Pamela Anderson was the subject of a controversial miniseries in 2022, called 'Pam and Tommy'. But the former 'Baywatch' star is now seeking to reclaim control of the narrative with her own Netflix documentary. 'Pamela, A Love Story' will soon premiere on the streaming platform - but before that, we've put together some facts you probably didn't know about the 90s icon.

Pamela Anderson was born on July 1, 1967 in Ladysmith, Canada - but her family's origins actually go back to Finland. Her great-grandfather, Juho Hyytiainen, arrived in 1908 from the village of Saarijarvi. However, his name was so difficult to pronounce that he decided to change it to Anderson.

Pamela became a vegetarian as a child, after she saw her father, Barry, hunt an animal and then kill it. The actress has since become well-known for her animal rights activism. In 1999, for instance, she received the Linda McCartney Award for her campaigns against the use of fur. Pamela also took the lead in the fight against the Canadian seal hunt.

A striking beauty, it was during a football game in Canada that her face appeared on the giant screen at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. Pamela - who was wearing a T-shirt from a beer brand called Labatt - actually drew gasps from the crowd. The match organisers then approached her and, in the blink of an eye, the future starlet landed her first modelling contract for Labatt.

In 1989, Pamela was approached by Playboy magazine executives to pose for one of their covers. Boldly, she accepted. She posed for the October cover that year and established herself as a so-called Playboy Bunny. Pamela subsequently relocated to Los Angeles, where she toured TV studios in the city and landed a small role on a show.

In 1991, a better opportunity came along: a serious contract for an interesting role in the TV series 'Home Improvement', alongside Tim Allen. However, Pamela wanted more, a desire that was realised the following year when she began playing lifeguard C.J. Parker in 'Baywatch'. Clad in the classic red swimming costume, her figure and face began touring America from the small screen, drawing gasps and admiration.

In February 1995, 28-year-old Pamela fell in love with Motley Crue rocker Tommy Lee. The music star was wowed by Pamela's beauty and sensuality, while she was absolutely smitten by his sex appeal. The celebrity duo - who have sons Brandon and Dylan - enjoyed a whirlwind romance, before tying the knot on a beach.

Pamela and Tommy recorded a sex tape during their whirlwind romance, and they kept the video under lock and key in a safe in the house where they lived. However, it was stolen by one of her former employees when Pamela was in the seventh month of her second pregnancy. The video triggered headlines around the world and Pamela confessed to being devastated by the situation.

Pamela and Tommy's relationship was infamously turbulent. In 1998, Tommy served six months in county jail after the actress accused him of kicking her. Pamela ultimately filed for a divorce, which was rubber-stamped in the same year.

2001 was an annus horribilis for the actress. Pamela got a big scare when she found a woman sleeping in one of the rooms of her Malibu mansion. The intruder was arrested and eventually deported to his home country of France. In the same year, Daniel Karven Veres accidentally drowned in the shallow end of a pool at Tommy's house, during a party for Brandon's fifth birthday.

In 2002, Pamela publicly acknowledged that she'd been suffering from hepatitis C for three years. In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, she revealed: "They (doctors) said I would die in 10 years. When someone tells you something like that you kind of act differently subconsciously." As a result, the actress turned to drugs, alcohol and sex.