Aishwarya Rai, or the Queen of Bollywood as she’s often called, is the stunning Indian model-turned-actress who held the Miss World title in 1994. With her blue-green eyes and perfectly chiseled features, Aishwarya, or Ash, is well-known by more than just her male admirers. Though not yet as popular in the western states, Rai’s career is internationally promising.

Born November 1, 1973, in Mangalore, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, Rai was born to professional parents. Her father, a marine merchant officer, moved her family to Mumbai, the former Bombay , when she was young. Rai was a studious child who excelled at academics and she eventually chose to study architecture in college.

The perfect combination of brains and beauty, Rai began modeling while in school, until she became so swamped with assignments, she gave up architecture. Some of the more prominent campaigns that helped increase her popularity included ads for Pepsi, Palmolive, Casio, and Phillips.

In 1991, Rai was persuaded to enter the Ford Supermodel Contest, and to her surprise, she won. Spotted by photographer Steven Meisel, Rai suddenly found herself appearing in Vogue magazine. This appearance reaped attention by the Indian film industry, and Rai appeared in her first film, Mamagaru, that same year.