Elle Macpherson

Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson in 2009
Born	Eleanor Nancy Gow (1964-03-29) 29 March 1964 (age 48) Killara, Sydney, Australia
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Hair colour	Light brown[1]
Eye colour	Brown[1]
Measurements	36C-25-35[1]
Dress size	(EU) 40[1]
Spouse	Gilles Bensimon (1986–1989) Arpad Busson (1995–2005)
Website
ellemacpherson.com

Elle Macpherson (born 29 March 1964) is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman. She is well-known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s, leading to her nickname "The Body". She is also known as the founder and primary model for a series of business ventures including Elle Macpherson Intimates, a lingerie line, and "The Body," a line of skin care products.

According to Forbes, Macpherson possesses assets around $60 million. In 2010, she became the host and executive producer of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, and she is also currently an executive producer and host for NBC's Fashion Star.

Life and career

Early life

Macpherson was born Eleanor Nancy Gow, in the Killara neighbourhood of Sydney, Australia, the daughter of entrepreneur and sound engineer Peter Gow, a former president of a Sydney rugby league team, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.^[2] Her mother Frances worked as a nurse before she married. Macpherson grew up in Killara, a North Shore suburb of Sydney, and she attended Killara High School. Macpherson is the eldest of four children including the businesswoman and environmentalist Mimi Macpherson.^[3] Macpherson’s parents divorced when she was 10 years old, and she moved with her mother and two siblings. Her mother later remarried, and a clerical mistake in registering at her new school meant that her name was changed from her father's, Gow, to her stepfather's, Macpherson.^[4][5]

Rise to fame as model

At age 17, Macpherson enrolled to study law at Sydney University. Before beginning her university studies, Elle visited the United States to spend one year doing modelling work in order to earn money to pay for her law books.^[6] Macpherson travelled to New York City, where she initially signed up with the Click Model Management.

Macpherson's modelling career began in 1982 with a television commercial for Tab which established her as a "girl next door" figure in Australia.^[7] By 1986, Time magazine had already put her on the cover (with a feature entitled "The Big Elle"). By that time, she had also appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and Playboy.^[8]

Already possessing some widespread name recognition, Macpherson cemented her high profile through frequent appearances in Elle, where she appeared in every issue for six straight years. During that time, and at the age of 21, she married Gilles Bensimon, the creative director of Elle.^[9]

Eventually she gained even more exposure through Sports Illustrated magazine's annual Swimsuit Issue. She appeared on the cover a record five times: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, and 2006. She co-hosted along with Naomi Campbell the Miss Universe 2001 pageant. Her popularity had reached such a level that Australian government offered her a position on its tourist commission as an unofficial ambassador.^[10] Macpherson returned to the runway in 2010 to close the fall Louis Vuitton show for Marc Jacobs in Paris. ^[11]

Business career

Macpherson in September 2008 at Fashion Fest

In the 1980s, together with Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Pavlína Pořízková and Cindy Crawford, Macpherson became part of the new generation of supermodels.^[12] In 1989, she was given the nickname Elle "The Body" Macpherson by Time Magazine after she appeared on their cover. She went on to use the name in a number of business ventures.^[13]

In 1994, she left her agency, Ford Models, to form her own company, Elle Macpherson Inc. This company would serve as a financial and organizational base for her later endeavours.^[12]

MacPherson soon went on to produce her own highly popular series of calendars, each of which was accompanied by a "making of" television program in 1992, 1993, and 1994. She used this success as a springboard to create the "Your Personal Best – The Body" series of workout videos.^[12]

Macpherson later diversified her portfolio of businesses, and in 1990 launched her lingerie collection 'Elle Macpherson Intimates' in partnership with Bendon Limited Apparel. Intimates met with remarkable international success, becoming the single best-selling lingerie line in both Great Britain^[14] and Australia^[15]

The partnership was among the first instances of a crossover between a model and a fashion label. In 1989, when she was first approached by Bendon to promote their lingerie in Australia, Macpherson saw an opportunity to reverse their strategy and suggested a licensing arrangement, with products bearing her name and designs created in partnership with Bendon's team. Though commonplace now, the idea was unorthodox at the time. ^[16]

Macpherson took a leading role in the development and management of the company, serving as Chief Marketing Officer and later Creative Director. In January 2010, Macpherson expanded the line, launching Obsidian as a sub-brand^[17]. While nursing her second child, she spearheaded the development of a signature maternity bra line.^[18] Intimates has retained a high brand recognition into the 2000s, appearing as a featured brand on America's Next Top Model; last year, the brand celebrated 10 years of being stocked at Selfridges.

Macpherson has also created her own line of beauty products: "Elle Macpherson – The Body". She has launched or served as spokesmodel for campaigns by Boots,^[19] Invisible Zinc,^[20] and Hot Tuna.^[21] In March 2008, Macpherson signed a three-year deal with Revlon Cosmetics, which named her a Global Brand Ambassador. ^[22] She has since been featured in print and advertising campaigns for the company.

The BBC-TV series The Money Programme aired a documentary which followed Macpherson through her day-to-day business as she continued to develop her international lingerie business.

Macpherson (center) modeling for Virgin Air in October 2011

Acting career

Macpherson made her movie debut playing an artist's model in the 1994 Sirens, which also starred Hugh Grant, Sam Neill, Tara FitzGerald, Kate Fischer, and Portia de Rossi. Macpherson gained nine kg (20 lbs.) to disguise her athletic frame for the period role.^[23] After Sirens, Macpherson followed with a two-year series of acting roles, appearing in films such as Woody Allen’s Alice, Batman & Robin alongside George Clooney, The Edge with Anthony Hopkins, and The Mirror Has Two Faces with Barbra Streisand.

In 1999, Macpherson appeared in five episodes of the American TV series Friends as Joey's roommate and girlfriend, Janine Lecroix. Macpherson went on to act in the movie Jane Eyre with William Hurt, and she has also appeared alongside Ben Stiller and Sarah Jessica Parker in If Lucy Fell. Her most controversial acting was in the Showtime cable network miniseries, A Girl Thing, in which she plays a woman experimenting with bisexuality along with Kate Capshaw. In 2001, she acted in the Italian movie South Kensington.

Macpherson played the modelling agent Claudia Foster in the "CW"-network drama series, The Beautiful Life, appearing with Mischa Barton, Sara Paxton and Corbin Bleu. The show centred on aspiring models working for a modelling agency, trying to make it big in New York City and in the fashion world.^[24] The show was cancelled after two episodes.

Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model

In July 2010, Macpherson became the new host of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, taking over from Lisa Snowdon. She also serves as executive producer on the show. The revamped show's panelists now include OBE-winning fashion designer Julien Macdonald, fashion stylist Grace Woodward and male model Charley Speed.^[25]

Fashion Star

Macpherson hosts and executive produces NBC's reality competition series Fashion Star. The series gives 14 unknown designers, mentored by celebrity style icons Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos, the chance to launch their collections in three of America's largest clothing retailers: Macy's, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue. Its first season was sold to 75 countries. ^[26]

Victim of an attempted extortion

According to a police statement reproduced online, between 11 and 22 July 1997 William Ryan Holt and Michael Mischler broke into Macpherson's Los Angeles house while she was away on business in Chicago.^[27] They stole an estimated $100,000 worth of jewellery, $6,000 in cash, and nude photographs. The two were arrested on 4 August 1997.

Mischler, 29, pled guilty to one count of attempted extortion and one count of burglary. He received a six-year and eight-month prison sentence. Holt, 26, a former U.S. Air Force enlisted man and a military-justice convict out on parole, pled guilty to one count of extortion, and he was sentenced to one year in prison.

Philanthropic work and animal rights

Macpherson is a European Ambassador for RED, an initiative set up by Bono and Bobby Shriver to raise money and awareness for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria^[28] and to help eradicate AIDS for women and children in Africa. She is also an ambassador for UNICEF.^[29] In her native Australia, she is an ambassador for the Smile Foundation, which helps the families of children with rare diseases and organises government research grants.^[4][5] She has also modelled for charitable causes including fundraising for 2007 British flood victims,^[30] wounded veterans,^[31] and child welfare group Absolute Return for Kids.^[32]

MacPherson is a patron for the National Association for the Children Of Alcoholics (NACOA).^[33]

Personal life

Macpherson met Gilles Bensimon in 1984 on a photo-session for Elle magazine. They were married in May 1986, and divorced in 1989.^[34][35] Macpherson has two sons, Arpad Flynn Alexander Busson (born 14 February 1998)^[36], and Aurelius Cy Andrea Busson (born 4 February 2003)^[37], with her former partner, French financier Arpad Busson. Macpherson and Busson began their romantic relationship in 1996 and became engaged in February 2002^[38], but the couple split in June 2005.^[39]

Macpherson resides most of the time in Britain along with her two sons.^[40] She speaks fluent French and conversational Italian and Spanish.^[18] Macpherson revealed to Howard Stern that she is a Socialist.^[41]

From 2010 to early 2012, Macpherson was in a relationship with U.S. multi-millionaire Jeff Soffer.^[42]

Filmography

See also

	Australia portal
	Biography portal

• Fashion Cafe

References

Further reading

• Celebrity1000.com—profile for Elle MacPherson^[sic]
• SouthCoast Today, 24 July 1997, "Elle Macpherson says she was the victim of burglary..."
• SouthCoast Today, 6 December 1997, "Two men pleaded guilty..."
• "Elle is dating Canadian singer Bryan Adams"

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Elle Macpherson

• Elle Macpherson on AskMen.com
• Elle Macpherson at FAMAMOCA
• Elle MacPherson^[sic'] at the Fashion Model Directory
• Elle Macpherson at the Internet Movie Database
• Elle Macpherson Celebrity Style Profile
• Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Collection of Elle Macpherson
• Elle Macpherson interviewed by Ginny Dougary (2005)
• Elle Macpherson interview by Harper's Bazaar Australia (Oct 2007)