Corinne Alphen was born on September 27, 1954, in Lynn, Massachusetts, as one of five children (including two daughters) of william Alphen, who had served as a deputy chief of police, and his wife Marjorie. Her four siblings are her three brothers, Billy, Scott, and Glenn, and her sister, Robin. As of the middle of July 2015, it was not definitely known when she graduated from high school or whether she attended, let alone graduated from, any colleges. Nor was it known as of that date when or why she decided to pursue modeling and acting as a career.

Alphen was chosen as Penthouse Pet of the Month for June 1978 and again for August 1981. In 1982, she was the Pet of the Year; she married actor Ken Wahl two years later, in 1984.

She appeared in US movies and TV shows in the 1980s and early 1990s. Roger Ebert's review of the 1983 teen film Spring Break praised her appearance, and regretted that hers was not the film's main role. She also appeared in the 1987 comedy Amazon Women On the Moon as an interactive video girl. Corinne played a very sexy dominatrix in 1988 comedy "Screwball Hotel". In 1991, Alphen made an appearance on the TV sitcom Night Court. But by then, her marriage to Wahl was falling apart; they divorced that year.

She was married to actor Ken Wahl from 1984 until their 1991 divorce, and was occasionally credited as Corinne Wahl during their marriage. Alphen and Wahl have one child together, a son named Raymond Wahl.