| Kathy Ireland |
Ireland at the World Jewelry Center, 2008. |
| Birth name |
Kathleen Marie Ireland |
| Date of birth |
March 20, 1963 (1963-03-20) (age 46) |
| Place of birth |
Glendale, California,
United States |
| Height |
5'10" |
| Hair color |
Auburn |
| Eye color |
Blue |
| Spouse(s) |
Dr. Greg Olsen |
| Official website |
Kathleen Marie "Kathy" Ireland (born March 20, 1963) is an American former model, actress, CEO and designer of her eponymous brand product marketing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide.
Life and career
Ireland was born in Glendale, California, the daughter of John Ireland, a labor union organizer, and Barbara Ireland, who worked in charity.[1] At age 17, Ireland was "discovered" by an agent for the Elite Model Management company, and by the time she graduated from high school, she was working steadily as a model.[2]
Sports Illustrated
Starting in 1984, Ireland was featured in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 13 consecutive years, with her final appearance in 1996.[3] In addition to her long tenure within the pages, Ireland appeared on the cover of the annual issue three times, a feat tied by Christie Brinkley and Cheryl Tiegs and surpassed only by Elle Macpherson (with six or more appearances). Ireland was the cover model for the first time on the 25th Anniversary Swimsuit Edition, which became SI's best selling swimsuit issue to date.[4][5] She returned to the cover in 1992 and in 1994. In her third appearance, she was accompanied by Rachel Hunter and Elle Macpherson; notably, both Hunter and Ireland were pregnant at the time.[5]
Acting
Ireland has appeared in a number of television and movie roles. Her first movie, 1988's Alien from L.A., was later skewered during the fifth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000.[6] Ireland also appeared in Melrose Place, Side Out, Mr. Destiny, National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (alongside William Shatner), Once Upon A Christmas, Twice Upon A Christmas, Mom and Dad Save the World and Necessary Roughness. She also appeared in the ninth season of Dancing with The Stars, however, she was the third couple eliminated in the second week of competition.
Entrepreneur
In 1993, Ireland put her name on a line of socks. After they proved a best-seller for Kmart, the retailer gave Ireland her own clothing line.[7] She then founded "Kathy Ireland Worldwide," a brand product marketing company in which she holds a majority stake.[8] By 2004, Ireland was marketing products from 16 manufacturers, including those of Standard Furniture.[7][9] Ireland's long-term exclusive contract with K-mart Corporation lasted until 2003, after which the company contracted with thousands of independent mid-tier retail stores for distribution.[10] By 2005, KIWW products were sold at over 50,000 locations, in 15 countries and generating an estimated $1.4 billion in retail sales.[9] Ireland's annual take is thought to be around $10 million, which has prompted Forbes to name her the "prototype for model-turned-mogul," in an article about the trend of modelpreneurs.[11]
Since 1994, Ireland has published several fitness videos.
Books
Ireland has written five books (including three for children), and a sixth book is due out in Fall 2009.
Her debut effort, Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons that Will Change Your Life, was first published by Doubleday in June 2002. It is laced with discussions of her faith in God and the reasons for her strong pro-life stance.
Her children's books – Mona's Favorite Words, What Do Mommies Do? and An Angel Called Hope, were released by Publications International Ltd. in November 2005.
Ireland's most recent work, Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity, was published by Howard Books in April 2009. It was released in both English and Spanish. According to the jacket, in her book Ireland shares "stories from her own life and wisdom she has gained through her years from teenager with a paper route to successful supermodel to mom to entrepreneur."
A sixth book, Real Solutions: 52 God Inspired Messages from My Heart is to be published in Fall 2009.
Personal life
Kathy Ireland became a Christian at the age of 18, when she read the Bible out of curiosity.[12] She has said that she switched her previously pro-choice stance on abortion to pro-life after researching her husband Dr. Greg Olsen's medical books.[12]
Ireland gave a speech at the fourth Youth Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters on August 13, 2007. The purpose was to encourage activities among young people towards ending poverty. Ireland spoke on a subject of social entrepreneurship and partnerships.[13]
In May 2009, Ireland and her family were evacuated from two homes endangered by the Jesusita Fire near Santa Barbara, CA: one belonging to Ireland's parents, and the other being the home where Ireland, her husband and their three children reside.[14]
Ireland appeared on Larry King's talk show in 2009 to discuss her weight gain and woman's health. She had gained a pound a year for 25 years and the cumulative effect had become obvious to her in a candid photograph her son had taken. Ireland said in the interview, "Weight is a symptom of something that needs to change in your life."[15]
Kathy competed on Season 9 of Dancing with the Stars. She was eliminated on the second episode.
References
- ^ Kathy Ireland Biography (1963-)
- ^ "Kathy Ireland - Profile". E! Online. http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=67c3c82c-7d5a-4e66-8d20-7cfc12989337. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- ^ "Collosus Collectibles Sports Illustrated Swimsuit". http://www.colossuscollectibles.com/calendars/siswimsuit/index.html. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- ^ "SI Swimsuit Collection - Kathy Ireland". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/swimsuit/collection/issues/ultimate_swimsuit/ult_kireland_01.html. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- ^ a b "Sports Illustrated 50: The Anniversary Book, Rob Fleder, 2005, p.286, ISBN 1-932273-49-2". http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/swimsuit/collection/issues/ultimate_swimsuit/ult_kireland_01.html.
- ^ "Mystery Science Theater 3000". TV.com. November 20, 1993. http://www.tv.com/mystery-science-theater-3000/alien-from-l.a./episode/46964/summary.html. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ a b Blakeley, Kiri (07.05.04). "The Model Mogul". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/celebrities/forbes/2004/0705/116.html. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ Boone & Kurtz (2007). Contemporary Business 12th Edition. Thomson South-Western.
- ^ a b Blakeley, Kiri (12.06.06). "Most Entrepreneurial Supermodels". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2006/02/02/fashion-supermodels-licensing-cz_kb_0203fashion2_ls.html. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ Gale Group (October 27, 2003). "Troy, Mich. — model Kathy Ireland reports that her apparel will retail in some 3,000 stores in addition to Kmart next spring, ending its long-term exclusive". BNET Business Network, DSN Retailing Today. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_20_42/ai_109665978. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ Blakeley, Kiri (12.06.06). "Models Turned Moguls". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/17/supermodel-entrepreneur-gisele-ent-sales-cx_kb_0717modelpreneurs_slide_11.html?thisSpeed=20000. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ a b Blim, Julie (2002-08-20). "Kathy Ireland: Designing Woman". CBN. http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/kathy_ireland-interview.aspx. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ "End Poverty 2015/Millenium Development Goals". September 11, 2007. http://www.mdg-gateway.org/MDG-Blog/?cat=4&paged=2. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
- ^ Livingston, David (May 08, 2009). "Wildfire Causes Kathy Ireland and Family to Evacuate Homes". ET: Entertainment Online. http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/05/73790/. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/diet.fitness/05/05/lkl.celebrities.weight/index.html
External links
