Anderson got some press coverage right after her birth as a “Centennial Baby”, having been born on July 1, 1967, the 100th anniversary of Canada’s official founding via the Constitution Act, 1867.

Anderson attended Highland Secondary School in Comox, British Columbia. During high school, she played on the volleyball team. She graduated in 1985. In 1988, Anderson moved to Vancouver and worked as a fitness instructor.

In 1989, Anderson attended a BC Lions Canadian Football League game at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, where she was featured on the Jumbotron while wearing a Labatt’s Beer T-shirt. The brewing company hired Anderson briefly as a spokesmodel. Inspired by that event, her then-boyfriend Dan Ilicic produced a poster of her image, entitled the Blue Zone Girl.

In 1994, she was cast in her first starring film role, in Raw Justice, also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop, costarring with Stacy Keach, David Keith, and Robert Hays. Under the alternate title, the film won the Bronze Award at the Worldfest-Charleston in the category for dramatic theatrical films.

Anderson married Tommy Lee, drummer of Mötley Crüe, on February 19, 1995, after knowing him for about 96 hours, or 4 days. They wed on a beach, with Anderson in a bikini. Anderson’s mother did not know, and learned of the marriage from People magazine. During this time, she was known professionally as Pamela Anderson Lee. They have two sons together: Brandon Thomas (born June 5, 1996) and Dylan Jagger (born December 29, 1997). During their tumultuous marriage, Lee was arrested for spousal abuse after assaulting Anderson. He was sentenced to six months in the Los Angeles County Jail. The couple divorced in 1998.

A sex tape of Anderson and Tommy Lee on their honeymoon was stolen from their home in 1995 and made a huge stir on the Internet. Anderson sued the video distribution company, Internet Entertainment Group. Ultimately, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement with IEG. Thereafter, the company began making the tape available to subscribers to its web sites again, resulting in triple the normal traffic on the sites. Another tape, which was made before the Tommy Lee tape, involving Anderson and musician Bret Michaels from Poison, was later announced, and an abridged version of less than 60 seconds appeared on the internet. Frames of the video first appeared in Penthouse magazine in March 1998. The tape was successfully blocked by Michaels, but a four-minute sex tape is still available on the Internet.

In 1996, she appeared in the film Barb Wire playing Barbara Rose Kopetski, which was later claimed by some sources to be Anderson’s real name, although it is not. The movie, a thinly veiled futuristic remake of Casablanca, was not a commercial success. During filming, she had a real barb wire tattoo put on her left upper arm as an alternative to having it painted on by make-up artists every day, but had it removed in 2016.

In April 1997, she guest hosted Saturday Night Live. She appeared on one of two covers for the September issue of Playboy.

In September 1998, Anderson starred as Vallery Irons in the Sony Pictures Television syndicated action/comedy-drama series V.I.P. created by J. F. Lawton. Blending action and humor in a fast-paced adventure series, with Anderson often poking fun at her tabloid image, the show explored the exciting and sometimes treacherous lives of the rich and famous. The series lasted through a successful four-year run. In 1999, she appeared as a man-eating giantess in the music video for “Miserable” by California alternative rock band Lit. She appeared on The Nanny as Fran Fine’s rival, Heather Biblow.

After the 1998 divorce, Anderson became engaged to the model Marcus Schenkenberg; they broke up in 2001. She then became engaged to the singer Kid Rock (Robert J. Ritchie); she broke up with him in 2003. On July 18, 2006, it was announced that she would marry Kid Rock on July 29, 2006, on a yacht near Saint-Tropez, France. “Feels like I’ve been stuck in a time warp,” said Anderson in her blog entry. “Not able to let go of MY family picture … it’s been sad and lonely and frustrating … I’ve raised my kids alone in hope of a miracle. Well my miracle came and went. And came back and back because he knew that I’d wake up one day and realize that I was waiting for nothing.” “I’m moving on,” she declared. “I feel like I’m finally free … I’m in love.” There was extensive unconfirmed media speculation that the marriage was pregnancy-related, but the theory was based only on Anderson’s representative’s refusal to comment on the question.

In March 2002, Anderson publicly stated that she had contracted hepatitis C by sharing tattoo needles with Lee, and began writing a regular column for Jane magazine. In October 2003, Anderson jokingly said on Howard Stern’s radio show that she does not expect to live more than 10 or 15 years, but this was misconstrued and taken seriously by many websites and tabloids. As of 2015, Anderson was cured of hepatitis C.

Sam Newman House, a pop architecture building constructed in 2003 in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, features a large image of Anderson’s face. Sam Newman commissioned local architect Cassandra Fahey to design the building, and used the image with Anderson’s permission. Permits were issued retroactively when it became a major local landmark and won the award for Best New Residential Building in the RAIA Victorian Architecture Awards.

In early 2004, Anderson returned to the spotlight. In May 2004, she appeared naked on the cover of Playboy magazine. Later, she posed naked for Stuff and GQ magazines. Anderson was also featured on the cover of the fashion magazines W, British Marie Claire, Flare, and Elle Canada and in editorials for Russian Elle and V.

In 2004, she released the book Star, co-written by Eric Shaw Quinn, about a teenager trying to become famous. After this, she began touring the United States, signing autographs for fans at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. Her second book, the sequel Star Struck, released in 2005, is a thinly veiled look at her life with Tommy Lee and the trials of celebrity life. In April 2005, Anderson starred in a new Fox comedy series Stacked as Skyler Dayton, a party girl who goes to work at a bookstore. It was canceled on May 18, 2006, after two seasons, although some episodes were never aired. On August 14, 2005, Comedy Central created the Roast of Pamela Anderson to honor the sex symbol for the past decade.

Anderson became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2004, while retaining her Canadian citizenship. Anderson purchased a beach home in Malibu, California, for $1.8 million in 2008 and attempted to sell it in 2013 for $7.75 million, but later took it off the market. Since then, she is renting out her Malibu home for $50,000 per month and moved to the French Riviera, mainly because of her relation with football player Adil Rami. Anderson previously lived in a mansion in Cassis, in the commune of Marseille, France. As of July 25, 2019, Anderson said she was again living in her home country after “recently moving back to my beautiful native Canada”, and later revealed that she’s residing on Vancouver Island.

Anderson was named most powerful Canadian in Hollywood in 2005.

In December 2005, NBC cut off a video of Anderson pole dancing on Elton John’s “The Red Piano”. NBC said that the footage was inappropriate for prime time. The video was shown on huge screens during the event, while John played “The Bitch is Back”. In March 2006, it was announced that Anderson would receive a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame thanks to her many years as a model and actress. She is only the second model to receive a star. In April 2006, Anderson hosted Canada’s Juno Awards, becoming the first non-singer and model to do so.

In March 2005, Anderson became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics’s MAC AIDS Fund, which helped people affected by AIDS and HIV. After becoming the official spokesmodel, Anderson raised money during events in Toronto, Tokyo, Dublin, and Athens. Anderson became the celebrity spokesperson for the American Liver Foundation, and served as the Grand Marshal of the SOS motorcycle ride fundraiser.

Anderson appeared in the 2006 mockumentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, as the title character becomes obsessed with her, and plans to abduct and marry her. She appears as herself at a book signing at the end of the film, confronted by Borat in a staged botched abduction.

On November 10, 2006, it was announced that Anderson had miscarried while in Vancouver shooting a new film, Blonde and Blonder. Seventeen days later, on November 27, 2006, Anderson filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. Some news reports have suggested that Kid Rock’s outrage during a screening of Borat, in which Anderson has a cameo role, led to the filing for divorce two weeks later.

After Anderson moved to Los Angeles, she won a minor role as Lisa, the original “Tool Time girl”, on the ABC comedy series Home Improvement. She left the show after two seasons and won the role of C. J. Parker on Baywatch, which she played for five seasons between 1992 and 1997 making her one of the longest-serving cast members. This has been one of her best-known roles to date and has brought her popularity from international viewers. She reprised her role in a reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003), and also to star in commercials for DirecTV in 2007. Anderson was still modeling for Outdoor Life and appearing on the cover of the magazine each year. In 1993, Anderson appeared in a music video “Can’t Have Your Cake” by Vince Neil to promote his first solo album Exposed.

In February 2007, Anderson said that she often had sex with Lee since their divorce. In June 2008, Lee said that they were trying again to make things work together.

In September 2007, Anderson stated on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she was engaged. On September 29, Anderson and film producer Rick Salomon applied for a marriage license in Las Vegas. On October 6, 2007, Anderson married Salomon in a small wedding ceremony at The Mirage, between her two nightly appearances at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Hans Klok’s magic show. The couple separated on December 13, and on February 22, 2008, Anderson requested through the courts that the marriage be annulled, citing fraud.

She performed on February 13–14, 2008 in a Valentine’s Day striptease act at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris. Anderson then starred in Pam: Girl on the Loose, which debuted on August 3, 2008 on E! in the United States.

In December 2009, Anderson guest-starred as Genie of the Lamp in the pantomime Aladdin at the New Wimbledon Theatre in Wimbledon, southwest London, UK. Anderson took over the role from comedian Ruby Wax, with former EastEnders actress Anita Dobson and comedian Paul O’Grady also booked for the role. In 2010, she appeared in the short film The Commuter directed by the McHenry Brothers and shot entirely on the Nokia N8 smartphone as promotion for the phone in the UK. Anderson was featured in a beach-themed editorial, shot by Mario Testino for Brazilian Vogue’s June 2013 “Body Issue”.

In 2009, Anderson wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama urging the legalization of cannabis.

In November 2010, Anderson appeared on season 4 of Bigg Boss, the Indian version of the Big Brother television franchise. She stayed as a guest in the house for three days for a reported sum of Rs. 2.5 crores (approx US$ 550,000). Furthering her involvement in the franchise, Anderson took part in the 12th season of Big Brother in the United Kingdom in 2011. In 2012, she appeared as a Special Houseguest on the fourth season of VIP Brother, which is the celebrity spin-off of Big Brother in Bulgaria.

Anderson was a contestant on the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with professional dancer Damian Whitewood. The season premiered on March 22, 2010, and after seven weeks, Anderson was eliminated. She also took part in the 15th season all-star edition in 2012 with Tristan MacManus. Anderson and MacManus were eliminated in the first week of competition.

In May 2011, she was a contestant on the Bailando 2011 (Argentina), partnered with professional dancer Damian Whitewood. She left the competition after 4 weeks.

She became a company spokesperson for FrogAds, Inc. in March 2012. In February 2014, she stripped for a Valentine’s Day-themed ad for PETA, urging dog lovers to cuddle up with their pets during winter.

In 2013, Anderson appeared on season 8 of the British reality TV show Dancing on Ice, partnered with former winner Matt Evers.

In October 2013, Anderson stated on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she and Salomon were “friends with benefits”. In January 2014, she announced that she had remarried Salomon on an unspecified date. Anderson filed for divorce from Salomon in February 2015. The divorce was finalized on April 29, 2015.

Anderson claims she suffered sexual abuse as a child, a fact she revealed publicly in 2014. She said she was molested by a female babysitter from ages 6 to 10, raped by a 25-year-old man when she was age 12, and gang-raped by her boyfriend and six of his friends when she was 14.

On July 8, 2015, Anderson wrote to Putin to save whales. On December 15, 2015, Anderson, representing the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), met with top Kremlin officials regarding animals rights in Russia. On December 15, 2016, Anderson and IFAW officials, including Elena Zharkova from IFAW Russia, met with Kremlin officials to discuss animal welfare and conservation.

In December 2015, Anderson, a close friend of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson, and a longtime supporter and advisory board member of that organization, became a full board member, in order to further its efforts in opposing the hunting of whales.

In December 2016, in a statement to People magazine, Anderson called WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a “hero”. She stated that he had done everyone “a great service. Everyone in the world has benefited because of WikiLeaks”. Meanwhile, “elaborate plots against him and made up sexual allegations could result in him being extradited to the US — where he would not be treated fairly — because of his exposure of truths.” In April 2019, over several tweets, Anderson was angry at Assange’s ejection from London’s Ecuadorian embassy. In May 2019, Anderson visited Assange in HMP Belmarsh with Kristinn Hrafnsson and said she believed Assange to be innocent and “a good man… an incredible person. I love him, I can’t imagine what he has been going through.”

In November 2016, Anderson starred in a video public service announcement produced by the National Limousine Association and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center as part of the Ride Responsibly initiative, titled The Driving Game, which aimed to shed light on the lack of universal driver regulations in the private ground transportation industry.

Anderson began dating French footballer Adil Rami in 2017. In late June 2019, Anderson declared on an Instagram post that the relationship with Rami was over. On January 20, 2020 Anderson married Hollywood producer Jon Peters. On February 1, 2020, Anderson announced she and Peters had separated.

In 2018, she was a contestant on the ninth season of French Dancing with the Stars. The season premiered on September 29, 2018. After seven weeks, Anderson was eliminated, on November 8, 2018.

Anderson once again starred in a video public service announcement produced by the National Limousine Association in January 2018, this time in partnership with Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment (PAVE), as part of the Ride Responsibly initiative. Titled The Signs, the PSA aims to continue to push for passenger safety and universal driver regulations in the private ground transportation industry.

In October 2019, Anderson announced she would be travelling to Australia in November 2019 to challenge Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to stand up for Julian Assange. In her announcement, she referenced the ‘disparaging remarks’ he made about her in 2018 and challenged him to debate the matter ‘in front of the Australian people’. She also wrote another letter to Scott Morrison asking him to use his influence to secure Assange’s release. Morrison replied by a letter saying that his government would respect Britain’s judicial process and Assange would not receive any special help. In the text of a speech she had intended to give at Parliament House, Canberra, Anderson claimed that Mr Assange was suffering “psychological torture” in jail and that “every moment he is in there, he is in danger”. During her visit to Australia she also filmed a television commercial for Australian brand Ultra Tune.

Anderson is a vegan, an advocate for animal rights, and an active member of the animal protection organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), taking part in several campaigns for animal rights. She became a vegetarian in her early teens when she saw her father cleaning an animal he had hunted. In the 2019 Canadian federal election she endorsed the Green Party of Canada.