Marisa Miller, Biography, Images, Videos, News

Marisa Lee Miller (born August 6, 1978) is an American model best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, and her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret. After a stint shooting with photographer Mario Testino for fashion magazines like Vogue, Miller began working for both companies in 2002. As of late 2007, she is a Victoria's Secret Angel, and graced the cover of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue to record-setting numbers, accomplishments that have led to her being dubbed the "return of the great American supermodel."
She is also known for contracts with companies like Harley-Davidson and for ranking #1 on Maxim magazine's 2008 "Hot 100" list. Aside from modeling, she is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society.
Born Marisa Lee Bertetta in Santa Cruz, California, Miller attended high school at Aptos High and Monte Vista Christian. She considered herself a tomboy growing up, with mostly male friends and little awareness of anything girly. Out of shyness, she often wore large t-shirts to hide her body and would get fully dressed just to go to the trash can while at the beach.
Miller was first "discovered" at age 16 walking through a San Francisco café by two Italian modeling agents. After talking to her mother Krista Bertetta, she was on a plane to Italy with her mother a few months later, despite her "shy and conservative" personality. Miller gained attention when she appeared in a 1997 issue of Perfect 10 magazine. Although she came in third behind Ashley Degenford and Monica Hansen in Perfect 10 magazine's first annual model search, she was repeatedly showcased in following issues, including the covers of the Winter 1998, Aug/Sept 1999, and Fall 2004 editions.
She married Jim Miller, a Los Angeles surfing contest promoter and lifeguard from California in 2000, and separated from him in 2002. They divorced soon after. She married music producer Griffin Guess on April 15, 2006. From an early age she loved surfing; in 2004, she placed second in the celebrity division of the Kelly Slater Surf Invitational and says of the sport, "I feel my absolute best—physically, mentally and spiritually—when I'm surfing every day." She was a standout volleyball player in high school and has taken up boxing. She has said that she would like to be a sportscaster.
As of 2009, Miller is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society, to which proceeds from her online store are donated. She also supports the Young Survival Coalition, which raises awareness of breast cancer in women under 40, as well as environmental organization The Surfrider Foundation, which aims to preserve the world's oceans and beaches. In October 2009, Miller hosted the "Monte Foundation MusicFest and Fireworks Extravaganza," an annual fundraiser for schools in the Aptos area, where she and Guess own a home.