Alessandra Ambrosio Biography

Alessandra Ambrosio was born April 11, 1981, in Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The eldest of two daughters, she entered the world of modeling at the age of 14 when she won the Elite Look of the Year Contest. Her victory in the prestigious event led to a number of lucrative offers and, within a year, she was selected to appear in the Millennium GUESS campaign along with fellow Brazilian model Ana Beatriz Barros.

The high-profile campaign transformed Alessandra Ambrosio into an overnight sensation, and the world’s biggest designers were soon lining up for the opportunity to have her model their clothing. Alessandra happily complied and, in 2000, she walked the catwalks for a veritable who’s who of fashion illuminati, including Christian Lacroix, Christian Dior, Nanette Lepore, Oscar de la Renta, Vivienne Tam, and Vivienne Westwood, among many others.

It was during that year that Alessandra Ambrosio also made her first appearance on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. She has been associated with the glamorous pageant ever since, and, in 2004, she was selected as the first spokesmodel for the brand’s immensely popular PINK line.

Alessandra Ambrosio’s famous face has since been splashed across the covers of Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and Harper’s Bazaar, and she has appeared in high-profile advertisements for a wide assortment of brands, including GAP, Gucci, Hummer, Macy's, Manos del Uruguay, and Armani Exchange.

Although Alessandra Ambrosio’s career is flourishing, she insists that her job isn’t nearly as easy as some people think. “Eighty percent of the time I'm on some beautiful island in a bikini,” she says, “but I'm working and everybody else is on their honeymoon!” Hopefully being named to our Top 99 list of will take some of the sting out of those long hours spent under the hot summer sun.

In August of '08, she gave birth to she and fiance Jamie Mazur's first child.