Elle McPherson: Biography
Elle McPherson was born on 29 March 1965 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Her birth name was Eleanor Gow but to further enhance her career this was changed to what it is now.
She was “discovered” at the age of eighteen while vacationing in Aspen, Colorado, and was promptly signed to the Click modeling agency. Elle studied pre-law in Sydney but hen pursued a career in modeling which is a decision that she has never looked back.
Elle McPherson combines girl-next-door looks with certain va-va-voom physical charms. She hit the big time when she began appearing in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, and became one of the most acclaimed models of the 1990s. She later began acting in movies like Sirens and Batman and Robin.
If you only know Elle McPherson from her ubiquitous magazine covers, best-selling workout videos and those swimsuit calendars that seem to find their way into virtually every college dorm room, you’re only seeing part of the picture.
Granted, it’s a spectacular view, but there’s more to this six-foot Australian beauty than sun-drenched photo shoots in the South Pacific. You see, unlike cover girls who say they want to act, then just take up space onscreen, Elle is serious about her new career.
She gained critical acclaim (and 30 pounds) for her 1994 debut in Sirens and has since built a solid career with small parts in Jane Eyre, If Lucy Fell and The Mirror Has Two Faces. (In a stroke of good fortune, her Batman & Robin role was so brief she avoided the criticism heaped upon the rest of the film.)
Now the 33-year-old has another serious project in front of her: David Mamet’s The Edge, in which she plays the wife of a wealthy billionaire (Anthony Hopkins) and the lover of a fickle photographer (Alec Baldwin). Not only does Elle hold her own alongside these heavyweights, she’s the warmest, funniest spot in this otherwise tough, male adventure.
Lately, though, McPherson has drawn more attention for her personal life than for her professional work. Her Los Angeles home was burglarized and intimate nude photos stolen in what police are treating as a blackmail attempt. Then she and financier boyfriend Arki Busson announced they are expecting a baby.
(14 February 1998) Son, Arpad Flynn Busson born in New York, New York, USA . Father is Arpad “Arkie” Busson, a Swiss financier.
One of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” in 1995.
One of the models who own the Fashion Cafe in New York City, along with Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.
Personal quotes
On modeling: ‘I’m too old for that.’ (in 1999)
‘I am at a really good place in my life right now. A really, really good place.’ (in 1999)