Sunny Harnett

Annemarie Margot Elfreda Harnett, known professionally as Sunny Harnett, was born in 1924 and worked as a model, actress, and casting director in the United States. She died in May 1987 at the age of 63 from injuries sustained in a fire at a long-term care facility where she had been residing.

Harnett built her reputation as one of the defining faces of 1950s fashion, appearing regularly in major publications including Vogue, where she was featured on the cover on multiple occasions. Harper's Bazaar has ranked her among the 26 greatest models of all time. Photographer Richard Avedon counted her among his favorite subjects, and she also worked frequently with photographer Edgar de Evia. Among the most celebrated images of Harnett is an August 1954 photograph taken by Avedon, in which she wears an evening gown by Grès while looking over a roulette wheel at a casino in Le Touquet, France. That photograph sold for $35,000 at a Christie's auction in October 2012.

Her connection to Avedon extended into film. Harnett appeared in the 1957 movie Funny Face, in which Avedon served as a thinly veiled inspiration for Fred Astaire's character, Dick Avery. Following her modeling career, Harnett became an assistant to Eileen Ford at Ford Models before leaving the industry. She is reported to have declined to represent Naomi Sims, who went on to become the first African-American supermodel, citing the number of Black models Ford already represented.

Harnett also pursued work in theater, appearing on Broadway in 1962 in the production Seidman and Son. In her later years, she experienced significant health challenges, including a mastectomy and weight changes, and was eventually placed in a facility for long-term care, where she died following a fire in May 1987.