Kelly Rohrbach is one of the few people in the glamorous world of fashion and film who can combine athletic grace, sharp wit, and timeless beauty so easily. The American model and actress is 35 years old and has built a career that includes red-carpet blockbusters, high-fashion editorials, and a personal life that is connected to one of the world’s most famous retail empires. Rohrbach’s path from Greenwich prep schools to the beaches of Baywatch, where she was born with a golf club in her hand and a spotlight in her sights, shows her many talents and strong will.
Early Life: A Time of Discipline and Dreams
Kelly Anne Rohrbach was born on January 21, 1990, in New York City. Her mother, Anne Rohrbach (née Wholly), was a marketing executive, and her father, Clay Rohrbach, was a successful investment banker. Kelly grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, a wealthy neighborhood where she was surrounded by privilege and pressure. She spent her childhood doing things outside of school that made her more competitive, like golf, which she loved and worked hard at at Greenwich Academy, a top all-girls prep school.
Rohrbach was a great athlete, which helped her get a scholarship to Georgetown University. From 2008 to 2012, she played for the Georgetown Hoyas women’s golf team in blue and gray. She studied theater, using her natural talent for performing to tell stories and work on stagecraft. In a rare interview, she said, “Golf taught me discipline, but theater gave me a voice.” Rohrbach graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2012, but she didn’t stop there. She traveled across the Atlantic to the famous London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where she studied classical music and acting. This training would later give her screen presence a subtle depth.
Getting into Hollywood: Small Screens, Big Dreams
When she got back to Los Angeles in 2012, Rohrbach’s acting career began in a small way. She worked hard to get guest spots on TV shows that were a little more edgy because she didn’t know anyone in the business. Her first role was in Ryan Murphy’s edgy sitcom The New Normal, where she played a strange dairy lover in the 2013 episode “Dairy Queen.” She also played a spoon-stealing temptress on Two and a Half Men that year and added procedural grit to Rizzoli & Isles, appearing in two episodes in 2013 and 2014.
She kept getting roles: a short role in the short-lived medical drama Rush (2014), a supernatural role on Deadbeat (2015), and a memorable episode of Broad City in 2016 where she embodied the show’s absurdity. These early jobs didn’t make Rohrbach a star, but they did show off her range, which could go from wide-eyed ingenues to sarcastic sidekicks. Critics said she had “effortless charisma,” which made them think she would do great things.
The Modeling Pivot: From Runways to the Rookie of the Year
After two years of hard work in Hollywood, Rohrbach switched to modeling in 2014, which would send her career into the stratosphere. She was signed to IMG Models and starred in Gap Inc.’s holiday campaign, which lit up billboards all over the country with her fresh-faced look. The next year, she became the denim darling of Old Navy ads, but it was her first appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue that made her an icon.
Yu Tsai took pictures of Rohrbach along California’s beautiful Route 1 in Big Sur for the 2015 edition. The shoot, which was inspired by road trips, gave off a sense of freedom and sunshine. The feature gave her the prestigious title of “Rookie of the Year,” putting her in a long line of swimsuit legends. In 2016, she came back victorious, caught by Ben Watts in the blue waters of Malta. Rohrbach, who was 34 at the time of her last profiled shoot, wrote in a 2024 SI Swimsuit retrospective that the experience was “empowering—celebrating strength and joy, not just looks.” Her modeling career didn’t overshadow her acting career; it made it bigger by giving her opportunities to do high-profile cameos and work with other actors.
Baywatch and Beyond: A Blockbuster Breakthrough
In 2017, Rohrbach’s big break in movies came with Baywatch, a remake of the popular ’90s lifeguard show. She put on the famous red one-piece that Pamela Anderson used to wear and played C.J. Parker with a modern twist—less damsel, more dynamo. Despite mixed reviews, the movie made over $177 million worldwide. Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron were in it. Rohrbach’s athleticism stood out in the surf scenes, and her chemistry with the other actors made people talk about the possibility of a franchise. “I’d love to dive back in,” she told Variety after the premiere. This was in line with co-star Alexandra Daddario’s excitement for a sequel that is still in development limbo as of 2025.
The momentum took her into Woody Allen’s world. She played a small part in the 2016 movie Café Society, which was set in the Jazz Age. But it was A Rainy Day in New York in 2019, with Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez, that really showed off her acting skills. Rohrbach’s performance as a poised socialite caught up in Allen’s web of romantic folly was a mix of vulnerability and energy. She was also in Ocean’s 8 that year, a flashy heist movie where she worked with Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and a closet full of designer clothes.
Rohrbach’s recurring role as Cassidy Reid in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone (2019) added some Western grit to her resume. Her four-episode arc with Kevin Costner showed how well she could work with other actors. She also worked on the short film Wilt in 2012, Angie Tribeca in 2017, and provided voice work for the animated series The PET Squad Files from 2013 to 2015. Rohrbach is still picky about the projects she takes on as of October 2025, focusing on roles that push her beyond the glitz and glam.
Love, legacy, and living a quiet life in your personal life
Rohrbach’s story off-screen is just as interesting as her story on-screen. She started dating Leonardo DiCaprio in 2015. He is an Oscar-winning actor who is known for dating models. Their summer romance—walks in the Hamptons fueled by paparazzi, yacht trips in Cannes—ended peacefully by fall, but it made her “It Girl” image even stronger. In a later interview, she joked, “Humor is the best way to impress a girl,” referring to the lighthearted spark that defined it.
Things got better in 2018 when she started dating Steuart Walton, the heir to the Walmart fortune and a low-key financier. In December 2019, the couple got married in a small ceremony in Florida. This brought together her East Coast roots and his Arkansas legacy. (Steuart’s uncles, S. Robson, John T., and aunt Alice Walton, all put Rohrbach right next to billionaires.) Their marriage made headlines because it was like a fairy tale: the actress who played a beachside fantasy married into a family of retail royalty.
In December 2021, they announced that they were having their first child, a son, who was born in early 2022. Motherhood has brought a quieter time for Rohrbach. She shares small glimpses of her life on Instagram, like family hikes and golf outings with her mini-me. Recent X chatter sounds like her humor, with fans quoting her love of SNL and quick banter: “I’m definitely quick-witted, and I can hang with the guys.” There aren’t any big scandals or comebacks in the news in 2025. Instead, she represents poised evolution, far from the tabloid frenzy of her Baywatch days.
What Will Happen Next
Kelly Rohrbach’s net worth is about $3 million as of 2025. This number is low because of her ties to Walmart, but she made it through smart choices. She’s not just a pretty face in a swimsuit; she used to be a golfer and now she’s an actress who changed the way C.J. Parker is seen by a new generation. There are no confirmed projects in the works, and there are only rumors of a Baywatch revival, so Rohrbach seems happy to be in semi-retirement, maybe planning a return on her own terms.
In an industry that eats up young stars, Rohrbach stands out as a symbol of style and substance. As she deals with being a parent and her legacy, one thing is clear: this Greenwich girl with the golden swing has only just started.
