This celebrity offspring has spent the last ten years working hard to reshape public opinion about his mother—and his efforts have been remarkably successful.
Brandon Thomas Lee, the firstborn of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, has been dedicated to altering the way people view his mom, the former star of Baywatch.
“He’s orchestrated this entire revival,” the 58-year-old actress mentioned to Entertainment Tonight in December, soon after receiving a nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Last Showgirl.
It’s been nine months since then, and Pamela’s career is showing no sign of slowing.
In the wake of her recent massive hit, The Naked Gun, and her budding romance with her co-actor, Liam Neeson, FEMAIL delves into the man behind her renewed Hollywood triumphs: her eldest son.
Born on June 5, 1996, in California, Brandon is the first child from his parents’ brief three-year marriage. They also have another son, Dylan, 27, who has established himself in both modeling and music.
Although he spent his first few years growing up in California, mom Pamela moved Brandon, now 29, and his brother to boarding school in Canada.
During a 2016 appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, she disclosed that she chose to educate her children in her homeland so they could experience life outside of the entertainment industry.
Meet Brandon Thomas Lee, the eldest son of Pamela Anderson and rocker Tommy Lee
The 29–year–old has been instrumental in reviving his mom’s Hollywood career
But it wasn’t long before Brandon decided to follow in his mother’s footsteps.
‘Brandon is taking acting really seriously and is taking acting lessons and wants to do that,’ Pamela shared in that same interview.
In 2017, he made his film debut alongside his mom in the Baywatch film, which also starred Zac Efron and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
One year later, he appeared alongside Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo in the 2018 film, Cosmic Sin, as well as the romcom Sierra Burgess Is a Loser.
Besides his foray into acting, Brandon is a producer and has several films under his belt, including the documentary, Pamela, a Love Story, which was instrumental in reviving Pamela’s career.
Released in 2023, the Netflix documentary, recounted the Playboy model’s rise to stardom, her turbulent marriage to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy, and how she became a global sex symbol.
Brandon got the wheels for the film in motion when he asked filmmaker Ryan White to direct the project in a bid to show his mother in a different light.
Pamela’s raw and unfiltered account put her back into the spotlight and she herself credited Brandon and his efforts on the film for making it the success that it was.
She also notes that it was the documentary that led her to getting the lead role in the Gia Coppola directed film, The Last Showgirl, which earned her Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes and the Sag Awards.
‘He [Brandon] did the documentary and that’s how Gia discovered me,’ she told ET.
Brandon has spent the last 10 years trying to revive his mom Pamela’s career (pictured at the Met Gala, 2025)
It was Brandon who approached documentary filmmaker Ryan White about making a film on his mom
Brandon has also served as an executive producer on Pamela’s Garden of Eden and Pamela’s Cooking with Love, as well as on The Last Showgirl.
Over the past four years, Brandon embarked on this mission to overhaul his mom’s image, which he said was sparked out of wanting the world to ‘truly see my mom.’
‘She’s an icon who helped shape a generation, but it was about time she shaped her own narrative,’ he continued.
‘Today, I’m overjoyed knowing that the world not only recognizes her but has come to adore her the way I always have.’
In December, Brandon spoke out about how he made it his mission to help his mother shift her narrative from sex symbol to human being – and to aid her in following her dreams.
‘The reason I got involved, other than for various business reasons – my personal mission was to give my mom the opportunities she gave me as a child,’ he told Variety.
‘She would do anything for me. She showed up and was a very good mother. And at a certain point in your life, you become a protector.
‘I knew from a very early age that I was going to eventually be the one that put the stake in the ground for my family and rally around that.
‘So, it would have been very easy for us, or for me, to come up with some sort of scheme to make money off the Pamela that people thought they knew.
Pamela has credited Brandon with bringing her back to the spotlight (pictured in Cannes together in 2019)
Brandon with his mom and brother Dylan Jagger Lee at the premiere for Pamela: A Love Story in January 2023
‘It would have meant she wasn’t going to be happy, but she would have been making money.’
He continued to the publication: ‘But I really just wanted her to feel like she had the opportunity, whether it happened or not, to achieve success in the field she wanted to be in.
‘We turned down a lot of big opportunities, but it just wasn’t going to make Pamela feel proud.
‘But we had to take a moment and be steadfast in our position, that we needed to take the time to do the memoir and documentary, and shy away from other opportunities that weren’t going to shine a light or clarify or embolden her.’
