Heidi Klum was born on June 1, 1973, in Bergische Gladbach, a small city in Cologne, Germany. In 1991, while she was still in high school and doing well in mathematics and art, Heidi was encouraged by her friend Karin to participate in a modeling competition. Although Heidi was reluctant at first, she finally gave in.
Heidi Klum was discovered when she participated in the Model '92 competition, organized by "Petra" magazine and a New York modeling agency. The competition received 250,000 resumes from girls wishing to participate in the grueling selection process. As the winner of the Model '92 competition, Heidi appeared in the Petrol catalog and was offered a three-year modeling contract with Metropolitan worth $300,000. However, she passed on the offer in order to finish high school. Less than a year later, she was studying to be a fashion designer when she decided to drop it to pursue a modeling career. After a couple of modeling gigs in Paris and Milan, Heidi crossed the Atlantic to come to the U.S. in 1993, but not before she obtained two things: a lawyer and worldwide insurance. She first landed on our shores in Miami, but she soon made the wise decision to relocate to the highly competitive Big Apple.
With patience and effort, the work offers started to pour in for Heidi. She appeared in many print advertisements, including for Bonne Bell (which Denise Richards also modeled for), Finesse, Gerry Weber, Givenchy's "Amarige", and INC. In 1996, Heidi founded Heidi Klum GmbH, helped design the firm's trademarked logo and secured the copyright to her name. By 1997, Heidi was snatched from regular model status and thrown into the supermodel ranks of Tyra Banks, Helena Christensen and Stephanie Seymour. That year marked Heidi's first runway walk and the beginning of a long relationship with Victoria's Secret. Speaking of relationships, Heidi also married her first husband, hairstylist Ric Pipino, in 1997. The couple divorced in 2002 and Heidi hit the dating scene. She has been romantically linked to Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, Renault's Formula One owner Flavio Briatore, with whom she had her first child in 2004, and Philip Zevenbergen. In 2005, she happily settled down and wed Grammy-winning British soul singer Seal. The couple has produced two sons, Henry and Johan, since their union.
While Heidi appeared on the covers of such magazines as "Bride's", "Cosmopolitan", "Self", "Glamour", and "Mademoiselle", none could live up to the recognition Heidi received as 1998's "Sports Illustrated" Swimsuit Edition cover girl, an honor that models Vendela, Elle MacPherson and Tyra Banks had previously claimed. Heidi was the first German model to take the "SI" cover and she maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with the publication for years. Heidi's newfound superstardom allowed her to launch her very own swimsuit calendar in 2000. The inaugural calendar was shot on location in St. Barts by renowned photographer Antoine Verglas. A year later, "People "magazine finally recognized Heidi as one of the world's 50 Most Beautiful People. She has since been honored by ranking high on various "sexiest women" lists, such as "FHM"'s, "Maxim's," and of course, AskMen's Most Desirable Women list.
Who's a better authority on fashion and perfume than a model? There's no doubt that Heidi realized that models have an expiration date -- though hers is far from reached -- which would explain the rationale behind her desire to break into the worlds of acting and art. She has also used her good business sense to launch a clothing line, a swimsuit line, perfume, jewelry, and shoes. As an actress, Heidi's parts have been relatively small and she often appears as herself. Nonetheless, she's a welcome addition to any screen and has appeared in such television shows as "Spin City", "CSI: Miami" and "Sex and the City", in which she shared the runway with Sarah Jessica Parker. She can also been seen in the films "54" (1998), "Blow Dry "(2001), "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers "(2004), "Ella Enchanted" (2004), and "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006).
Heidi Klum is well-known for her down-to-earth personality and her quirky sense of humor (she yodeled on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and performed a pregnant dance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"), but her wholesome family values may surprise some. She has listed quality time with her family as her greatest hobby, among her many other interests, such as jazz and ballet dancing, traveling, painting, skiing, and listening to music. Her favorite musical artists include James Brown, Moby, Dido, U2, and Nikki Costa. We have one question: Where's Seal on that list? Heidi is signed with Elite Model Management, which is or has been home to Alessandra Ambrosio, Gisele Bundchen and Claudia Schiffer, and she continues to model. Although Heidi has achieved a powerful name in the industry -- "Forbes "ranked her among the 100 Most Powerful Celebrities in 2003 -- she is still subject to contractual obligations, such as being forbidden to alter her image." "Her marriage was considered a breach of contract, as was the birth of her last child. As a result of her $2.5 million contract with Victoria's Secret, Heidi was forced to lose her pregnancy weight and return to model form 34 days after giving birth. She succeeded and participated in a fashion shoot.
Since 2004, Heidi has been enjoying enormous success with her reality television series "Project Runway". Heidi serves three roles on the show: producer, lovely hostess and judge. Contestants with hopes of becoming fashion designers vie for a chance to prove their skills, and Heidi wields the power to make their dreams come true or crush them into oblivion. The show was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005 and 2006. AskMen |
