Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson | |
|---|---|
 Macpherson in Sydney in 2011 | |
| Born | Eleanor Nancy Gow 29 March 1964[1][2] Killara, New South Wales, Australia |
| Spouse(s) |
Jeffrey Soffer
(m. 2013; sep. 2017) |
| Partner(s) | Arpad Busson (1996–2005) Andrew Wakefield (2017–2019) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mimi Macpherson (sister) |
| Modelling information | |
| Height | 182 cm (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) |
| Hair colour | Light brown[3] |
| Eye colour | Brown[3] |
| Agency | |
Eleanor Nancy Macpherson (/məkˈfɜːrsən/ mək-FUR-sən; née Gow; born 29 March 1964) is an Australian model, businesswoman, television host, and actress.
She is known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s, leading to her nickname "The Body", coined by Time in 1989. She is the founder, primary model, and creative director for a series of business ventures, including Elle Macpherson Intimates, a lingerie line, and The Body, a line of skin care products. She was the host and executive producer of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model from 2010 to 2013. She is an executive producer of NBC's Fashion Star and was the host for the first season.
As an actress, Macpherson appeared in supporting roles in Sirens (1994), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) and as Julie Madison in Batman and Robin (1997) as well as lead roles in The Edge (1997) and South Kensington (2001). She had a recurring role on Friends and hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.
Early life
Macpherson was born Eleanor Nancy Gow in Killara, New South Wales, on 29 March 1964, the daughter of entrepreneur and sound engineer Peter Gow, a former president of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, a Sydney rugby league team, and Frances Gow, a nurse.[6] She is of Scottish descent.[citation needed] Macpherson's parents divorced when she was 10 years old, and she moved with her mother and two siblings. Her mother later remarried, and a clerical mistake in registering at her new school meant that her surname was changed from Gow to Macpherson, her stepfather's surname.[7][8]
Macpherson grew up in East Lindfield, a suburb in Sydney's North Shore, and attended Killara High School, completing her Higher School Certificate in 1981. Her sister is businesswoman and environmentalist Mimi Macpherson, born Miriam Frances Gow.[9]
Career
Rise to fame as model
Macpherson enrolled to study law at the University of Sydney. Before beginning her university studies, she travelled to the United States to spend a year doing modelling work to earn money to pay for her law books.[10] She travelled to New York City, where she initially signed up with Click Model Management. Her modelling career began in 1982 with a television commercial for Tab, a remake of an American one that featured Lisa Parker, which established her as a "girl next door" figure in Australia.[11]