Eva Herzigová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɛva ˈɦɛrzɪɡovaː]; born 10 March 1973) is a Czech model and actress. Her career took a major turn in 1994 when she became the face of the Wonderbra campaign. The famous "Hello Boys" ad became iconic and contributed to her worldwide popularity. Her height (1.80 m or 5 ft 11 in) and elegant appearance made her a sought-after model for fashion shows and campaigns of various renowned brands. Throughout her career, Herzigová has worked with leading designers and fashion houses including Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Versace, Louis Vuitton and many others and has appeared on the covers of many prestigious fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and many others. She became one of the prominent figures of the 1990's modeling and was one of the so-called supermodels along with other famous names such as Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington.
Eva Herzigová | |
|---|---|
 Herzigová in 2019 | |
| Born | 10 March 1973 |
| Occupations |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Hair color | Light blonde[1] |
| Eye color | Blue-green[1] |
| Agency | |
In addition to her modeling career, Herzigová has also appeared in film and television. She has starred in films such as Les Anges gardiens (1995) along Gérard Depardieu and Christian Clavier, My Best Friend's Wife (1998), Modigliani (2004) and A Prominent Patient (2017).
Her career as a model and her presence in public space have won her numerous awards and accolades. Eva Herzigova remains a major figure in the fashion and entertainment industry.
Early life and career
editHerzigová was born in Litvínov, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), the daughter of an accountant mother and an electrician father.[3] Growing up, Herzigová was athletic, "excelling in gymnastics, basketball, track and cross-country skiing."[4] She began her modeling career at the age of 16 after winning a modeling contest organized by the French modeling agency Metropolitan Models[5][6] in Prague in 1989, before she moved to Paris.[7]
After arriving in Paris, her popularity increased. Her first important appearance was as the model for the first Wonderbra campaign. In 1994, advertising executive Trevor Beattie, working for TBWA/London, developed an ad for Sara Lee's "Hello Boys" Wonderbra campaign. It featured a close-up image of Herzigová wearing a black Wonderbra. The ad used only two words: "Hello boys." The influential poster was featured in an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London[8] and it was voted in at number 10 in a "Poster of the Century" contest.[9] The Canada-based lingerie fashion label wanted the ad campaign to motivate women to see the Wonderbra "as a cosmetic and as a beauty enhancer rather than a functional garment". The billboard was voted in 2011 as the most iconic outdoor ad during the past five decades by the Outdoor Media Centre.[10] She was also featured in Guess? jeans campaigns, the Victoria's Secret catalog and Sports Illustrated. Herzigová has featured in a variety of international fashion magazines, gracing the covers of Vogue (France, Britain, Spain, Germany, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, Thailand), Harper's Bazaar (Britain, Spain, Ukraine, Italy, Australia) as well as Elle, Marie Claire, Numéro and Allure. She has also walked for designers including Louis Vuitton, Benedetta Dubini, Giles Deacon, Emilio Pucci and Versace.
Herzigová also starred in a fashion art film by Imagine Fashion, called Decadent Control with Roberto Cavalli. It featured fashions by Agent Provocateur and H&M. Herzigová posed for the August 2004 edition of Playboy.[11] In 2006, she portrayed Venus at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.[12] In 2013, Herzigová was chosen as the new model for Dior's Capture Totale line.[13] She continued working with Dior into 2021.[14] In 2016, Herzigová was one of those chosen to be spokesmodels for Giorgio Armani's New Normal Campaign.[15]
Personal life
editHerzigová married Tico Torres, the drummer from Bon Jovi, in September 1996 in New Jersey.[16] The couple divorced in June 1998.[17] Herzigová has three sons with Italian businessman Gregorio Marsiaj: George (born 1 June 2007), Philip (born 13 March 2011) and Edward (born 20 April 2013).[18][19] They live in Italy. In 2017, the couple became engaged.[20]
Herzigová speaks Czech, Russian, English, French and Italian.[21]
Filmography
edit| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inferno | 1992 | TV film | |
| Les Anges gardiens | 1995 | Tchouk Tchouk Nougat | |
| My Best Friend's Wife | 1998 | Frida Seta | |
| Just for the Time Being | 2000 | Christine | |
| Modigliani | 2004 | Olga Khokhlova | |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | 2005 | uncredited | |
| Eva | 2005 | herself | short by Gaspar Noé |
| Girl Panic! | 2011 | Nick Rhodes | Duran Duran music video |
| Cha cha cha | 2013 | Michelle | |
| Storyteller | 2014 | ||
| A Prominent Patient | 2017 | ||
| La Maison | 2024 | herself | TV show (special appearance) |
References
edit- ^ a b c Eva Herzigova at Fashion Model Directory
- ^ "Eva Herzigova". models.com. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Anderson, Hephzibah (8 June 2008). "Eco Herzigova". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "Eva Herzigova - Biography". Hello! Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Société METROPOLITAN MODELS". annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 July 2023.
La société METROPOLITAN MODELS a été créée le 26 mai 1986
- ^ "Metropolitan Models". 25 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
Founded in 1986 by Michel Levaton [...] 1991: METROPOLITAN launches new model Eva Herzigova on the international fashion scene
- ^ "Eva Herzigova". Vogue.it. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
In 1989, she won a contest in Prague sponsored by Metropolitan Model, and then moved to Paris.
- ^ "Power of the poster reveals a bigger picture". The Independent. UK. 2 March 1998. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
- ^ Gibson, Janine (16 October 1999). "Tory advert rated poster of the century". London: The Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
- ^ "Eva Herzigova's Wonderbra campaign voted the most iconic ad". International Business Times. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ^ Hefner, Hugh, ed. (1 August 2004). "Playboy Magazine, August 2004". Playboy – via Amazon.
- ^ Starr, Mark (19 February 2006). "Torino Lights Up". Newsweek. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Poulain, Lucie (29 January 2013). "Eva Herzigova: New Dior icon". Vogue. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Chu, Ying (22 February 2021). "Dior's New Film About Perfume Takes You On a Trip Around the Globe". Marie Claire. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ Phelps, Nicole (25 January 2016). "Giorgio Armani Launches His New Normal Campaign in Paris". Vogue. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Model Gets A Rock - And A Rock Star". Deseret News. 9 September 1996. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Supermodel Eva Herzigova splitting with hubby". CNN. 16 June 1998. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ Barnett, Leisa (29 May 2008). "Eva Herzigova wants son to be a linguist". Vogue. UK. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Eva Herzigova Gives Birth To Second Child". Star Pulse.com. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ Foster, Alistair (25 January 2019). "Eva Herzigova: My life could have taken a very different path". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Eva Herzigova". Vogue.it. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2024.