Sherri Saum played Vanessa Hart, an aggressive rising star reporter at a local newspaper who is determined to capture the Pulitzer Prize as well as the heart of Michael Bourne. To prepare for her role, Saum drew on the experiences of her mother, a newspaper journalist in Dayton, Ohio. But Saum's fascination with her "Sunset Beach" character stems largely from her own interest in crime and mystery.

While in college, she hoped to one day to join the FBI to study antiterrorism. In the meantime, she enjoys the benefits of working as an actress and model. As a child, Saum gravitated toward the spotlight, especially after she saw the film "Annie." In high school, she studied drama and performed in plays. At 18, she was discovered during a model search in Dayton. She was subsequently flown to New York, where she signed with a modeling agency. Since then, she has worked extensively as a catalogue and runway model and has appeared in several fashion spreads for teen and women's magazines.

Saum became a familiar face on MTV when she was featured in music videos such as Expose's "As Long as I Can Dream," Snoop Doggy Dog's "What's My Name," Dr. Dre's "Let Me Ride" and Perfect Gentleman's "Don't Forget to Call." She also appeared in the feature films "Indecent Proposal," "Blue Chip" and "House Party III." In her spare time, Saum enjoys dancing, singing R&B and reading Patricia Cromwell books. She lives in Los Angeles and her birthday is October 1.