Heidi Klum was born on June 1, 1973, in
Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Her career in modeling began thanks to her friend
Karin. She persuaded
Heidi in the winter of 1991 to enter a local modeling contest. Although Heidi won the contest in April of 1992, she passed up her first modeling job in order to finish high school first.After Heidi finished high school in June of 1992, she decided to pursue a career as a model. Before making it big anywhere, Heidi hired a lawyer, took out worldwide insurance on herself, and bought a phone that she could use to stay in touch with her parents.
Klum began to learn the ropes in the modeling world in Hamburg, Germany. She then moved to
Milan, followed by a move to Paris. In the summer of 1993,
Heidi began working in Miami and by the fall of that year she moved up to New York City.
Klum has lived in Manhattan ever since.
By 1996, Heidi decided to secure a copyright on her name, just in case.
Heidi's debut on the fashion runway was in 1997 for
Victoria's Secret. The show pushed Heidi into superstardom and she became a recognizable face to the public. That same year she married the
celebrity hairstylist,
Ric Pipino. They divorced in 2002. By 1998,
Heidi became the first German
woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine,
swimsuit edition.On top of modeling,
Klum made her acting debut in 1999. She appeared on the television show Spin City, as the love interest of
Michael J Fox. Her guest appearance went over so well that she stayed with show for a total of six episodes that season. She has also guest starred on the series,
Sex and the City, starring
Sarah Jessica Parker,
Kim Cattrall,
Kristen Davis, and
Cynthia Nixon.
Heidi made her debut on the big screen in the film Blow Dry in 2001. Her co-stars included
Josh Hartnett,
Rachael Leigh Cook,
Alan Rickman, and
Natasha Richardson.In 2004,
Heidi gave birth to her first daughter,
Leni, named after her grandmother.
The father was
Heidi's boyfriend at the time,
Flavio Briatore, an Italian businessman. The relationship did not work out and
Heidi began dating the British musician,
Seal. The couple was married in May of 2005 on a beach in Mexico and their first son,
Henry, was born in September of 2005. In June of 2006 they announced that they are expecting another child.
Heidi began hosting her own TV show in December of 2004 called Project Runway. The series is a reality show where up and coming fashion designers compete for the chance to debut their line at
New York Fashion Week.
Heidi received
Emmy nominations for the show in the first and second season. That following year she began hosting a series called
Germany's Next Top Model, which was based on the show,
America's Next Top Model, hosted by fellow
Victoria's Secret model,
Tyra Banks.Klum has proven herself to be an avid businesswoman and has come out with her own
clothing lines,
swimsuit lines,
shoes,
jewelry, and
perfume. Most of her products are available from her official website.In her free time,
Heidi enjoys painting. In fact, several of her pieces have been featured in art magazines in the United States. She also created a sculpture in dedication to the rescue dogs who helped in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
