Christie Brinkley Biography

Christie Brinkley
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Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley, photo taken in 2007
Born Christie Lee Hudson
February 2, 1954(1954-02-02)
Monroe, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation Model
Spouse(s) Jean-François Allaux (1973–1981)
Billy Joel (1985–1994)
Richard Taubman (1994–1995)
Peter Cook (1996-2008)
Children 3
Website
http://christiebrinkley.com/

Christie Brinkley (born Christie Lee Hudson on February 2, 1954) is an American model and ex-wife of musician Billy Joel. She also has also worked as an actress, illustrator, photographer, writer and designer, and also as an activist for human and animals rights and ecology and the environment.12

Contents

Early life

Born in Monroe, Michigan,3 Brinkley is the daughter of Herbert and Marge Hudson. When her mother later married Donald Brinkley, she and her brother Gregory adopted their step father's surname.

She attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California, graduating in 1972. During this time, Brinkley and her family lived in the Brentwood, Los Angeles. Brinkley was educated at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles3 and moved to Paris to study art in 1973.4

Career

Modeling

Multiple appearances on the cover of Glamour soon followed, along with a record 20-year contract with cosmetics brand CoverGirl.4 In 2005, CoverGirl again signed Brinkley, with ads in magazines and commercials for mature skin products in 2005.5 She appeared on three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition covers (1979, 1980, and 1981) and was featured exclusively in the first "Sports Illustrated Calendars." Brinkley also released two of her own calendars to unparalleled success.2

As an editorial model, Brinkley has appeared on over 500 magazine covers, including US, Time, Vogue, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, and the best-selling issue of Life ever.2 She has held major contracts with Chanel No. 19, Prell, MasterCard, Nissan, Breck, Diet Coke, and Anheuser Busch.2

Film and television

Brinkley played her first role as an actress in the 1983 hit National Lampoon's Vacation as "The girl in the red Ferrari" opposite Chevy Chase; she reprised that role in the 1997 sequel Vegas Vacation.6 and later spoofed it in a 2008 DirecTV commercial interspliced with footage from Vacation.

As for television, Brinkley hosted Celebrity Weddings InStyle, the highest rated special in Lifetime's history, and her appearance on NBC's Mad About You was the broadcaster's highest rated half-episode since the finale of The Cosby Show.2 In 1983, she appeared on the Today Show in a four part segment featuring beauty tips and, in 1992, began her own television series Living in the 90's - With Christie Brinkley, a daily half-hour show on CNN.7

She made further television appearances, including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Specials,6 and music videos for Billy Joel ("Uptown Girl", "Keeping the Faith") and Mick Jones ("Just Wanna Hold").1

Brinkley has promoted home fitness equipment sold on cable TV infomercials.1

Miscellaneous

Brinkley has designed clothing patterns for Simplicity Pattern7 and released her own signature fragrance, "Believe."4 She illustrated the cover art for Joel's 1993 triple platinum album River of Dreams. For this, Rolling Stone awarded her the honor of "best album cover of the year."5

Personal life

In 2005

Brinkley married four times:

Brinkley has three children:

Brinkley and her children are fans of the New York Islanders ice hockey team. Brinkley began doing promotions for the team after being noticed at games.citation needed In 2007, she showed her support by writing a blog for NHL.com and filming a commercial.11

Brinkley lives on Long Island in Sag Harbor, New York; she previously lived in Bridgehampton and Amagansett, Long Island. 127 Brinkley helped found a club for cutting, an equestrian sport in which a rider has two and one half minutes to cut as many cattle from a herd as he can.7 Since 1998, she has given nearly $100,000 to organizations and candidates of the Democratic Party of the United States, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, America Coming Together and Moveon.org.12

Brinkley supports animal rights, most notably through the organization PETA,5 having previously spoken out against the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.13

She has also been involved in anti-nuclear activities. She campaigned against the restarting of the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) located at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.14 15

In February 2007, Brinkley had emergency back surgery to correct a herniated disc that occurred after a ski trip in Aspen in December 2006, Colorado.1617

Cook divorce case

Her lawyer in the case was Robert Stephan Cohen, a top divorce attorney. The divorce proceedings, held in the summer of 2008, were regular tabloid fodder, in part due to Cook's admission that he had committed adultery with eighteen-year-old Diana Bianchi. Press and public interest increased with Cook's revelations that he had paid $300,000 to Bianchi in the hopes of forestalling a lawsuit and had spent thousands of dollars each month on internet pornography and posting video of himself masturbating onto the internet.1819

Brinkley and Cook settled out-of-court in July 2008, with Brinkley granting her fourth husband $2.1 million in exchange for custody of their two children and the retention of 18 disputed properties in the Hamptons. Additionally, Cook was granted parenting time with the children. Further details of the settlement were kept private.205

The children became a focus of public attention when the former model contended that Cook used "overwhelming" physical force when unhappy with or disciplining the children. Alexa Ray Joel, Brinkley's daughter with ex-husband Billy Joel, testified about such behavior toward her, which Cook denied.21

In July 2008, a court-appointed psychiatrist, speaking during child custody proceedings in Brinkley's fourth divorce, testified that while he believed Brinkley should gain custody of her and Cook's children.22 John Tantillo appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss the implications for her brand and her career, interpreting these events as an excellent opportunity to reinvent herself. 23 Her divorce from Peter Cook was officially finalized on October 3, 2008. More recently, Cook has been accused of making a sex tape of him and Bianchi.

Awards and achievements

Christie Brinkley, December, 1999, photo by Dewitt D. Roseborough with US Sailor Keith Bernauer in a Christmas visit where she was invited by the USO.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Christie Brinkley own site".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Christie Brinkley biography in William Morris agency)" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b "Christie Brinkley biography". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  4. ^ a b c "How Christie Brinkley Kept Her Megawatt Smile Over the Past Year". New York Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-01-07.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Christie Brinkley - Model Profile". New York. Retrieved on 2008-07-02. "A guide to the career of Christie Brinkley including cover shots, party photos, runway images, backstage photos, quotes, and more."
  6. ^ a b "Christie Brinkley filmography". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  7. ^ a b c d Pener, Degen (1992-09-13). "EGOS & IDS; It's the Christie Brinkley Show". New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  8. ^ "Joel, Brinkley make splash with wedding", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1985-03-24). "Joel, 35, and Brinkley, 31, took their vows in a private ceremony attended by 175 family members and friends, including Paul Simon and the Straycats band." 
  9. ^ "Brinkley, Joel Parents of `Uptown Girl'", Los Angeles Times (1985-12-30), p. 2. "The 6 1/2-pound girl, as yet unnamed, was born in a Manhattan hospital at about 11:45 p.m. Sunday, said the spokeswoman, Geraldine McInerney." 
  10. ^ "Billy Joel biography)".
  11. ^ "Christie Brinkley NYI Spot Now Available". New York Islanders (2007-08-31).
  12. ^ a b "Donor Lookup: Find Individual and Soft Money Contributors". Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved on 2008-07-04. "Total for this search: $98,280"
  13. ^ "Christie Brinkley: Ringling's Abuse of Animals 'Absolutely Appalling'". People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Retrieved on 2008-07-04. "The supermodel/actor calls Ringling Bros.’ death toll 'absolutely appalling'..."
  14. ^ Hist. Stud. Phys. Bio. Sci, 31, 41, 2000
  15. ^ Physics World; Governing Science
  16. ^ "Supermodel recovering from back surgery", Yahoo! News, The Associated Press (2007-02-28). Retrieved on 28 February 2007. 
  17. ^ Yuan, Jada (2008-02-27). "Christie Brinkley Backs Out", New York. 
  18. ^ Serpe, Gina (2008-07-02). "Brinkley Case Turns to Porn, Hush Money", E! Online. 
  19. ^ "Brinkley: Breakup was a 'nightmare'", CNN, The Associated Press (2008-07-07). 
  20. ^ SELIM ALGAR; KIERAN CROWLEY (July 11, 2008-07-11). "CHRISTIE CRUSHES CHEATER RE-PETER", New York Post. 
  21. ^ Kathy Ehrich Dowd; Emmet Sullivan (2008-07-07). "Christie Brinkley: Cook Used 'Overwhelming' Force with Kids", People. 
  22. ^ "Brinkley divorce lawyers go head-to-head", CNN (2008-07-09). 
  23. ^ "Advertiser Anxiety? Brinkley & A-Rod's Appeal Fox & Friends. July 12, 2008.
  24. ^ "American Heart Association".
  25. ^ a b "Christie Brinkley social work".

Gross, Michael. Model: The ugly business of beautiful women, William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, 1995. pages 317-318; ISBN 0-688-12659-6

External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Christie Brinkley


v • d • e
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models
1960s
1970s
1980s
Christie Brinkley • Christie Brinkley • Carol Alt • Cheryl Tiegs • Paulina Porizkova • Paulina Porizkova • Elle Macpherson • Elle Macpherson • Elle Macpherson • Kathy Ireland
1990s
2000s


Persondata
NAME Brinkley, Christie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hudson, Christie Lee
SHORT DESCRIPTION Supermodel
DATE OF BIRTH February 2, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Monroe, Michigan, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH