How apropos that Alexandria Paul's cozy Malibu home overlooks the very same Pacific Ocean beach that afforded her the life of luxury she now enjoys. For five seasons, Paul patrolled the sands as BAYWATCH's Lt. Stephanie Holden, alongside the likes of glossier glamour gals Pamela Anderson Lee and Yasmine Bleeth.
     But unlike Anderson Lee, who exchanged "I do's" and - soon thereafter - "I don't" with raucous rocker Tommy Lee, and more recent BAYWATCH grad Carmen Electra (Sarah of the now defunct HYPERION BAY), whose marital status to rainbow-haired L.A. Laker Dennis Rodman fluctuates by the hour, Paul has (yawn) no interest in bad boys. For the past 3˝ years, the former TV lifeguard has shared her life (and now a home) with actor Ian Murray, who played a lifeguard in a Crest toothpaste commercial and is a dead ringer for SUNSET BEACH lifeguard Timothy Adams (Casey). Not only does the couple steer clear of drugs, they won't even touch alcohol or coffee.
     In keeping with her clean, health-conscious image, the strict vegetarian's home decor is more Laura Ashley than Hollywood flashy. Hardwood floors and cabinetry, cotton curtains and floral print furnishings reveal her simple, New England roots. Ironically. the only out-of-place eyesore in the actress's lush living room is an older model television set that's sitting (temporarily, we're told) on a plastic milk crate. "We just have the TV for the VCR," Paul explains. "Our life together is better without it. I don't understand how people can watch as much TV as they do."

Just The Facts Birthday: July 29, 1963 Hometown: Cornwall, CT Wedding Bells? "I've never been excited about marriage. I get concerned about falling into societal roles." First Impressions: "At first, I didn't want to do BAYWATCH. I didn't want a commitment of any kind: tattoos, lovers and series were not on my agenda!" MP Connection No. 1: "One of my best friends is Daphne Zuniga [ex-Jo]. We met in 1985 through a young actor [group] that was involved in Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden's projects. I started an organization called Young Artists United, and Daphne was there from day one." MP Connection No. 2: "I did an ABC movie in Australia with Jack Wagner [Peter] called ECHO. Jack played good twin/bad twin, and I was his stupid wife who didn't even realize she was sleeping with the wrong twin."

     Unfortunately, people aren't watching MELROSE PLACE as much as they once did. Just 1˝ weeks after she was hired by the show to play Terri O'Brien, Paul learned MP had not been renewed for the 1999-2000 season. "It's disappointing - less for myself, [because I] knew my story was only eight episodes," acknowledges the actress, whose run will continue through to the finale. "A couple of the show veterans I talked to said, 'It's bad because it was a great, steady job, but I need a rest.'"
     Paul can relate to that. In 1996, she voluntarily turned in her curve-hugging red BAYWATCH swimsuit to concentrate on other projects, including television movies and feature films. To accommodate her departure, Paul's character, Stephanie, was killed off (per Paul's wishes) on a boat packed with underprivileged kids. "There was a big storm, and Stephanie pushed a little girl out of the way of a falling mast," recalls Paul, a real-life certified EMT (emergency medical technician). "Her sternum was crushed, but I still had two pages of dialogue to deliver before she died."
     Paul's return to series television now finds her cast as Catholic schoolteacher Terri O'Brien, who has a special connection to Ryan (John Haymes Newton). "I think the reason Terri teaches in a convent is because she turned to God after [a great] loss," explains Paul, when asked what makes her character tick. "She has a hard exterior - especially with Ryan. Spelling [Television] told me one of the reasons they hired me was because I have a vulnerability about me, so I guess they don't want her to be totally tough."
     That said, the actress can get tough when she needs to. A political activist in her own right, Paul has a clause written into all her contracts which forbids her characters from being dressed in fur. Likewise, it restricts cosmetics or hair products that have been tested on animals to come anywhere near her body. Off-camera, Paul adds leather, wool and silk to her list of wardrobe no-nos. Always willing to go the distance to support her beliefs, Paul has been arrested at least a dozen times for protesting the Nevada nuclear weapons test site. And when she was 9 years old, Paul affirmed that she would never add any children to our overpopulated world. Today she speaks out on overpopulation in schools, though meeting Murray has slightly altered her view on reproduction.
     "I would really like to adopt, but Ian and I have talked about having one child together," smiles Paul, who together with Murray mentors disadvantaged L.A. youths. "Perhaps because I have a twin sister, Caroline, I have never felt a huge need to procreate. She's gay and has a lover and they're probably going to have kids first. We're thinking that maybe my brother, Jonathan, will inseminate Caroline's lover, Tricia." Whoa! A plot like that could have fueled MP for another five seasons!