FORMER Baywatch star Michael Bergin hung up his famous red swimshorts and quit showbiz for real estate, but his young daughter is now following in his footsteps in the modeling world.
Michael, 55, is best known for playing Jack “J.D.” Darius in the TV series, and is considered to have been one of the first men to have achieved supermodel status.
But decades after his time on the catwalk and the small screen in the 1990s, he is now selling luxury homes in Los Angeles, having switched careers.
The U.S. Sun obtained exclusive images of Michael and his daughter, 20-year-old Alana Jade, along with his wife, makeup artist Joy Tilk, on a family shopping trip in LA.
The former model showed he’s stayed in shape despite stepping away from the glamorous world of showbiz, and his daughter towers above her mother as her career is now taking off.
Michael, who also has a son, Jesse, 24, was pictured in workout gear, stepping out in a dark zip-up hooded top and matching jogging pants with blue sneakers.
He can be seen with peppered gray hair and glasses as he’s now focused on being a businessman and family man.
During the outing, his wife was seen wearing a pair of gray cargo pants with sandals and a cream short-sleeved top with a black leather crossbody bag with silver detailing for the outing.
Tanned Alana was also seen showing off her red hair and slim figure in a pair of loose-fitting blue denim jeans and a tight white t-shirt with sneakers.
Online profiles show the 5ft 10″ beauty is signed with KT Management and has shared photoshoots for multiple fashion brands on her Instagram.
She has also posed for photos in a red swimsuit mimicking the stars of Baywatch, which have been reshared by her dad, who has many throwback snaps on his social media.
“Just trying to be like @therealmichaelbergin,” Alana captioned one selection of images.
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Michael posted the same shots, writing on Instagram, “In honor of “After Baywatch Moment in the Sun”, here is me from back then and my daughter now.”
The former model was reunited with his old NBC co-stars for the premiere of the documentary, After Baywatch Moment in the Sun, which is now streaming on Hulu.
He was dressed in a fitted black shirt, dark pants, and a black belt with smart shoes for the showbiz event which celebrated the docuseries more than 20 years after the show aired.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Michael for comment.
In his early career, Michael was actor Mark Wahlberg’s successor in Calvin Klein’s racy series of black-and-white underwear ads.
He went on to walk runways in New York, Milan, and Paris, for many big fashion names, including behemoth Yves Saint Laurent.
Michael previously told Ventura Blvd Magazine, “As shy as I was, I never thought I would be a model, let alone an actor.
Baywatch Stars
Baywatch premiered on NBC in 1989 and ran in syndication until 2001. The show featured a cast of sexy celebrities that fans came to love, and catapulted a number of famous folks into major celebrity status. Nearly 30 years later, Hulu is preparing to premiere a documentary called After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun, which looks back at the show, its stars and gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the series.
Here’s a look at stars who appeared on Baywatch:
- David Hasselhoff
- Jason Momoa
- Pamela Anderson
- Stacy Komano
- Yasmine Bleeth
- Michael Newman
- Nicole Eggert
- Carmen Electra
- Erika Eleniak
- Alexandra Paul
- Jeremy Jackson
- David Charvet
- Gena Lee Nolin
- Brooke Burns
- Billy Warlock
- Michael Bergin
- Brande Roderick
- Brandon Call
- David Chokachi
- Simmone Jad Mackinnon
- Parker Stevenson
- Krista Allen
- Kelly Slater
- John Allen Nelson
- Charlie Brumbly
- Angelica Bridges
- Kelly Packard
- Jason Brooks
- Monte Markham
- Shawn Weatherly
- Gregory Alan Williams
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
- Richard Jaechkel
- Mila Kunis
- Donna D’Errico
- Pat Morita
- Brandy Ledford
- Brian Keaulana
- Tom McTigue
- Scott Plank
- Traci Bingham
- Angie Harmon
- Elizabeth Berkley
- Mitzi Kapture
- Jenny McCarthy
- Julian Stone
- Jaason Simmons
- Bryan Cranston
- Michelle Williams
- Charisma Carpenter
- Peter Phelps
“I’ll never forget the callback for Baywatch. After reading in front of about 12 producers, they put red shorts on me and threw me in ‘The Tank’ for a swimming audition.
“Immediately afterward, I had to race to the airport to not miss my flight home (without my suitcase), and by the time I landed, I had a message from my manager saying I got the part.”
The Connecticut native starred alongside David Hasselhoff and Carmen Electra in Baywatch’s mid-90s heyday, before appearing in 88 episodes of spin-off Baywatch: Hawaii.
He also reprised the role of JD in the TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding in 2003.
Before meeting his wife many years ago, Michael dated Calvin Klein publicist Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, despite her relationship with John F. Kennedy, Jr., whom she later married.
The couple tragically died in a plane crash in July 1999.
Michael later wrote about his affair with Carolyn in his book, The Other Man, claiming they carried on their relationship even after she tied the knot.
The blur for the book states, “The Other Man is a testament to the enduring power of love and a story about the painful choices we make with our all–too–human hearts.”
He claimed he never intended to make their affair public but decided to release the book after allegedly being misrepresented in The Kennedy Curse, by Edward Klein.
Michael later found love with Joy, whom he has described as “the love of my life,” in Instagram posts.
He has a successful career in real estate and ranked in the top 1 percent with Compass, selling the likes of tattoo artist Kat Von D’s former home in Van Nuys.
