Background

The youngest of two children, Heidi Klum was born on June 1, 1973, in Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany (present-day Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), into the family of Erna Klum, a hairdresser, and Günther Klum, a cosmetics company executive.

Education

As a teenager, Klum became interested in fashion and, at 18, she was accepted into a design school in Dusseldorf, Germany. Klum never considered modeling until one day, while thumbing through a magazine with a friend, she noticed an advertisement for a modeling contest, sponsored by Petra magazine and a New York modeling agency. At the urging of her friend, Klum decided to enter the contest and the two sent off some Polaroids. Five months later, contest officials notified Klum, that she had made the first-round cut in the national contest. In the end, Klum stood out above the field of 30,000 entrants and won the title of "Ms. Model 1992."

As for her education, Klum graduated from the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste (Städelschule), a fine arts academy in Frankfurt.

Career

Heidi's career can be counted from 1992, when, while living near Cologne with her parents, she entered the "Model 92" German beauty contest. In the end, Klum won the top prize - a $300,000 contract with New York City's Metropolitan Models. After a brief sojourn in South Beach, Florida, Klum moved to New York City, where she launched her modeling career in 1993. Her breakthrough came, when, in 1994, she appeared on the cover of Mirabella magazine. In the mid-1990s, Klum achieved increased visibility as a cover model for Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire magazines, but her most important appearance was on February 20, 1998, on a swimsuit cover of the widely read Sports Illustrated. In 1999, she achieved global recognition as one of the original "Angels," a troupe of Victoria's Secret lingerie models, who appeared in annual televised runway shows and at other promotional events. Klum continued to model for Victoria's Secret and also designed an eponymous lingerie and cosmetics collection for the retailer.

Klum reigned as one of the world's highest-paid models and pursued a host of other lucrative business ventures. She launched her own swimsuit calendars for the millennium in the United States and one for Europe in 2002. Klum went on to host an adventure program for Discovery Channel and landed several supporting film roles as well as spots in video games.

In the early 21st century, Klum became a television presence as the hostess of the reality programs Project Runway (2004-2017), a fashion design competition of which she was also an executive producer, and Germany's Next Topmodel (2006 - ), in which players competed for a chance to win a contract with the IMG Models agency. A spin-off of Project Runway, Models of the Runway aired from 2009 to 2010. Also hosted by Klum, the program profiled the models, who donned the creations of the Project Runway contestants and offered their behind-the-scenes impressions of the competition. In 2013, Klum became a judge on America's Got Talent. During this time, she occasionally acted and appeared as herself in various TV shows. In 2019, she lent her voice to the animated film, Arctic Dogs. The following year, Klum began hosting (with Tim Gunn, who had appeared on Project Runway) the Amazon reality show, Making the Cut, a competition, involving fashion designers.

It's also worth mentioning, that Heidi has designed and released products for maternity lines, a jewelry collection for QVC, and active women wear for New Balance.

Heidi has worked as a spokesmodel for Dannon and H&M and has appeared in numerous commercials for McDonald's, Volkswagen and others. In 2009, Klum became Barbie's official ambassador on Barbie's 50th anniversary.

In 2006, Klum released her single, Wonderland, which became a great hit.

Achievements

• 

  Heidi Klum is a renowned German-American model, television host, fashion designer, actress and businesswoman. She is the first German model to become a Victoria's Secret Angel.
  
  Heidi has made appearances in films like Blow Dry and Ella Enchanted, among many others. She also appeared in television sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother, Yes, Dear, Spin City and Sex and the City.
  
  Klum has been very successful in her design ventures. She launched A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity in the maternity lines and jewelry collection for QVC, called Wildlife. Heidi has also designed shoes for Birkenstock, jewelry for Mouawad, a clothing line for Jordache and makeup for Victoria's Secret as part of their Very Sexy Makeup Collection, titled the Heidi Klum Collection.
  
  Klum's first single, Wonderland, released in November 2006, written as a television advertisement for Douglas, the retailer, was a great success. It reached No. 13 on the German singles chart.
  
  During her lifetime, the model was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award many times. In 2013, she won the award for her outstanding performance as a host for Project Runaway, a reality television show. In addition, Heidi won the Bambi Award two times - in 2003 and 2015.
  
  In 2001, Heidi was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Heidi Klum's Body of Knowledge: 8 Rules of Model Behavior

    (With her refreshing candor and effervescent style, Heidi ...)

    2004

• movie

  • Blow Dry

    (In 2000, a small town hosts The British Hairdressing Cham...)

    2001
  • Ella Enchanted

    (Ella is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact s...)

    2004
  • The Devil Wears Prada

    (A smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as an assis...)

    2006
  • The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

    (The feature adaptation of Roger Lewis' book about the act...)

    2004
  • Ocean's 8

    (Debbie Ocean gathers an all-female crew to attempt an imp...)

    2018
  • Zoolander

    (At the end of his career, a clueless fashion model is bra...)

    2001
  • Perfect Stranger

    (A journalist goes undercover to ferret out businessman Ha...)

    2007
  • 54

    (The famous 1970s New York City nightclub seen and told th...)

    1998

• music

  • Wonderland 2006

• TV series

  • Project Runway (Season 8)

    (Aspiring fashion designers compete for a chance to break ...)

  • Making the Cut

    (Designers compete in New York, Paris and Tokyo to bring t...)

Religion

Heidi doesn't usually speak about religion. However, she once said: "I believe I have healthy common sense and therefore have no need for religion."

Politics

Heidi Klum applied for her United States citizenship ahead of the 2008 presidential election just so that she could vote for Barack Obama. She appears to be a Democrat.

Views

Heidi identifies herself as a nudist.

Klum is a philanthropist. She served as an ambassador in the 2011 Trick-or-Treat campaign. The model also works for the International Red Cross, the American Red Cross and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. In addition, Klum sings in concerts to raise money for humanitarian causes.

Quotations: "I like to dream, but I like to make things happen."

"Pursue success, long after any sane person would have given up."

"We have a saying in Germany. It is better to have loved and lost than to engage in a land war with Russia in the winter."

"I think it's important to get your surroundings as well as yourself into a positive state - meaning surround yourself with positive people, not the kind who are negative and jealous of everything you do."

"I think if you put a smile on people's faces, they give that back to you."

"My philosophy is that, in life, you have to want something. If you just say "la-la-la" and go through life without a goal, nothing will happen."

"Success is to be happy in life."

"I'm European. I don't like wearing tops. And I don't like tan lines."

"It's important to teach your kids the value of being active by setting a good example."

Personality

Klum is a good painter. She dedicated a sculpture she painted called Dog with Butterflies to commemorate the role of rescue dogs in the aftermath of 9/11.

She has a rose, named after her, known as Heidi Klum rose.

Heidi's favorite movie is The Bodyguard (1992).

Physical Characteristics: Heidi is 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) tall.

Interests

• Family activities, dancing, traveling, flea markets, painting, cooking

• Politicians

  Michelle Obama, Barack Obama

• Sport & Clubs

  Skiing

• Music & Bands

  Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna

Connections

During the period from 1997 to 2002, Klum was married to stylist Ric Pipino. In March 2003, she started dating Flavio Briatore, the Italian managing director of Renault's Formula One team. In December of the same year, Heidi became pregnant. However, the model and Flavio soon parted their ways.

Before giving birth to her daughter, Leni, in May 2004, Klum had started a relationship with musician Seal. The couple married on May 10, 2005. Their marriage produced two sons and one daughter. Klum and Seal divorced on October 14, 2014.

From 2012 to 2014, the model was involved in a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, Martin Kirsten. Then, from 2014 to 2017, she dated art curator Vito Schnabel.

It was in May 2018, that Klum, revealed her relationship with Tokio Hotel guitarist, Tom Kaulitz, through Instagram posts and appearances at Cannes Film Festival. The two privately married in February 2019.

Father:

Günther Klum

(born August 24, 1945)

Klum watched her father work hard to achieve success in his career and she adopted a similar style.

Mother:

Erna Klum

Son:

Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel

(born September 12, 2005)

Daughter:

Lou Sulola Samuel

(born October 9, 2009)

Brother:

Michael Klum

(born 1964)

Ex-husband:

Ric Pipino

ex-partner:

Flavio Briatore

(born April 12, 1950)

Ex-husband:

Seal

(born February 19, 1963)

Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, known professionally as Seal, is a British singer-songwriter.

Seal reportedly treats Heidi's daughter, Leni, like his own child.

ex-partner:

Martin Kirsten

ex-partner:

Vito Schnabel

(born July 27, 1986)

Vito Schnabel is an American art dealer and the owner of Vito Schnabel Gallery, founded in Switzerland in 2015, and Vito Schnabel Projects, founded in New York in 2003.

husband:

Tom Kaulitz

(born September 1, 1989)

Tom Kaulitz is a German guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is best known for his work from 2001 to the present as the guitarist of the band Tokio Hotel.

Daughter:

Helen Beauchauven Samuel

(born May 4, 2004)

Son:

Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel

(born 2006)

Friend:

Mel B

(born May 29, 1975)

Melanie Janine Brown, better known by her stage names Melanie B and Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, television personality, and actress.

Friend:

Debra Messing

(born August 15, 1968)

Debra Messing, in full Debra Lynn Messing, is an American actress.

Friend:

Brad Paisley

(born October 28, 1972)

Brad Paisley, in full Brad Douglas Paisley, is an American country music singer and songwriter.

Friend:

Kristin Chenoweth

(born July 24, 1968)

Kristin Chenoweth, in full Kristin Dawn Chenoweth, is an American actress and singer.

Friend:

Tyra Banks

(born December 4, 1973)

Tyra Banks, in full Tyra Lynne Banks, is an American television personality, model, businesswoman, producer, actress, and writer.

colleague:

Tim Gunn

(born July 29, 1953)

Tim Gunn, in full Timothy MacKenzie Gunn, is an American fashion consultant, television personality, actor, voice actor, and author.

References

• Heidi Klum's Instagram
• Heidi Klum's Facebook
• Heidi Klum's Twitter
• Heidi Klum's Official Website