Elle MacPherson
Biography
Born
Eleanor Nancy Gow in Sydney on March 29, 1964 – she changed
her name to Macpherson when her mother remarried soon after Elle's
14th birthday – the young Australian was, by her own confession,
a tomboy who preferred climbing trees to playing with dolls.
She gained
a place at Sydney University to study pre-law but left after a year
when she was spotted by a modelling scout while on vacation in Aspen.
It was to be the start of an extremely lucrative career.
Elle
was the covergirl for the prestigious swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated
three years in a row, and her magazine namesake was so taken with
her statuesque beauty that she was featured in its pages every month
for six years. For her part, the ubermodel was so enamoured of the
publication's creative director, Gilles Bensimon, 20 years her senior,
that she married him when she was just 21. The couple broke up in
1989.
Not just
a pretty face, Elle also has a reputation as a shrewd businesswoman.
Her Australian lingerie business, Elle Macpherson Intimates, is
worth around $10 million and she is on record as saying that she
prefers the marketing and business side of fashion to its fluffy,
frock-tastic face.
In 1990
she branched out into acting, first appearing on the silver screen
in Woody Allen's Alice. Perhaps her most famous role was that of
Sheela in the Australian film Sirens, for which she put on 20lb
to play the part of a nude artist's model. Since then she has appeared
in the TV series Friends, and starred opposite George Clooney in
Batman and Robin. She has also released her own fitness video.
On February
14, 1998, Elle gave birth to Flynn, her son by French banker Arki
Busson. The couple have not married, although they live together
happily, and when asked whether they would be heading down the aisle
together, Elle laughed and said: "You'll have to ask Arki.
I'm quite old-fashioned – I still believe it's up to the man
to propose." And he did pop the question in 2002; the two became
engaged during a romantic trip to the Bahamas. Their second child,
Aurelius Cy was born on February 5, 2003.
Elle MacPherson Filmography
South Kensington (2001)--Camilla
"A Girl Thing" (2001) (mini) TV Series--Lauren Travis
With Friends Like These... (1998)--Samantha Mastandrea
The Edge (1997)--Mickey Morse
Batman & Robin (1997)--Julie Madison
The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)--Candy
If Lucy Fell (1996)--Jane Lindquist
Jane Eyre (1996)--Blanche Ingram
Sirens (1994)--Sheela
Alice (1990)--Model |
