If it seems as though Stacey Dash has been around forever as an actress, it's understandable.

A graduate of Paramus High School in Paramus, NJ, Dash first greeted the camera by appearing in commercials as a pre-teen. From there, she earned a spot in the cast of Sesame Street, then graduated to the Cosby Show.

Since then, she has appeared in movies, videos, several TV series and Playboy (in 2006, at the age of 40). And she doesn't look much different at 43 than she did in her signature 1995 role as Alicia Silverstone's best friend in "Clueless."

Because of her perennially youthful appearance, Dash has almost always played characters younger than herself, beginning with a role (at 22) as Richard Pryor's teenaged daughter in "Moving.'"

Born Jan. 20, 1966 in the Bronx, Dash was almost 30 when she was cast as Dionne, a spoiled Beverly Hills princess and Silverstone confidante. She later played the same character, opposite Rachel Blanchard, in a short-lived TV series based on the movie.

Of mixed African-American and West Indian descent, Dash has a multi-racial look that allows her to take on a wide range of parts. Up until "Clueless," she was primarily featured in over-the-top comedies such as "Mo Money" with Daman Wayans. After her turn as Dionne, however, Dash signed on to two dramatic films in a row -- "Illegal in Blue" and "Cold Around the Heart," the latter with David Caruso.

A love scene between Dash and Dan Gauthier from "Illegal in Blue" was set to music and emerged as a popular video. Unlike most actresses, Dash has never been shy about revealing her body.

"I did it for myself," she told the Website Brown Sista about her appearance in Playboy. "I'm a woman who just entered my 40s and I wanted to feel sexy. It wasn't to heighten my career -- I don't need Playboy for that.

"I had always played schoolgirls before. When I did the shoot for Playboy, it was like a burden was lifted off me, like I’m not the innocent actress anymore … "

With a brother (Darien) at the head of one of the first black-owned Internet companies and a cousin (Darren) who co-founded a record label, Dash has contacts across the pop culture spectrum. Through Darren, she wound up on a video with Kanye West, "All Fall Down." She was also close to singer Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash, and said: "when her death happened, I was really hurt and disturbed."

Besides her photo shoots in Playboy and, most recently, King, Dash defied the years by finishing second in “Celebrity Circus,” performing on the trapeze despite three cracked ribs suffered while training.

Dash has been married twice, to Brian Lovell (1999-2006) and, currently, actor Emmanuel Zuereb. She has two children, Austin (born in 1991) and Lola (2003).