Elle Mc Pherson

Biography

Her nickname is ‘The Body,’ in recognition of that considerable asset, but it’s a head for business that allows her to juggle careers as top supermodel, respected actor and savvy restauranteur.
Eleanor Gow took on her lawyer step-father’s surname as a teen, and prepared to follow him into the legal profession. However, after a year in pre-law at Sydney University, fate (in the form of ski vacation plans) took Elle Macpherson to Aspen Colorado, where the statuesque 18-year-old Australian was “discovered” and signed to a Click Modelling Agency contract.

Macpherson was busy posing immediately. Elle Magazine became “Elle’s” magazine for six years, as the young model was chosen again and again for photo layouts. She eventually wed the publication’s creative director, Gilles Bensimon, but the marriage didn’t last.

Elle was only the beginning. For an athletic/sultry model, nothing spells success like getting on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, and here Macpherson is a glittering star -- she’s been there an unprecedented three consecutive times.

The series of Sports Illustrated exercise videos she went on to film may qualify as her first break into acting (if you don’t count the popular Western Australia tourism promotions) but her real movie career launch came with a certain degree of prestige. Macpherson was handpicked by director Woody Allen for a party scene walk-on in Alice (1990). It was what she did for her next part, though, that won her critical attention -- the model gained 20 (or 30, depending upon the source) pounds for her role Sirens (1994). Hollywood decided that this gal was serious, and she was subsequently cast in Jane Eyre (1996), If Lucy Fell (1996), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), Batman and Robin (1997), The Edge (1997), Beautopia (1998), and With Friends Like These (1998).

The downside of modelling fame and acting acclaim hit Macpherson in 1997, when her home was burglarized with fallouts of slander and a “ransom” of her nude pictures. The next year brightened when son, Flynn, was born to the model/actor and Swiss financier Arpade Busson. That year, as well, Macpherson was listed top supermodel earner with a tidy $40.3 million in revenue.

Macpherson remains hugely popular. She is one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People; she heads a $10 million lingere label enterprise and line of sportswear; and she’s a co-owner of the successful Fashion Cafe restaurant chain. Her image can be found enshrined by fans on countless Internet sites. Not to be left out, Hollywood, too, wants more -- Miramax has announced a multi-tier (film, television and publishing) contract with Macpherson that should allow a furthering of her promising acting career. The model/actor/businesswoman may have quickly trimmed those extra Siren pounds, but she’s a heavyweight in the entertainment industry.