Christie Brinkley Biography

The actress and model Christie Brinkley was born in 1954 in Monroe, Michigan. Long before Brinkley rose to fame as one of America’s most successful and recognizable models, she grew up with her family in Los Angeles, attending Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles in California. Christie decided initially to pursue a career in art, and so she left for Paris to continue her studies in the early 1970’s. The move proved fortuitous, but not as expected; Brinkley was discovered by an American photographer while standing in a post office in France, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The photographer brought Brinkley’s photographs to John Casablancas, who immediately signed her to his Elite Model Management agency. Some of Brinkley’s earliest contracts during this time period include shoots for Glamour, CoverGirl, and then later Sports Illustrated, for their Swimsuit Issue. Christie’s three consecutive appearances for the issue led to her biggest breakthrough, launching a career which has brought her image to more than five hundred magazine covers, including: Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Newsweek, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and LIFE. 

In the early 80’s, Christie Brinkley made her first appearance on the big screen, as “the girl in the red Ferrari” in National Lampoon’s Vacation. Although she never launched a full-fledged career as an actress, throughout the 80’s and 90’s she hosted a number of television programs including Celebrity Weddings InStyle and Living in the 90’s, which aired on CNN. In addition, Christie has has written a health and beauty book, Christie Brinkley’s Outdoor Beauty and Fitness Book, and she launched her own signature fragrance, Believe, in 1998.

Today, Christie Brinkley is known for her active philanthropic endeavors, particularly for organizations which seek to promote animal welfare and animal rights. She has also traveled with the USO on a number of goodwill missions, and she has been the recipient of the March of Dimes’ Humanitarian Award. Numerous other awards have been given to Brinkley, who continues her work as an actress, writer, designer, and activist.