English born Twiggy is best known for her icon status as a 1960s supermodel. However, she is equally successful in her pursuit as an actress and singer. Demonstrating amazing staying power, she currently serves as a co-judge on the popular reality series America’s Next Top Model.
Given name Lesley Hornby, Twiggy was born September 19, 1949, in Neasden, England. Her parents were William Norman and Helen Hornby, a carpenter and counter girl for Woolworth’s, respectively.
Twiggy did not intend on pursuing modeling, but rather had the industry thrust upon her. Employed at a hair salon, Nigel Davies spotted Twiggy in 1966. Sensing the modeling world was in for a change, he picked her up, gave her the now-famous nickname Twiggy, and the duo went to work.
With the business finesse of Davies (who had since starting calling himself Justin de Villeneuve) Twiggy was an instant sensation. She was even named The Face of 1966. And it’s little wonder. The modeling world had not seen anything like her; until her appearance in the modeling circuit, runway models had much fuller figures. Twiggy single-handedly made extreme thinness the fashion world norm, which is a trend that endures even on modern catwalks.
Her transition to New York in 1967 brought concerns that her look and appeal would fade, but she was just as well-received in America as London. Twiggy served to revolutionize fashion in ways other than her weight, however. Her short haircuts and androgynous look would go on to dominate the fashion scene for years to come. For all these reasons, she is widely considered the first supermodel.
After only four years dominating the runways, Twiggy retired to the shock of the fashion community. She was reported as stating, "You can’t be a clothes hanger for your entire life!"
With her modeling days behind her, Twiggy entered the next stage in her career. In 1971, director Ken Russell cast her as the lead in his new film The Boy Friend. WhenThe Boy Friend first opened on Broadway in 1954 it starred a then newcomer named Julie Andrews, so Twiggy was stepping into some fairly big shoes. Twiggy would win two Golden Globes for her efforts—Best Motion Picture Actress and Most Promising Newcomer. She followed up that role with a less critically acclaimed role in the thriller W, alongside Eugene Roche, Dirk Benedict, and John Vernon.
Throughout the 70s, Twiggy repeatedly found ways to combine her two new ambitions of acting and singing. With musically geared shows like Twiggs in 1974 and Twiggy in 1975, her fame as a model was fading while her musical reputation was on the rise. She even made a brief appearance in the musical comedy The Blues Brothers beside John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Carrie Fisher.
Her acting career continued to flourish with one high point including a turn as Eliza Doolittle opposite Robert Powell in the film version of Pygmalion.
With an uncanny ability to keep herself current, Twiggy is yet again in the spotlight with her role on Tyra Bank’s reality series America’s Next Top Model. She took former model Janice Dickinson’s spot as celebrity judge.
Twiggy married fellow actor Michael Witney in 1977, and they remained married until his unexpected and sudden death in 1983. They had one child together. Twiggy remarried Leigh Lawson in 1988, and they are currently still together, although they have no children.
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