Born September 8, 1971 in Hartford, Connecticut, Brooke Burke has had a sort of late bloomer success by Hollywood standards. The past few years have seen her celebrity stock rise greatly thanks in large part to hosting E!'s popular 'Wild On' series, but more so her decision to bare all in a fully nude Playboy spread. Brooke's unique and exotic look comes from her multi-ethnic background which includes a French/Irish heritage on her father George's side, and Portuguese/Irish heritage on her mother Donna's side. Brooke was the youngest of four daughters and older than her three brothers.

While little is known about Brooke's parents, it appears likely that they divorced as her biological father left the family when Brooke was just two years old. After moving to Tucson, Arizona, Donna found new love with Armen Hartounian, who helped raise the abandoned children. Donna worked three jobs to support the family. Brooke's aspirations weren't a career in modeling, but when she accompanied a friend to a modeling agency in Scottsdale, Arizona, she was discovered by a talent scout who happened to be there. Brooke took that modeling opportunity to jump fully into the entertainment field, enrolling at UCLA to study broadcast journalism and business advertising after a move to Los Angeles.