Ali Landry, a high school cheerleader, had her first foray in the pageant world in 1990 when the athletic beauty was named Miss Louisiana Teen USA. She then represented her home state in the Miss USA competition and took home the crown in 1996. Later that year, Landry competed in the Miss Universe pageant and finished among the top six finalists. Having already modeled for several years, Landry began her acting career in 1997 with small roles on series like the comedy spin-off “Clueless” and the sword-and-sorcery adventure “Conan,” in addition to a minor recurring appearance on the daytime soap “Sunset Beach.”

She later gained a bit of early hosting experience on the short-lived sketch comedy show “Prime Time Comedy” and UPN’s clip show “America’s Greatest Pets.” Landry had a notable appearance as the focus of a television commercial for Doritos snack chips. Co-starring comedic actor Sean Hayes, the spot allowed Landry get significant airtime. Originally broadcast during Super Bowl XXXII, it left a nation of football fans slack-jawed with appreciation and prompted The New York Post to proclaim “A star was born” the following day. The attention lavished upon the “Doritos Girl” was not without its downside, though, as over the months that followed her sensational breakthrough, Landry was pelted on more than one occasion with bags of Doritos by misguided fans.

Though many of Landry’s early roles simply traded on her stunning features, the pilot for the short-lived “Significant Others” billed her as merely “Gorgeous Woman,” she handled character parts well, including a multi-episode arc on the military adventure series “Pensacola: Wings of Gold” and a recurring role on “Felicity” as Natalie.

Landry made her feature film debut, not surprisingly, in the beauty pageant dramedy “Beautiful,” starring Minnie Driver and directed by Sally Field. Less notable projects included the low-budget horror movie “Soulkeeper” and the National Lampoon sci-fi sex romp “Repli-Kate,” in which Landry was type cast as a scientifically created “perfect woman.” Television hosting duties kept Landry’s visibility high with steady work on the reality-revenge show “Spy TV,” the concert series “Farmclub.com” and the haute couture program “Full Frontal Fashion.” Landry continued to accrue acting credits, as well with appearances as a Playmate-style model in the juvenile comedy “Who’s Your Daddy?” and a pair of performances on the short-lived action series “Fastlane” before joining the cast of “Eve” as one of the rap star’s girlfriends.

Currently, she hosts the English and Spanish-language versions of “Spotlight to Nightlight,” an interview show on Yahoo where she talks with celebrity mothers about parenting issues. She also launched a lifestyle line, Belle Parish in 2009. Belle Parish launched with a children’s clothing line in September 2009. The line is inspired by her Southern upbringing and the keepsake items her mother saved from her childhood.

Landry starred in TV Guide Network’s show, “Hollywood Moms’ Club,” which airs in November 2011. For the year 2012 she was the face and spokesmodel of Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula.