Gia Marie Allemand was an American actress, model, and reality television contestant.
Background
Gia Marie Allemand was born to Eugene and Donna Allemand in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and grew up in the borough of Staten Island and nearby in suburban Manorville, New York, on Long Island, where she graduated from Lindenhurst High School in 2001.
Education
Allemand finished second in the Mission Hawaiian Tropic competition and the Mission Red Hot Taj Mahal Super Bowl contest in 2005.
Career
She was known for appearing in Maxim and competing on two American Broadcasting Company reality shows, The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love and Bachelor Pad. Modeling and acting Allemand"s parents separated in 1992, later divorcing. Donna Allemand married Tony Micheletti, whom she described as closer to Gia than was Gia"s biological father.
Gia began modeling early, and as a baby she appeared in Johnson & Johnson ads and as a Gerber Baby.
As a teenager, Allemand initially never thought about a career in modeling. She is best known for appearing as a swimsuit model in Maxim in 2007.
In 2008, she was named Mission Bikini-United States of America"s Model of the Year. The following year Allemand placed first in the bikini short class of the Non-Player Character Arnold Amateur Championships.
In addition to modeling, Allemand worked for the modeling and creative-fields consultancy Dream lieutenant Make lieutenant
Allemand said in an interview that she has always had a passion for acting and performing. She was a former professional ballet dancer, but her dancing career was shortened after she injured her hamstring and Achilles tendon. Nevertheless, Allemand took acting classes in high school and at Hartford College.
In 2010, she was selected to play a role in an upcoming film produced by Brett Ratner on the life of actor Gianni Russo.
She was cast to play the supporting role of actress Ava Gardner. Russo cast her for the role saying, "Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it"s really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her." On August 12, 2013, Allemand was admitted to University Hospital in New Orleans after an attempted suicide by hanging.
She was declared brain dead and removed from life support two days later at age 29. At the time of her death, she was living in New Orleans and dating National Basketball Association player Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Pelicans.
A video tribute for Allemand aired during a 2014 episode of The Bachelor.
Her funeral was held at Trinity Grace Church, a nondenominational Christian church in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.