Cindy Crawford was the highest-paid and the most prominent American supermodel of the 1990s. As an actress she appeared in the movie Fair Game, and she is the former host of MTV's House of Style. She was famously married to actor Richard Gere from 1991-95, and continues to appear on magazine covers, both as a model and as a subject of tabloid gossip. In 1998 she married former model Rande Gerber.
Crawford was valedictorian of her high school class.
Career Highlights: Cindy Crawford: A New Dimension, Cindy Crawford: The Next Challenge Workout, Cindy Crawford: Shape Your Body Workout
First Major Screen Credit: Cindy Crawford: Shape Your Body Workout (1992)
Biography
Considered one of the world's most beautiful women, supermodel Cindy Crawford has appeared just about everywhere that advertisements are allowed. Over her unprecedentedly long career, she has hawked everything from haute couture and perfume to soda pop and dairy products, and has made a fortune with her beauty and fitness videos and swimsuit calendars. Crawford also owns a piece of the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain. In 1995, Forbes magazine ranked her as the most highly paid model in the world. Crawford is the first supermodel to pose for Playboy and later risked her career by posing suggestively on the cover of Vanity Fair beside lesbian singer k.d. Lang.
In addition to appearing in television commercials, Crawford spent six years hosting the MTV cable network's House of Style. She is an intelligent, witty woman and a popular talk show guest. As an actress, Crawford occasionally guest stars on television series, as she did in a special 1998 episode of the NBC sitcom Third Rock From the Sun. In 1995, Crawford made a rather inauspicious film debut in the action thriller Fair Game. Despite the film's lack of box-office success, Crawford is still interested in pursuing an acting career.
Crawford is a native of De Kalb, IL, and was discovered as a teenager when a local news photographer took a picture of her while she was detasselling corn. Already an impressive beauty, she left her country job to become a model for the summer. She continued modelling for the next two summers, through the Chicago division of the Elite modelling agency and then decided to go to college. Helped by an academic scholarship (she'd been a straight-A student in high school), Crawford studied chemical engineering at Northwestern University, but shrewdly decided that she'd make more money as a model. For a while, Crawford worked in Chicago, but didn't hit the big time until she moved to New York City in 1986.
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American former model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned many magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s. Her success at modeling made her a celebrity that has led to roles in television and film, and to work as a spokesperson.
Crawford was born in DeKalb, Illinois, the daughter of Jennifer Moluf[1] and John Crawford. She was discovered at the age of 16 by a newspaper photographer. He noticed Cindy at work during her summer job of detasseling corn and took a picture of her. The photo and positive feedback she received were enough to convince her to take up modeling. She entered the Elite Model Management's Look of the Year contest at 17 and was the runner-up. The Elite modeling agency in Chicago then started representing her.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Cindy Crawford was among the most popular supermodels, and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, and in fashion campaigns. She was repeatedly and frequently featured on the cover of many magazines, including: Vogue, W, People, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Allure. Crawford also appeared in many fashion campaigns during her career, including those for Gianni Versace, Escada, Revlon, Ink. She has also worked for Omega, Maybelline, and Clairol.
Crawford is just over 5 feet 9 inches (177 cm) tall, with brown hair and eyes. Her measurements are 34"-26"-35".[2] Crawford's trademark is a visible mole (or "beauty mark") above her upper lip. She is so closely associated with this physical feature that she appeared in an advertising campaign for chocolates featuring commercials wherein she "licked off" her own mole. During the beginning of her career, the mole was removed from many of her earlier modeling pictures, including her first Vogue cover. Her resemblence early in her career to model Gia Carangi led her to being known as "Baby Gia".
Crawford has also been on TV and in films. From 1989 to 1995, Crawford was host of MTV's House of Style. In the mid-1990s Crawford starred in famous Pepsi and Pepsi Stuff advertising. In 1995 Crawford broke into movies as the female lead in the movie Fair Game. Her performance was panned by critics and the film was a financial failure, with expenses of $50 million and $11 million takings at the box office. In 2001, she costarred as part of an ensemble cast in The Simian Line. Again the film was not successful or critically acclaimed, but Crawford's acting was not criticized. She has had several other minor acting jobs over the years.
In July 1988, she posed nude for Playboy magazine in a shoot by photographer Herb Ritts, following in the footsteps of fellow supermodel Paulina Porizkova.[3] In October 1998, Crawford returned to the pages of Playboy for a more revealing nude pictorial.[4]
Crawford has consistently ranked highly on lists of the world's sexiest people. She was ranked number 5 on Playboy's list of the 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th century. A 1997 Shape magazine survey of 4,000 picked her as the second (after Demi Moore) most beautiful woman in the world. In 2002, Crawford was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People magazine. Even in her forties she claimed #26 in the 2006 Hot 100 issue of Maxim magazine.[5]
But Cindy Crawford did more than be beautiful, she redefined it in popular culture. Fashion designer Michael Kors summed up her impact:
"Cindy changed the perception of the ‘sexy American girl’ from classic blue eyed blonde to a more sultry brunette with brains, charm, and professionalism to spare."
After modeling
Crawford quit modeling in 2000. She continues to provide celebrity endorsement for a variety of projects. In 2005, Crawford created a line of beauty products with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh called Meaningful Beauty for Guthy-Renker. Though the product infomercials credit Dr. Sebagh and his melon extract for the youthful appearance of her skin, Crawford has admitted to regularly receiving certain cosmetic procedures, including Botox, collagen, and vitamin injections. She first saw a plastic surgeon at the age of 29.[6]
Crawford recently launched a new line of furniture under the "Cindy Crawford Home Collection" name. This collection is manufactured by HM Richards Inc., and is sold through many retailers including Art Van Furniture and Rooms To Go. She assisted in the creation of the line by directing the designers to include certain features, colors, or styles that fit the needs of families or reflected her own tastes.[7] She also has a furniture line with Raymour & Flanigan and will launch another home goods line with J. C. Penney in late 2009.[8]
Personal life
She was married to the actor Richard Gere between 1991 and 1995. She has been married to Rande Gerber since May 29, 1998, with whom she has two children, Presley Walker (born July 2, 1999) and Kaia Jordan (born September 3, 2001). She currently resides in Malibu, California.
In 2007, Cindy became an official supporter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.[11] Crawford is on the Honorary Committee of the California Wildlife Center.[12]
