Paulina Porizkova As a supermodel and actress, it would seem that this Czech-born beauty has the perfect life. Paulina, however, has gone through some extremely difficult times, including being separated from her family for years, and enduring torment and ridicule from her peers. Paulina Porizkova was born on April 9, 1965, in Prostejov, Czechoslovakia. Her early years were anything but easy. While the future supermodel was still a baby, her parents left Czechoslovakia under the threat of a Soviet invasion. They moved to Sweden, but left Paulina with her grandmother, thinking that they would soon be reunited in Sweden. The communist Czech government, however, would not allow Paulina to leave, and her case was widely publicized worldwide. Political pressure, including that from Swedish politician Olof Palme, eventually allowed the family to be reunited. At that time, Paulina had been separated from her family for almost seven years. Her newfound happiness was short-lived, however. Her father left the family shortly after the reunion, and Porizkova does not have a relationship with him to this day.
Paulina was taunted by her peers for being poor and also for being a political refugee. She reports having to steal bread just to eat. Her luck, however, was about to change. In 1980, a friend of Paulina’s, who also happened to be a photographer, took some pictures of her and sent them to the modeling agency Elite Model Management. The agency, which helped launch the careers of supermodels like Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, and Cindy Crawford, liked what they saw. When they offered her a ticket to Paris, Porizkova readily accepted, and her rise to the top of the modeling world began. Her status as a Paris top model quickly allowed her to expand her success into the United States. Here she would be featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, as well as Playboy magazine (founded by Hugh Hefner). She was named by People magazine as one of the fifty most beautiful people in the world twice, and Harper’s Bazaar put her in the top ten of the same category in 1992. American Photo magazine called her the model of the 1980s. Paulina capitalized on this attention throughout the 80s and 90s, appearing on the covers of leading magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Glamour. She also appeared in advertising campaigns for Diet Sprite. Porizkova was signed as the face for leading cosmetics company Estee Lauder in 1988, who offered her six million a year to represent their products. At the time, this made her the highest paid model ever. Estee Lauder eventually replaced Paulina with Elizabeth Hurley. In spite of her incredible success in the fashion world, Paulina began to spend less time modeling after the birth of her children.
During her career, Paulina has appeared in several films, including the 1991 cult classic Arizona Dream, starring Johnny Depp and Jerry Lewis. Appearances in recent years have included a starring role in the horror flick Dark Asylum, and an appearance in the 2004 comedy Second Best, featuring Bronson Pinchot and Jennifer Tilly. Paulina appeared alongside John Stamos and Tara Reid in Knots, also released in 2004. Paulina’s husband is Ric Ocasek, the lead musician for The Cars. They married in August of 1989, and have two sons. Jonathon Raven was born in 1993, and Oliver Orion arrived in 1998. After several years away from the spotlight, it was recently announced that Paulina would be returning to television. ABC announced in February of 2007 that the model and actress will be a contestant on the upcoming installment of Dancing with the Stars. YUDDY |
