Celebrity Birthdays, July 1: Missy Elliot and Pamela Anderson

Rapper Missy Elliot and actress Pamela Anderson are celebrating their birthdays today.

Missy Elliot, 43

image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com

Rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer Missy Elliot turns 43 today. Born Melissa Arnette Elliot, her first major success came as a songwriter with childhood friend and producer, Timbaland, on projects for artists including Aaliyah, Total, SWV and 702. As a record producer and songwriter, she has worked with artists like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson, as well as contemporary artists Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Tamia and Monica.

Elliott started her career as a solo artist and rapper in the late 1990s. Throughout her career so far, she has won five Grammy Awards and sold over 30 million records in the United States. She is the only female rapper to have six albums that have been certified platinum, including one double platinum for her 2002 album Under Construction.

Elliott is known for her strange music videos, especially for her hits "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)," "Hot Boyz," "Get Ur Freak On," "Work It," and the Grammy award-winning video for "Lose Control."

Pamela Anderson, 47

image courtesy of INFphoto.com

Actress, model, producer, author, activist and former showgirl Pamela Anderson turns 47 today. Anderson appeared as the cover girl on Playboy magazine's October 1989 issue. Playboy chose her as Playmate of the Month in their February 1990 issue, in which she appeared in the centerfold photo. Anderson's Playboy career spans twenty-two years, and she has appeared on more Playboy covers than anyone else.

After Anderson moved to Los Angeles, she won a minor role as the original "Tool Time girl" on the hit television sitcom Home Improvement. She left the show after two seasons and won the role of C. J. Parker on Baywatch, a role she played between 1992 and 1998. In September 1998, Anderson starred as Vallery Irons in the show V.I.P.

In 2010, Anderson was a contestant on the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars, and was eliminated after seven weeks. In 2013, she appeared on series 8 of the British reality TV show Dancing on Ice, partnered with former winner Matt Evers. They became the first couple on that series to be voted off by the judges due to a few stumbles.