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.

Early life

Crawford was born in DeKalb, Illinois, the daughter of Jennifer Moluf¹ 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.

Crawford graduated from DeKalb High School in 1984, as valedictorian. [1] She won an academic scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern University, which she attended for only one quarter. She dropped out in order to pursue a full-time modeling career. After working for photographer Victor Skrebneski in Chicago, Cindy moved to Manhattan in 1986; she was signed with the Elite New York modeling agency.

In 1987 she briefly appeared during the opening credits of the Michael J. Fox film The Secret of My Success.

Career

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 exclusively with Rooms To Go.⁷ 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.⁸ She also has a furniture line with Raymour & Flanigan and will launch another home goods line with J. C. Penney in late 2009.⁹

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.

Her brother died at a young age from leukemia, and Crawford has made childhood leukemia a focal point of her charity work, donating proceeds of her calendars to medical research.¹⁰ She is also an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.¹¹

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.¹² Crawford is on the Honorary Committee of the California Wildlife Center.¹³

Filmography

Films

• Unzipped (1995)
• Catwalk (1995)
• Fair Game (1995) ... as Kate McQueen
• 54 (1998) ...as VIP Patron
• Beautopia (1998) ...a critical documentary looking at the world of modeling
• Bodyguards (2000) ...as herself
• The Simian Line (2001) ...as Sandra

Videos

• Cindy Crawford: Shape Your Body Workout (1992)
• Cindy Crawford: The Next Challenge Workout (1993)
• Cindy Crawford: A New Dimension (2000)

Television

• MTV's House of Style (1989-1995) ...host
• Frasier: "Halloween" (1997)
• Sesame Street: Elmopalooza (1998)
• The Secret World of... Supermodels (1998)
• Sex with Cindy Crawford (1998) ...a one hour TV special about sex in the United States hosted by Crawford
• Intimate Portrait: Cindy Crawford (2001)
• Sunrise (2007)
• Wizards of Waverly Place: "Fashion Week" (2009)

References

External links

• www.cindycrawford.com—Cindy Crawford's official website
• Cindy Crawford at Fashion Model Directory
• Cindy Crawford at the Internet Movie Database
• Playboy Interview: Cindy Crawford