Vela’s family later moved to Arkansas, where she attended the University of Arkansas. Whilst studying art and music, Vela also began modeling. She married the Arkansas born musician, Jimmy Roberts, but he died of cancer shortly after. Following this, Vela moved to New York where her modeling career took off. She is inarguably one of the supermodels of all time, and graced the covers and pages of various magazines from the 1970s onwards: Vogue, New Woman, Glamour, Living Fit, Ultra, Town & Country, Woman’s Day, New York. She appeared in numerous cosmetic advertisements for Revlon, Coty, Max Factor, Elizabeth Arden, Avon; print ads for: Gianni Versace, Valentino, Gloria Vanderbilt, Napier, Halston and many television commercials.

At the height of her career she was in a relationship with the artist Peter Max. Max hand painted a hat she wore in a Vogue spread in the mid seventies for the issue.

Turning her attention to music, Vela built a home recording studio for herself and signed a recording contract with A&M Records. She released her debut album in 1986. The entire album was written or co-written by Vela, and was produced by Gary Katz.

It is also notable for the fact that it included contributions from both Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (two of Vela’s musical heroes) – five years after they had disbanded their group Steely Dan. Though the album went largely unnoticed in the U.S., it fared better in Europe and a single from the album, “Magic Smile”, was a Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart. The album itself peaked at #20 in the UK Albums Chart, and was certified silver by the BPI in March 1987. Further singles, “Interlude” and “Fool’s Paradise” met with less success.

Following Zazu, Vela did not release any further recordings, but has since become a backing vocalist for other musicians: including ELO on their 2001 album; Zoom. Vela also toured with the band, and was (for a time) in a relationship with ELO’s then frontman Jeff Lynne.

Vela has also appeared in several films, including Heavens Gate, The Two Jakes, and co-starred in Inside Edge opposite Michael Madsen.

Magic Smile

Maria von Hartz, the daughter of Katherine and John von Hartz of New York, was married yesterday in Los Angeles to Jay Shapiro, a son of Rose Shapiro of Dominguez Hills, Calif., and Pete Shapiro of Los Angeles. The Rev. Gary Musgrove, a nondenominational minister, performed the ceremony at the Oviatt Penthouse.

Ms. von Hartz is keeping her name. She is a fashion model with the Ford Agency in New York and is an actress in Los Angeles. She graduated cum laude from New York University. Her father is a writer and a playwright. Her mother teaches English as a second language.

Mr. Shapiro, who lives in Los Angeles, is a production manager for commercials, music videos and feature films. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara. His mother is an executive assistant at Kurgan & Cheviot, a jewelry manufacturer and distributor in Los Angeles. His father, who is retired, was a motion picture accountant, most recently at I.T.C. Productions in Studio City, Calif.

Rossellini is the daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian director Roberto Rossellini. She has three siblings from her mother: her twin sister Isotta Ingrid Rossellini, who is an adjunct professor of Italian literature; a brother, Roberto Ingmar Rossellini, who works in finance; and a half-sister, Pia Lindström, who formerly worked on television and is from her mother’s first marriage. She has four other siblings from her father’s two other marriages: Romano (died at age 9), Renzo, Gil, and Raffaella.

Rossellini was born in Rome, and raised there, as well as in Santa Marinella and Paris. At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with scoliosis. In order to correct it, Isabella had to undergo an 18 month ordeal of painful stretchings, body casts, surgery on her spine using pieces of one of her shin bones (used to add supports for the individual vertebrae without risking foreign body rejection issues), and a recovery from that surgery. Consequently, she has permanent incision scars on her back and shin.

At the age of 19, she went to New York, where she attended Finch College while working as a translator, a ringmaster at circuses and a RAI television reporter. She also appeared intermittently on Roberto Benigni’s Italian comedy show, The Other Sunday. However, she did not decide to stay full time in New York until her marriage to Martin Scorsese (1979-1982). After her marriage to Scorsese, she married Jon Wiedemann (1983-1986), a Harvard-educated model from Texas (now a Microsoft executive), and gave birth to a daughter, Elettra. Later, she dated David Lynch, Gary Oldman, and Gregory Mosher.

At the age of 28, her modeling career began, when she was photographed by Bruce Weber for British Vogue and by Bill King for American Vogue. During her career, she has also worked with many other renowned photographers, including Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh, Norman Parkinson, Eve Arnold, Francesco Scavullo, Annie Leibovitz, Denis Piel, and Robert Mapplethorpe. Her image has appeared on such magazines as Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, and ELLE. Furthermore, in March 1988, an exhibition dedicated to photographs of her, called Portrait of a Woman, was held at the Musee d’Art Moderne in Paris.

Rossellini’s modeling career led her into the world of cosmetics, when she became the exclusive spokesmodel for the international cosmetics brand Lancôme in 1982, replacing Nancy Dutiel in the United States and Carol Alt in Europe. While there, in 1990, she was involved in product development for Lancôme’s fragrance Trésor. Later, in 1995, she worked with the Coty Group and developed her own brand of cosmetics, Isabella Rossellini’s Manifesto. However, in 1996, after 14 years with the company, she was infamously removed as the face of Lancôme for being “too old”, since she was in her 40s at the time. She is signed to Trump Model Management.

On location at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin to shoot some scenes for the movie “The Innocent” Rossellini made her film debut with a brief appearance as a nun opposite her mother in the 1976 film A Matter of Time. However, she did not truly begin acting until the 1979 film Il Prato. She did not become successful with acting until after her mother’s death in 1982, when she was cast in her first American film, White Nights (1985). Nonetheless, she is probably best known for her pivotal role as the nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Some other notable film roles include her work in Cousins, Death Becomes Her, Immortal Beloved, and Fearless.

In 2003, Rossellini had a recurring role on the television series, Alias. In that same year, she also appeared in the Canadian film The Saddest Music in the World directed by Guy Maddin. In 2004 she played as the High Priestess Thar in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Legend of Earthsea. In addition, she acted in an Off-Broadway production of The Stendhal Syndrome. Furthermore, she became an ambassador for the Silversea Cruise Line, which has her appearing in print ads and on their website.

In 2006, Rossellini was on television for several documentaries. First, she narrated a two-hour television special on Italy for the Discovery Channel’s Discovery Atlas series, in order to show a glimpse of present-day Italy. In addition, on an episode of the Sundance Channel series Iconoclasts, which also featured the Segway PT inventor Dean Kamen, she told about her past and what activities she is currently involved in. In 2007, Rossellini guest starred on two episodes of the television show 30 Rock, playing Alec Baldwin’s ex-wife.

In 2008, Rossellini toured the festival circuit, including the Sundance Film Festival, with a series of short films entitled Green Porno, which she wrote and co-directed with Jody Shapiro. Each Green Porno film is two minutes long, and has Rossellini reenacting the mating rituals of various animals.

Rossellini received a 1987 Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her role in Blue Velvet. In 1997, she received two notable award nominations. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for her role in Crime of the Century and an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the television series Chicago Hope.

Outside of acting, modeling, and cosmetics, Rossellini is involved in conservation efforts. She is a board member of the Wildlife Conservation Network. In addition, she is the president and director of the Howard Gilman Foundation, a leading institution focused on the preservation of wildlife, arts, photography and dance. Disney gave $100,000 to her to help with her conservation efforts in those two organizations. She has also helped with the Central Park Conservancy. Furthermore, Rossellini is considered a major benefactor of the Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society of Bellport, Long Island, where she is a part-time resident.

Rossellini is also involved in training guide dogs for the blind. In addition, she is a former trustee of the George Eastman House and a 1997 George Eastman Award honoree for her support of film preservation. She is also a National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Rossellini has written three books. In 1997, her self-described fictional memoir, Some of Me, was published. In 2002, she released her second book, Looking at Me (on pictures and photographers). In 2006, In the name of the Father, the Daughter and the Holy Spirits: Remembering Roberto Rossellini was published and was accompanied by the Guy Maddin-directed short film My Dad Is 100 Years Old (both the film and the book are tributes to her father). In the film, she played almost every role, including David Selznick, Alfred Hitchcock, and her mother Ingrid Bergman.

Isabella Rossellini holds dual United States and Italian citizenship. She has a daughter, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann (born 1983), and an adopted son, Roberto (born 1992).

Soto was born Miriam Soto in Brooklyn, New York, where her parents moved to from Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Her parents relocated to Northampton, Massachusetts when she was still just a child. Soto’s family was one of the few Puerto Rican families that resided in her neighborhood. She was raised and educated there, but she felt that people were prejudiced against her and she became a loner.

Soto landed her first modeling job in 1982, when she was fifteen years old. In 1985, she tried to sign up with the Ford modeling agency, but was rejected because she looked “too” Latina. Soto then went and signed with Click Model Management and headed for Europe. (On a side note: Frances Grill, who owns Click, thought the name Miriam sounded too old for her.  So they decided to call her Lisa, but sometimes when she called the agency she was put on hold. Her booker would say, “tell Lisa I will be right with her,” after this happened a few times; “tell Lisa, tell Lisa,” her name evolved into: Talisa.)

She established herself as one of the top models of the 1980s and was busy modeling in Italy and France. She appeared on the covers of Vogue, British Elle, British Vogue (Photographed by Lord Snowdon) Mademoiselle, Glamour, and Self magazines. She also appeared in her first music video with former boyfriend Nick Kamen, Madonna’s “Each Time You Break My Heart”, directed by Tony Viramontes. Soto and Kamen were often used as modeles by Ray Petri: the late fashion stylist and creator of the 80’s London “Buffalo Boy” look.

In 1988, when Soto returned to the United States, she auditioned and landed the role of “India” in her feature debut, Spike of Bensonhurst, a comedy which starred Sasha Mitchell and Ernest Borgnine. In 1989, she was cast as Lupe Lamora, in the James Bond movie Licence to Kill starring Timothy Dalton and as Maria Rivera in The Mambo Kings.

Soto has participated in more than 20 movies, among which are: Mortal Kombat (1995) as Kitana; Island of the Dead as Melissa O’Keefe; Pinero (2001) as Sugar, starring Benjamin Bratt; and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) as Ryne alongside Lucy Lui and Antonio Banderas. Soto also made two guest appearances on the television series C-16: FBI. In 1995, she played the role of Doña Julia, one of Johnny Depp’s many love interests in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, Depp playing the title role. She also made an appearance in Marc Anthony’s music video for I Need to Know. In 1996 Soto played the title role in the campy movie Vampirella based on the comic book character.

In 1990, Soto was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. In 1995, she was featured in the Sports Illustrated “Swimsuit Issue”. She was ranked #58 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002.

During the 80s, Soto resided both in London and New York City with Nick Kamen. In 1997, Soto married Costas Mandylor and they were divorced in 2000. She met actor Benjamin Bratt while the two were filming Pinero and they were married on April 13, 2002. The couple has two children: daughter Sophia Rosalinda Bratt, born December 6, 2002, and a son, Mateo Bravery Bratt, born October 3, 2005. They reside in Los Angeles, California.

At the age of 18, she was “discovered” by the Elite Talent Agency. She soon moved to New York City and thus began an unbelievable career in the modeling industry.

Alexis was one of the top models of the 1980’s, identified along with Gia Carangi, Carol Alt, Christie Brinkley, Kelly Emberg, Iman, and Paulina Porizkova. In 1983 she became the face of Revlon’s premium Ultima II line, replacing Lauren Hutton. She was featured in countless TV and print ads, and graced the cover of over 500 magazines, not to mention six appearances in the coveted Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. In fact, it’s as though the term “supermodel” was coined to describe her.

More than just a model, Kim parlayed her good looks and bright mind into other opportunities, including broadcast journalism, where she hosted several television shows on the Family Channel and Lifetime, as well as film and TV acting. She appeared in the 1998 movie Holy Man with Eddie Murphy. In 2005, she appeared on VH1’s reality competition “But Can They Sing?”

As her career has progressed, she’s never lost her love of fitness. In recent years, she’s focused on health and wellness issues for women, specifically by developing several fitness aids.

Kim is married to former New York Ranger Hockey Player Ron Duguay. To learn more about Ron, visit his Web site www.allstarshockey.com. Together with their five children, they live in beautiful North Florida.

Alexis is currently the host of a modeling competition reality show “She’s Got the Look” for TV Land.

Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Iman is the daughter of Marian and Mohamed Abdulmajid, a former Somali ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and has two brothers, Elyas and Feisal, and a sister, Nadia. She attended high school in Egypt and later lived in Kenya, where she studied political science at the University of Nairobi.

Iman is Muslim, and fluent in five languages (Arabic, English, French, Italian, and Somali).

In 1975, Iman was recruited as a model by American photographer Peter Beard, and subsequently relocated to the United States. Her first modeling assignment was for Vogue in 1976.

The fashion designer, Yves Saint-Laurent said, “My dream woman is Iman”. She recalls her experience as a house model for Yves Saint Laurent’s African Queen couture collection as the most memorable moment of her modeling career.

An occasional actress, Iman appeared twice in Miami Vice, playing Dakota in Back In The World (1985) and Nina Beka in No Way Out (1987) with Kevin Costner. She also played the role of Lois Blyth in Love At First Sight (1988), played a shapeshifter named Martia in the 1991 film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and appeared in the Oscar-winning film Out of Africa alongside Robert Redford and Meryl Streep.

Iman guest-starred in an episode of Bravo’s TV show Project Runway, where she wore contestant Daniel Vosovic’s dress to a publicity shoot, and a cycle 5 episode of America’s Next Top Model as one of the weekly mentors. She is currently the host of Project Runway Canada on the Global network.

In May 2007, Iman launched her signature line, IMAN Global Chic, on the Home Shopping Network. She is also CEO of IMAN Cosmetics, Skincare & Fragrances, a line she launched to market a selection of products towards women.

In addition, Iman is a spokesperson for the Keep a Child Alive program, which provides medication to children and families in the developing world that have been affected by HIV/AIDS.

She is signed with 1/One Management in New York City, and Independent Models in London.

In 1977, Iman married American basketball player Spencer Haywood. Their daughter, Zulekha Haywood, was born in 1978. The couple divorced in February 1987. On April 24, 1992, she married British musician David Bowie. They have one daughter, Alexandria Zahra “Lexi” Jones, born August 15, 2000. Iman is also stepmother to Bowie’s son from a previous marriage, Duncan Jones. Both children bear Bowie’s legal surname. Iman and her family reside primarily in Manhattan and London.

www.imancosmetics.com

McGrotha was the antithesis of the conventional rail thin fashion model. A voluptuous brunette with piercing blue eyes, she broke the model stereotype and reigned in a category all her own, and was one of the most sought after models for more than a decade.

McGrotha was a tremendously popular editorial model. Some of her numerous covers included: Vogue, Elle, Bazaar, Self, Mirabella, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Amica, Mademoiselle, New Woman, Moda, Femme and Redbook.

She was a favorite of photographer Helmut Newton who photographed her many times for various magazines; on the French Rivera for American Vogue, in front of a sculpture of Bismarck in Berlin and at the Brandenburg Gate for German Vogue.

Other exceptional photographers teamed up with Rosemary—Eric Boman, Guy Bourdin, Bill King, Irving Penn, Francesco Scavullo, Jacques Malignon, Denis Piel, Richard Avedon, Bert Stern, Andrea Blanche, Arthur Elgort.

Rosemary had an abundance of advertising clients: Complice, Clairol, Helena Rubinstein, Versace, Saks Fifth Avenue, Karat Gold Jewelry, Anne Klein, Monet, Alexandra de Markoff, Flemington Furs and Gucci. But her most memoral campaign was as Donna Karan’s first signature model and muse, McGrotha, in 1986, epitomized Karan’s sensual, sophisticated urban woman for years to come. She appears in almost all of the Karan ads. The most popular ads where of Rosemary portraying a woman who was President of the United States and still wasn’t afraid to show a little cleavage and a little leg.

Rosemary McGrotha

Simonsen was born in Aarhus, Denmark, where she worked as a supermarket cashier before she was discovered.

In 1981 she caught the attention of the fashion editor Birte Strandgaard, who convinced photographer Leif Nygaard to do some photos of her. Simonsen subsequently participated in the Ekstra Bladet Contest and won 2nd place. In July 1981 she appeared on the cover of the Danish magazine Fotokino.

The following year she won the Ekstra Bladet Contest, and was chosen to represent Denmark at the Supermodel of the World contest, which she won in August 1982. Renee was the ultimate embodiment of beauty in the 1980s, and her most amazing feature are her piercing blue eyes. In December 1982 she appeared in the American edition of Vogue.

From 1983 on she became one of the quickest rising stars of the international modeling world, being featured on the covers of numerous international fashion magazines. She was the cover girl for the German Vogue in March, April and September.

In 1983 she was featured on the cover of Roxy Music’s Atlantic Years album.

From 1985-1989 she dated bassplayer John Taylor of the British band Duran Duran to whom she was engaged. That same year, she debuted as an actress in Carlo Vanzina’s Sotto il vestito niente (The Last Shot), playing a psychopathic murderer. Besides her many modeling jobs, in 1987 she worked again with Vanzina on the comedy Via Montenapoleone.

In 1988 she decided to take a break from fashion. After breaking up with Taylor in 1989, she lived for 3 months in a kibbutz in Israel with her sister Heidi. Despite an offer to audition for the role of a Bond Girl in one the upcoming James Bond films, the following year Simonsen ended her modeling career and returned to Denmark to study journalism. After failing the qualifying examination she began to study psychology instead.

From 1991 on she again worked as model for Vichy cosmetics. In 1993 Simonsen became the face of Biotherm cosmetics.

She has two children from a relationship with Kristian Sandvad: Ulrikke, born in 1993, and Jens-Kristian, born in 1995.

In 1997 she worked as a fashion editor for the Danish magazine Asschenfeldts Magasin, which was however stopped after a few issues. In summer she started a relationship with Danish rock singer Thomas Helmig, whom she married in August 2000.

In 2002 she completed her degree in psychology with success.

In 2003 Simonsen signed a contract to the French cosmetic company Clarins and began appearing in magazine advertisements for mature skincare products.

In October 2003 she published her first children’s book, entitled “Karlas kabale.”

In 2006 her children’s book “Anthony Greenwood” was nominated for the Danish book-prize “Orla” and she was awarded with “The Most Dynamic Women” award by cosmetic company Clarins for her social engagement at Plan Denmark.

Her book, “Karlas kabale” made it to the movies in 2007 and premieres in November. In August appears her first novel “Tirsdag formiddag” (Tuesday Morning).

After her time in the kibbutz:
I am more opened now and can assess myself much better. Now I know that I’m not just a model. I’m a person with many abilities and qualities that does not have to live by other people’s expectations.

www.reneesimonsen.de

LeBrock was born in New York City, New York, but raised in London, England and in the countryside in Sussex. She is the daughter of a French-Canadian father who owned his own Quicksilver mine and opened “The General Thurber,” a 3-Star Michelin restaurant in Lake Champlain, New York. Kelly’s Irish mother, a former model, was owner of fine antique stores in London. LeBrock spent her early school days in a Montreal boarding school, gaining fluency in the French, before moving to Great Britain. At the age of sixteen, Kelly returned to New York and started her career as a high fashion and beauty model.

Her first marriage was to film producer and restaurateur Victor Drai in 1984, divorcing in 1986. Married to controversial action star Steven Seagal from 1987 – 1996, this starlet has three children, Annaliza (b. 1987), Dominic (b. 1990) and Arissa (b. 1993). Until recently, LeBrock suspended her acting career in favor of family life on a ranch in Southern California and invested in real estate.

LeBrock began her career as a model at the age of sixteen. She went on to appear on thousands of magazine covers and in fashion spreads, including an exclusive Christian Dior campaign, and became one of Eileen Ford’s most sought-after models.

She also gained notoriety as the Pantene shampoo commercial spokeswoman whose line, Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful, became an infamous pop-culture catch-phrase. LeBrock was the quintessential 80’s sex icon, frequently cast as the “perfect” or “fantasy” woman in films such as The Woman in Red (1984) and John Hughes’ Weird Science (1985).

In 1985, Kelly LeBrock was awarded the ShoWest award for “Female Star of Tomorrow”.

In 1990, she starred opposite husband Steven Seagal in Hard to Kill. LeBrock also appeared in Betrayal of the Dove (1993), Tracks of a Killer (1995), and Hard Bounty (1995).

After her divorce from Seagal in 1996, she continued living on the ranch outside Los Angeles. She had roles in the film Wrongfully Accused (1998), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2002), and Zerophilia (2005).

In 2005, LeBrock returned to Hollywood as the captain of the team “Kelly’s Bellies” on a Celebrity Fit Club reality show. After gaining back the pounds she lost on the program’s extreme diet and exercise regime, Kelly’s extensive research into lifestyle coupled with organic and raw “cooking” lead her to find a healthy way to maintain her slimmer figure. Kelly LeBrock indulged her love of the culinary arts by appearing on the third UK series of Hell’s Kitchen.

In 2008, after the death of her brother Harold, Kelly decided to devote her time to the terminally ill. She is currently the celebrity spokesperson for “Club Carson”, whose members are all children suffering from cancer. This organization provides a place where young patients can receive hospital standard hyperbaric oxygen treatments and advanced nutritional counseling for minimal cost. In the late 1980’s LeBrock was one of the first private U.S. citizens to own her own hyperbaric chamber – not for vanity reasons. She quickly recognized the link between the increased oxidative metabolism, stimulated by exposure to breathing oxygen in a hospital quality hyperbaric chamber and the need for an equal response to supply these oxygen energized cells with healing nutrition and nutriceuticals. LeBrock started her own brand of homeopathic remedies which quickly landed the shelves of stores across America. LeBrock testified to Congress in 1995 to the House Enquiry on Insurance and Medicare Access for alternative treatments on the needs of all Americans to have affordable access to such powerful remedies. She is on various scientic advisory boards and regularly lectures on this subject.

In 2006, LeBrock starred in the award-winning, independent film Gamers: The Movie. She plans to return to Bristol, England in 2009 to shoot her 2nd independent film with Director Billy Prince and writer/producer Tim Francis.

Currently LeBrock is in preproduction stage of the Movie “The Tambourine Mare”, an epic Australian movie about the struggles of early Australia during the great goldrush in that country, coping with the banditry – Bushrangers – and Colonial corruption. She is the co-author of the story, along with Michael Winter, Head of the Australian Screenwriter’s Guild.

www.hboinfo.com/c_v__lebrock.htm

Born in Prostejov, Czechoslovakia, she was still a toddler when her father and mother left Czechoslovakia, fleeing the Warsaw Pact invasion in 1968, and moved to Lund in southern Sweden. They left Paulina under the care of her grandmother, believing that their daughter could be brought out later.

However, the Czechoslovakian authorities would not allow this, and the ensuing battle for Porizkova was widely publicized in the Swedish press, making her a cause célèbre. After a failed rescue attempt, in which her mother was detained by the national police, international political pressure led by Olof Palme caused the communist government to allow the Pořízek family to be reunited after seven years. The reunion was soon ended when the husband left, and the couple filed for divorce. Father and daughter have been estranged since.

This left Porizkova’s mother to fund her own medical education and Porizkova and her brother Jachym Porizek (who was born in Czechoslovakia during her mother’s house arrest) to look after themselves, including having to steal bread to have something to eat.

An aspiring photographer friend took pictures of Porizkova and sent them to the Elite modeling agency in 1980, hoping they would notice her own photography skills. However, instead of taking the photographer on board, Elite head John Casablancas noticed Porizkova’s attractiveness and potential, and offered her a ticket to Paris. At 5 feet 10 1/2 inches, she was the perfect height for a fashion model – it was a tempting offer for a teenager who was eager to get out of Sweden and to support herself.

She quickly rose to become a top model in Paris during the early 1980s, and her fame spread to the United States when she posed in swimwear for Sports Illustrated. She appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1984 and again in 1985. (Her first appearance as a model in the magazine was in 1983.)

Porzikova appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine in August 1987 to preview her new (non-nude) swimsuit calendar. Both of her calendars in 1988 and 1989 by photographer Marco Glaviano sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Porizkova was chosen twice by People as one of the Fifty Most Beautiful People in the world, in 1990 and 1992. Harper’s Bazaar named her one of its ten most beautiful women in 1992. American Photo in its first issue declared her to be the model of the 1980s. She appeared on the covers of numerous magazines around the world during the 1980s and 1990s, including appearances on Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour. She featured in advertising for Diet Sprite. Porizkova was the cover model for the 20th Anniversary issue of Cosmopolitan magazine in November 1985.

In 1988, Porizkova won what was then the highest-paying modeling contract: a six million dollar contract with Estee Lauder cosmetics, replacing the model Willow Bay. Estée Lauder’s strategy in the late 1980s was to move away from an older generation of women and target younger urbanite professional women. The black-and-white television and print advertising campaign won praise from critics. The Estée Lauder makeover transformed Porizkova’s public image from a swimsuit model to that of European sophisticate and she remained the company’s face until 1995.

Porizkova has appeared in the books Models and Sirens, by Marco Glaviano, and in Fashion Photography by Patrick Demarchelier. The latter includes some of the noted LIFE magazine swimsuit pictures from several years ago. She was in Women by Herb Ritts.

After having her first baby in 1993, Porizkova devoted less time to modeling, and she moved into acting in independent films. She soon got a new contract as the lead model for Escada. In early 2001, she was the hostess for a television show on the E! network’s Style Channel. In 2005, she made her first appearance in the noted Victoria’s Secret catalogue.

Although she had a career as a model, Porizkova was known to make disparaging remarks about the fashion and beauty industry.

She was part of the panel of judges on America’s Next Top Model, starting on Cycle 10 replacing the fashion icon, Twiggy. Porizkova continued to conduct regular weekly evaluations of Top Model participants on the show until she announced she’d been fired from Top Model during a May 12, 2009 appearance on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS.

Porizkova was a participant on the Spring 2007 series Dancing with the Stars, but she was voted off on the first results show which aired March 27, 2007.

Pořízková’s film debut was in the 1983 modeling mockumentary, Portfolio. Still only seventeen, she managed to look more mature and intelligent than the other more-established models, and she became the “covergirl” for the film.

Porizkova appeared in the 1987 film Anna (which starred Sally Kirkland), receiving good reviews from her patrons at Vogue magazine. It was in 1989 that she had her largest, and best-known role to date, co-starring with Tom Selleck (who was rumored to not get along with her at all) in the film Her Alibi. However, she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry for worst actress for her appearance in the film.

She was rumored in a 1989 issue of the Italian magazine “Moda” to be starring along with Robert De Niro in a planned film by Sergio Leone about the siege of Leningrad during World War II, halted by the director’s death. Later, she appeared in Emir Kusturica’s film Arizona Dream, with Johnny Depp and Jerry Lewis in a minor role as Lewis’s young Polish fiancee. She appeared in the film Thursday.

Pořízková wrote and directed the 2001 film, Roommates. In 2004, she starred in the romantic comedy, Knots, but turned down an opportunity to be a Bond Girl in the 1995 film GoldenEye because of better earnings available to her in modeling at the time, as well as not wishing to take time away from her family.

Her recent television work includes an April 18, 2007 appearance on The Colbert Report after remarks that she found Colbert “extremely attractive.” She most recently appeared on the Starz comedy series Head Case, which aired on April 24, 2009.

She has finished her debut novel, A Model Summer. It is about a 15-year-old Swedish girl chosen by a modeling agent to spend a summer working in Paris.

In September 1992, her children’s book The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach, co-authored by Joanne Russell and illustrated by stepson Adam Ocasek, was published.

On August 23, 1989, Porizkova married Ric Ocasek lead singer for the rock band The Cars. They had first met in 1984 during the filming of The Cars’ music video, “Drive”, which was directed by Tomothy Hutton. Porizkova was only 19 and Ocasek was already married at that time. The couple have two children.

Later, Porizkova  was the subject of the song ”Friends of P” by The Rentals on their 1995 album Return of the Rentals, written by lead singer Matt Sharp, also a former member of the Ocasek-produced Weezer and the song ”Paulina” on No Doubt’s first album.

Paulina became a naturalized U.S. citizen under the name Pavlína Pořízková-Ocasek.

The Late Late Show-Paulina Porizkova