Wilson was born in Gold Beach, Oregon, the daughter of Kathy and Dale Wilson. Her sister, Tracy Wilson, is also an actress (As a child, Tracy made her debut in the movie Resurrection, which co-starred Ellen Burstyn). Bridgette was crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990 in Biloxi, Mississippi; she is the second contender from Oregon to win this crown.

After her reign as Miss Teen USA, Wilson became an actress and appeared in: Saved By The Bell (playing "Ginger"), Last Action Hero (playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter), Billy Madison (playing Adam Sandler's teacher/girlfriend), Mortal Kombat (playing Sonya Blade), I Know What You Did Last Summer (playing Sarah Michelle Gellar's elder sister), the ill-fated Melissa Marr in the horror remake Read more...

She married tennis champion Pete Sampras on September 30, 2000. They have two sons, Christian Charles (b. November 21, 2002) and Ryan Nikolaos (b. July 29, 2005).