Elizabeth Berkley

The Forty Million Dollar Gamble

Elizabeth Berkley was born with an eye malformation that went unnoticed by millions of teens in the nineties. Before turning twenty, she was a fixture in bedrooms around the world thanks to Saved by the Bell. But her ambition didn't fit into a Saturday morning sitcom.

Paul Verhoeven was looking for an animal energy and found it in Berkley after watching her dance. In 1995, the release of Showgirls wrecked any chance of a smooth transition into adult films. Critics tore her apart with a viciousness that would be unthinkable in today's industry press.

It was a full-blown public lynching.

The movie cost $45 million and barely earned 20 at the U.S. box office. The stigma of Nomi Malone haunted the actress for decades, and her agency dropped her from its client roster just one week after the release.

The industry never forgets a stumble of that magnitude.

Survival Behind the Scenes

Refusing to give up, she turned to the Broadway stage and to supporting roles where she could lie low. In 1996, she appeared in The First Wives Club, and later worked under the direction of Woody Allen in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. These were necessary jobs for rebuilding a professional reputation that had hit rock bottom.

Then came the independent circuit.

In 1999, she appeared in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday to prove she could hold her own opposite Al Pacino. The problem wasn't her talent but the memory of an aggressive promotional campaign that overexposed her. So Berkley focused on television and on mentoring young women.

In 2003, she married artist Greg Lauren and began stepping away from Los Angeles' most aggressive spotlight. She published the book Ask-Elizabeth in 2011 after years of leading self-esteem workshops across the United States. The woman who had been judged for her body now devoted her time to teaching others how to protect their minds.

In 2020, she returned to Bayside High for the revival of Saved by the Bell on Peacock. This time she also served as a producer, after signing a contract that gave her control over the character of Jessie Spano. The series was canceled in May 2022 after airing two full seasons.