Cindy Crawford

Supermodel whose brown-haired all-American looks made her an international success on runways and magazine covers. Discovered at age 16 by a local newspaper photographer in Illinois, Crawford began modeling full time after dropping out of the engineering program at Northwestern University. Despite some risky (and risque) career moves—posing for Playboy in 1988 and with the gay singer k.d. Lang on the pages of Vanity Fair (1993)—Crawford went on to become one of the highest paid models in the industry. MTV hired her as a spokeswoman for the fashion show, House of Style (1989–95). Her film credits include Fair Game (1995) and 54 (1998). After her four-year marriage to actor Richard Gere ended in 1995, she wedded night club owner Rande Gerber in 1998.