Early life
Turlington was born in Walnut Creek, California, the middle of three daughters born to Dwain Turlington, a pilot for Pan American World Airways and a flight attendant from El Salvador, María Elizabeth.[2][3]
She was discovered by Dennie Cody while horseback riding[1] in Miami, Florida, where her father was working as a training captain for Pan Am.[4] Turlington began modeling after school from age 14 to 16 and during summers until she graduated from Monte Vista High School.[5][1] After graduation, she moved to New York City to model full-time.[5]
Career
Turlington has several accomplishments in the modeling industry, having had numerous million dollar contracts with companies like Maybelline, Chanel and Calvin Klein. Although she is known as one of the most successful supermodels in history, Christy has rejected the 'supermodel' label. She is widely respected in the fashion industry as one of the friendliest and most professional models in the business. In 1988, Christy along with Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Elle MacPherson, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour and Tatjana Patitz became known as the first supermodels. Photographer Steven Meisel booked Christy, Naomi and Linda frequently and together they became known as the "Trinity".
During the 1990s, she appeared in Unzipped, a documentary about fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, and the fashion mockumentary film Prêt-à-Porter by famed director Robert Altman. Additionally, she was featured in Catwalk, a documentary covering life on the fashion runways, by director Robert Leacock. The documentary was filmed in 1993 and premiered in 1996. The film followed Christy and her fellow models Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon, Kate Moss and Carla Bruni as they jetted around London, Milan, Paris and New York during Spring Fashion Week. It included rare footage of what goes on behind the scenes at big shows including fittings, parties, shopping and catfights. The film was shot in black and white and color, and featured many top designers at work like a young John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace 4 years before his death.
Turlington also appeared in two music videos. Best friend and fellow model Yasmin Le Bon got her husband Simon LeBon of Duran Duran to feature Christy in their 'Notorious' video in 1986, as well as the album cover. In 1990, singer George Michael drew inspiration from Peter Lindbergh's January 1990 British Vogue cover (which features Christy, Naomi, Linda, Cindy and Tatjana) for his 'Freedom' video. The video featured all top 5 female models along with their top 5 male counterparts, lip-syncing the song.
Christy Turlington I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur campaign poster
Christy Turlington I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur campaign poster
She has appeared on over 500 magazine covers and has been featured in several professional photobooks, including Peter Lindbergh's '10 Women', Arthur Elgort's 'Model Manual', Herb Ritts 'Man/Woman' and Karl Lagerfeld's 'Off the Record'. In 1993, she posed nude for PETA's anti-fur campaign. Also in 1993, her face was used on 120 mannequins created by Ralph Pucci for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, causing her to be called the 'Face of the 20th Century'.
More recently, she has become a partner in three successful business ventures: an ayurvedic skincare line (Sundari) and two clothing lines produced by Puma: Nuala, an active women's clothing line; and Mahanuala, a women's yoga-wear line.
On August 11, 2006 Women's Wear Daily reported that Turlington signed a multiyear contract with Maybelline, marking her return to the company that made her famous with its 'Maybe She's Born With It' ad campaign.
On the issue regarding the statement of Claudia Schiffer that the supermodel was dead, Turlington agreed saying, "It's over, it's over, it's over,". "It was fun, but now I just wish it would go away. The name supermodel? I hate it."[6]
Personal life
Turlington is the author of Living Yoga: Creating A Life Practice (ISBN 0-7868-6806-6). Owing to this interest in Eastern religions she went back to school in 1994 and graduated cum laude in 1999 from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study of New York University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Comparative Religion and Eastern Philosophy. Despite this interest, she has remained a practicing Roman Catholic since childhood.[7][8] Previously a vegetarian, she has gone back to being a meat-eater.[9] An ex-smoker whose father died of lung cancer, Turlington is also an anti-smoking activist as well as being a sufferer of emphysema.[10][11]
Christy has dated actors Roger Wilson, Christian Slater and Jason Patric. On June 7, 2003 she married actor/filmmaker Edward Burns and was given away by good friend Bono.[4] Burns and Turlington have two children: a daughter Grace born October 25, 2003 and a son Finn born February 11, 2006. The family resides in New York City.
Allusions in art and media
* I am Christy Turlington I am the Word is a short story by Tom Junod published in Esquire magazine in November 1997 (Volume 128, Issue 5).
* Name mentioned during a schoolyard argument between two girls in the film American Beauty.
* In the movie Rounders(1998) Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) tells Joey Knish (John Turturro) I need fifteen thousand dollars, Knish replies I need a blow job from Christy Turlington.
* In the second episode of the television show "Sex and the City", entitled "Models and Mortals," Charlotte (Kristin Davis) reveals her feeling of inferiority to models by remarking, "I just know no matter how good I feel about myself, if I see Christy Turlington, I just want to give up!"
* Name mentioned during the pilot episode of Nip/Tuck.
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