a child, Thiessen was in beauty pageants and won the crown of Miss Junior America for 1987. In 1988, she won a model search contest led by Teen magazine and was given the cover of the magazine. This initial exposure from Teen is what really jumpstarted Tiffani-Amber Thiessen's career and she probably would not have been taken seriously otherwise. When she was 15 years old, she auditioned for the TV show "Saved by the Bell". She was given the role of Kelly Kapowski. The show was a huge hit with the teen crowd and lasted through 1994. Teen magazine often promoted Thiessen in their columns. Afterwards, there were several spinoffs from the original "Saved by the Bell" in which Thiessen made guest appearances.
After the series was over, Aaron Spelling cast Tiffani-Amber Thiessen in the role of Valerie Malone in "Beverly Hills, 90210". Her role was of a bad girl. From 1995 onward, Thiessen was also in several made for TV movies and guest starred on shows like "Just Shoot Me!" In 2002, Thiessen was in the movie "Hollywood Ending" which was directed by Woody Allen. Other than this film, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen did not transition well into the movie industry and her roles were dismissed by critics. In 2009 to 2010, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen appeared as Elizabeth Burke in 12 episodes on the series "White Collar".
Thiessen dated Brian Austin Green in the mid 1990s and was engaged to actor Richard Ruccolo from 2001 to 2003. In 2005, Thiessen married actor Brady Smith and they expect a child together in May 2010.
