Christie Brinkley

Christie Lee Brinkley, born Christie Lee Hudson on February 2, 1954, in Monroe, Michigan, is an American model, actress, author, designer, and Broadway performer. Her parents were Marjorie and Herbert Hudson. The family relocated to Canoga Park in Los Angeles, where her mother later married television writer Donald Brinkley in Bel Air; Donald subsequently adopted Christie and her brother Greg. The family lived in Malibu and then Brentwood during this period. Brinkley attended Paul Revere Junior High School and Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles from ninth through twelfth grade. Following her 1972 graduation, she moved to Paris to study art.

Her modeling career began in 1973 when American photographer Errol Sawyer discovered her in a Paris post office, took her first modeling photographs, and introduced her to John Casablancas of Elite Model Management. Through Elite, she met fashion photographers Patrick Demarchelier and Mike Reinhardt, who contacted Eileen Ford on her behalf. After a lunch meeting with Nina Blanchard, Eileen Ford's Los Angeles affiliate, Brinkley was booked for three national advertising campaigns before the meal had ended. Numerous covers of Glamour followed, along with a 25-year contract with CoverGirl, among the longest modeling contracts in history. In 2005, CoverGirl signed her again to appear in advertising for mature skin products. Brinkley appeared on three consecutive covers of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues in 1979, 1980, and 1981, the first time any model had achieved that distinction, and was featured in the magazine's 40th Anniversary Hall of Fame in 2005 and its 50th Anniversary Legends issue in 2014. Across her career she has appeared on more than 500 magazine covers, including Vogue, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and the best-selling issue of Life. Her commercial contracts have included Chanel No. 19, Diet Coke, Revlon, Clairol, Nissan, Max Factor, Halston, and numerous other fashion and non-fashion brands. In 1989, she was among three models — alongside Cheryl Tiegs and Beverly Johnson — featured as dolls in the Matchbox Toys Real Model Collection.

Beyond modeling, Brinkley built a wide-ranging career as an actress, television personality, author, illustrator, photographer, writer, and designer. Her first acting role came in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation, in which she played the girl in the red Ferrari opposite Chevy Chase, a role she reprised in the 1997 sequel Vegas Vacation. She appeared in music videos for Billy Joel, including those for Uptown Girl, Keeping the Faith, A Matter of Trust, Leningrad, All About Soul, and River of Dreams, during their marriage from 1985 to 1994. She also appeared in Mick Jones's video for Just Wanna Hold. Brinkley had a recurring television role as Gayle Gergich, wife of Jerry Gergich, on NBC's Parks and Recreation, and co-hosted Anderson Live in December 2012. Her NBC appearance on Mad About You was the network's highest-rated half-hour episode since the finale of The Cosby Show, and her hosting of Celebrity Weddings InStyle became the highest-rated special in Lifetime's history. In 1983 she appeared on the Today Show in a four-part beauty segment, and in 1992 she launched a daily half-hour CNN series titled Living in the 90s — With Christie Brinkley. In 2011 she appeared in the documentary King of the Hamptons, which premiered at the 2010 Hamptons International Film Festival. In 2022 she competed on season seven of The Masked Singer as Lemur of Team Cuddly.

Brinkley made her stage debut on April 8, 2011, in New York, playing Roxie Hart in the long-running musical Chicago. She subsequently completed a one-month engagement in London's production at the Cambridge Theatre and reprised the role on Broadway, accumulating 182 total performances with the National Touring Company of Chicago in cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, and Hartford. Her Broadway appearances in Chicago span 1996 to 2013. In April 2019, she returned to the role of Roxie Hart in a production of Chicago at the Venetian Theatre at The Venetian Las Vegas.

In 1983, Brinkley wrote and illustrated Christie Brinkley's Outdoor Beauty and Fitness Book, which reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller list. She illustrated the cover art for Billy Joel's 1993 triple-platinum album River of Dreams, for which Rolling Stone named it the best album cover of the year. She has designed clothing patterns for Simplicity Pattern and, in March 1994, co-designed a line of prescription glasses and sunglasses called Christie Brinkley Perspectives for Nouveau Eyewear. In Spring 1998 she released a signature fragrance called Believe. Since 1997, she has appeared alongside Chuck Norris in cable television infomercials for Total Gym home fitness equipment. Her business ventures include Christie Brinkley Authentic Skin Care, Hair2Wear hair extensions, Bellissima Prosecco organic sparkling wine, and Christie Brinkley Eyewear. Her financial holdings in 2019 were estimated at approximately 80 million dollars, derived primarily from real estate holdings in the Hamptons.

Brinkley has been married four times, including to musician Billy Joel from 1985 to 1994. Her fourth marriage, to architect Peter Cook, ended in a widely covered 2008 divorce. She has been an activist for human and animal rights and environmental causes. Born in Monroe, Michigan, she was photographed across more than 30 countries on six continents over the course of her career.