Biography of Elle MacphersonElle Macpherson was born Eleanor Nancy Gow on March 29, 1963, in Sydney, Australia. Elle's original plan was to study pre-law at Sydney University, but when the 18-year-old, six-foot beauty was discovered in Aspen, Colorado, she was immediately signed to her modeling agency.
She soon became an Elle magazine staple, posing for the magazine for six years. While her talent as a model was undeniable, her marriage to the fashion magazine's creative director, Gilles Bensimon, further secured her relationship with the magazine.
By 1986, at the age of 23, Elle was a full-fledged supermodel. She was so popular in Australia that Time magazine named an issue "The Big Elle," and the Australian government simultaneously offered her a position on the tourist commission as an unofficial ambassador.
Already having achieved supermodel status, Elle knew that the glamorous modeling industry had a high turnover, so she set her sights on other projects. Since the crossover from modeling to acting is a popular and usually successful one, Elle decided to venture into acting. She first appeared on the silver screen in a walk-on role in the 1990 Woody Allen film Alice (the spectacled director personally picked her for the part).
In 1994, Elle ventured into the world of exercise videos, releasing Your Personal Best with Elle MacPherson in which she motivates and teaches people how to stay fit. That same year, she showed off her body on the cover of the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition along with fellow models Kathy Ireland and Rachel Hunter. She went on to appear on the cover a record four times.
Also in 1994, Elle -- aka The Body -- was required to gain 20 pounds for her meatier role in Sirens, costarring Hugh Grant. In 1996, she appeared in a remake of Jane Eyre, and starred opposite Ben Stiller in the comedy If Lucy Fell. That year she also appeared in The Mirror Has Two Faces, with Barbra Streisand and Jeff Bridges.
Wanting to branch out into other industries, Elle used her business skills to become chair of a line of lingerie called Elle Macpherson Intimates. Based in Australia, the company has grown into a multimillion-dollar enterprise.
Finding time somewhere between all these projects, Elle joined fellow supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell in developing the theme restaurant Fashion Cafe.
Signed with Miramax, the leggy model/actress was the object of Batman's affection in 1997's Batman & Robin, and costarred with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin in The Edge.
In 1999, Elle appeared on the small screen in five episodes of Friends, playing the role of Joey's new roommate. And in 2001, Elle played in the romantic comedy South Kensington alongside Rupert Everett.
In 2002, Elle's personal life was taking a bright turn as she announced her second pregnancy and her engagement to her long-time boyfriend, Arpad Busson. After giving birth to her son in 2003, however, Elle checked into Arizona's Meadows Institute to be treated for exhaustion and post-natal depression. In July 2005, the couple separated.
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