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Gorgeous Elle MacPherson successfully negotiated her supermodel status into a film career. A millionaire's daughter and a native of Sydney, Australia, MacPherson (born Elanor Gow) was raised by her mother after her parents divorced. Standing six feet tall, the willowy but curvaceous blonde first gained fame after she was selected to appear in one of Sports Illustrated's famous swimsuit editions. One of the periodical's most popular models, she appeared on its cover four times and, in 1986, she graced the cover of Time magazine. That year, she became the unofficial ambassador for the Australian tourist commission. Her status as a supermodel secured, MacPherson branched out into films, appearing opposite Tara Fitzgerald, Hugh Grant, and Sam Neill in Sirens, an erotic portrait of a preacher's wife who comes to accept her sensuous nature during a visit to the home of notorious Aussie artist Norman Lindsey. The role required MacPherson to gain 30 pounds to soften her model's angularity, giving her a soft, but still pleasing appearance. She lost the pounds and then appeared opposite William Hurt in Jane Eyre, following that up with a role in Barbra Streisand's The Mirror Has Two Faces (both 1996). In addition to her film and modelling careers, MacPherson has also proven herself a shrewd businesswoman. She owns a lucrative lingerie company in Australia. She is a single mother and has homes in the U.S., London, and Australia.
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