Eleniak's first feature-film role was at age 12, in the 1982 film
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as the girl kissed by
Elliott Taylor (
Henry Thomas) in the classroom scene. Her 10-year-old costar, Henry Thomas, told
People magazine that he disliked filming the scene: “When I had to kiss the girl, I had to do it two times! I don’t like girls." In 1988, Eleniak appeared as Vicki De Soto, a victim of the creature in the horror film
The Blob, which was a remake of
the 1958 film of the same name. Eleniak appeared in the July 1989 issue of
Playboy in a pictorial with a nautical theme. That same year, she began a recurring role in the TV series
Charles in Charge as Charles (
Scott Baio)'s girlfriend Stephanie Curtis, and also won a role on
Baywatch as female lead Shauni McClain, which she played from 1989 to 1992. She also played Carrie, the high-school girlfriend of Jesse Katsopolis (
John Stamos), in "One Last Kiss," the November 16, 1990
fourth season episode of
Full House. In 1992, Eleniak returned to film acting, playing Jordan Tate, a
Playboy Playmate hired to perform a striptease for J.T. Adams (
Patrick O'Neal), the captain of a
U.S. Navy battleship in
Under Siege. In the film, she is described as "Miss July 1989"—the month that Eleniak was Playmate of the Month in real life. Eleniak had a starring role as Elly May Clampett in the screen adaptation of
The Beverly Hillbillies in 1993. The next year, she starred in the
Dennis Hopper-directed
romantic comedy film
Chasers with
William McNamara. Eleniak shot another movie with McNamara,
Girl in the Cadillac (1995), and starred as identical twins Jamie and Janie in the interactive 1995 video game
Panic in the Park. She continued appear in independent films and on television. Eleniak appeared on the
reality television series ''
The Real Gilligan's Island'' in June 2005. Eleniak has suffered from weight issues. At one point, she was underweight due to an
eating disorder and was once hospitalized for
laxative abuse. By 2006, she was overweight and participated in the fourth season of
VH1's
Celebrity Fit Club. In 2006, Eleniak appeared on '
80s Movie and Music Fest Cafe, a British comedy podcast on
iTunes, in which she discussed her career with presenters
Ross Dyer and Julian Bayes. She gave a lighthearted view of
Baywatch and her challenge during filming of
Celebrity Fit Club. On April 15, 2026, it was announced that Eleniak will reprise her role as Shauni McClain in the
Baywatch Reboot. ==Personal life==