Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum (born 1.6.1973)

Heidi Klum is a German / American model, as well as an actress, fashion designer and occasional singer. She is married to the singer Seal.

Heidi Klum: Childhood

Heidi Klum was raised in Bergisch, a small city near Cologne, Germany. Her parents are Günther and Erna Klum. Her father worked as a cosmetics executive but is now Heidi's business manager and her mother was a hairdresser.

At the age of 18, her friends persuaded her to enter a modeling competition entitled Model 92. She won the contest and was offered a contract with Metropolitan Models in New York, worth $300,000. When she won the contest, she appeared on the popular late night chat show, Gottschalk Late Night Show. When she graduated from school, she accepted the contract and decided against her original plan of studying fashion design.

Heidi Klum: Acting, Modelling, Endorsements & TV Career

Klum's career has seen her grace the covers of a slew of major fashion publications, such as Vogue, Marie Claire and ELLE. Following her photoshoot for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, she became the subject for Joanne Gair's body painting works and has subsequently authored the foreword of one of Gair's body painting books.

Heidi Klum has undertaken endorsements for a number of global companies, including Liz Clairborne and H&M. She has also been employed as the spokesperson for Volkswagen and Jordache.

Klum has acted in a number of television shows. Among them are Spin City, Sex and the City, How I Met Your Mother and Yes, Dear. In the film the Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Heidi Klum played the role of Ursula Andress, opposite Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers. The film also featured Charlize Theron as Britt Ekland and Stephen Fry as Maurice Woodruff. In The Devil Wears Prada, which starred Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, Heidi Klum had a cameo appearance.

Heidi Klum is currently contracted to IMG Models, based in New York City. In terms of earning power, Heidi Klum is well ahead of Kate Moss (Forbes magazine placed Heidi's earnings at $14 million, compared to Kate's $7.5 million) but behind Gisele Bündchen, who reportedly earns $35 million.

In 2004, Heidi Klum worked as the judge, host and producer of Project Runway, a US reality show following a group of fashion designers competing to show their work at New York Fashion Week. The show received an Emmy Award for each of its first four seasons.

Heidi Klum has designed a number of clothing ranges that are available in the German mail-order catalogue Otto. She has also been invited to design shoes for Birkenstock, and jewellery for Mouawad. Her swimsuit range that she designed for Jordache was featured in the 2002 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Victoria's Secret also commissioned her to be a designer for their lingerie range named 'The Body'. They also have a make-up range named 'The Heidi Klum Collection'.

The two ranges of fragrances named after Heidi Klum are 'Heidi Klum' and 'Me'.

Heidi Klum is also a host on another reality TV show: Germany's Next Top Model, the show popularised in the UK and US. Klum co-produces the show, along with fellow model Tyra Banks.

Heidi Klum's Body of Knowledge was published in 2004 and was co-authored by Alexandra Postman, the editor of Elle magazine. The biography gives Klum's advice on being a success.

Heidi Klum has featured in a number of music videos; most notably Jamiroquai's 'Love Foolosophy; and Kelis' 'Young, Fresh and New'.

Klum has also turned her hand to singing, releasing the single 'Wonderland' in 2006. She has also sung on her husband, Seal's album System. They duetted on the song 'Wedding Day', which Seal wrote for the day that they married.

Heidi Klum: Personal Life

Klum's first marriage was to the stylist Ric Pipino in 1997. The marriage only lasted until 2002, after which she had relationships with Anthony Kiedis, the singer of the band Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Flavio Briatore, the Formula-1 executive. Klum and Briatore split shortly after Klum became pregnant. In 2004, she gave birth to Leni Klum.

The following year, she married the singer and musician Seal in Mexico. The pair have two children of their own, Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel and Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel.