She’s well known as a supermodel in both the cosmetics world, particularly for Maybelline, as well as for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit editions, although Josie Maran has also delved into the worlds of commercials, music videos, and film acting.

The part-Russian/Polish/Dutch/French/German beauty was born on May 8, 1978, in Menlo Park, California, and got into modeling, casually at first, at age twelve, after being spotted by an agent at a barbeque.

When she was seventeen, Maran landed a contract with Los Angeles’ Elite modeling agency, and just a few years later her image was splashed all over major magazines. In 1998, Maran snagged her first cover on Glamour, and also became the Guess? model for their summer and fall campaigns that year.

By this time, Maran had already made quite a name for herself as an editorial and advertising/image model, and also had more than twenty-five commercials under her belt, as well as an appearance in a Backstreet Boys’, the boy band that now consists of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, and A.J. McLean, music video.

In 1999, Maran signed a major contract deal with Maybelline cosmetics, a deal for which she is known for and highly regarded today. Supermodel Christy Turlington, Maran’s reported idol, was also a Maybelline girl.

Then, Maran accumulated more fame and fortune after appearing in Sports Illustrated’s famous swimsuit issues three years in a row, from 2000 to 2002, although didn’t follow in the footsteps of supermodels Christie Brinkley, Elle Macpherson, Kathy Ireland, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, and Rebecca Romijn, who had all appeared on the covers.

Around this time, Maran decided to try her hand at acting as well. She broke out with a starring role in the critically acclaimed independent film The Mallory Effect in 2002. Maran then took supporting roles in several big-name films in 2004: Van Helsing, which starred Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale, in which Maran played one of Dracula’s brides; Little Black Book, which also starred Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter, Kathy Bates, as the French model Lulu; and The Aviator, also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, with a brief appearance as a “cigarette girl.”

In 2005, Maran took a lead role in The Confession opposite Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), and a year later, she landed another lead role as Kira Hastings opposite Dominic Purcell, Miller’s co-star on Prison Break, in the horror-thriller The Gravedancers.

Maran gave birth to her and her boyfriend Ali Alborzi’s first child, daughter Rumi Joon, in June of 2006. She was previously involved in a long-term romance with David Blaine, a famous magician. Maran is also known for instigating rumors about her possible bisexuality with comments she’s made on Howard Stern’s and Jimmy Kimmel’s talk shows.

YUDDY