Marisa Miller Biography

Marisa Miller
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Marisa Miller

Marisa Miller backstage during Fashion for Relief benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Birth name Marisa Bertetta
Date of birth August 6, 1978 (1978-08-06) (age 30)
Place of birth Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Hair color Blonde
Eye color Hazel
Measurements 34D-23-35 (US)
86-58-88 (EU)
Weight 110 lb (50 kg/7.9 st)
Dress size 2 (US), 32 (EU), 5 (UK)
Shoe size 7 (US), 37½ (EU), 4½ (UK)
Agency Cartel Management[1]
Spouse(s) Jim Miller (2000–2002)
Griffin Guess (2006–present)
Official website

Marisa Miller (born August 6, 1978[2]) is an American model known for her consecutive appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues beginning in 2002 and the Victoria's Secret catalogs beginning in 2001. She is the cover model for the 2008 SI Swimsuit Issue and a Victoria's Secret Angel,[3] as well as #1 on Maxim magazine's 2008 "Hot 100" list and an ambassador for the American Cancer Society.[4]

Contents

Early life and career start

Born Marisa Bertetta in Santa Cruz, California, she was first "discovered" at age 16 walking through a San Francisco café by two Italian modeling agents.[5] After talking to her mother Krista Bertetta, she was on a plane to Italy with her mom a few months later. Miller says the most valuable thing her mom has ever told her was: "You can always go back to school, but you can't always model."[6] Miller took her mom's advice and soon 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,[7] she was repeatedly showcased in following issues, including the covers of the Winter 1998, Aug/Sept 1999, and Fall 2004 editions.

She has two sisters and attended Monte Vista Christian School[8] in Watsonville, California.

Career

Atypically, Miller was able to move from a start as an amateur magazine model to high profile mainstream work after she was spotted surfing by famed fashion photographer Mario Testino in Manhattan Beach, California in 2001.[9] Noticing her, Testino snapped pictures of her and approached her for a job offer. Soon after, Miller worked with the likes of Victoria's Secret and has appeared in every issue of the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue since 2002. In particular, she was featured in the 2004,[10] 2005,[11] 2007,[12] and 2008 editions' sections of body painting featuring the work of Joanne Gair.[13] Raphael Mazzucco's handbra photograph of Miller wearing nothing but an iPod in the 2007 edition became one of the most famous photos ever published in that magazine.[14] As part of the Sports Illustrated 40th anniversary celebration, she was selected to duplicate some of the swimsuit issues' most memorable photos of models such as Tyra Banks,[15] Cheryl Tiegs,[16] and Daniela Pestova.[17] She's also appeared in a diverse range of magazines, many of them international editions, such as GQ, Maxim, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as working on campaigns/advertisements for Nordstrom, J.Crew, Guess?, Tommy Hilfiger, Pepsi, Panasonic,[18] and most recently, Bath & Body Works and True Religion jeans. In July 2008, Miller took her first step beyond modeling when her shoe line with skateboarder/surfer-oriented company Vans launched.[19]

“ I get a kick out of it, but it would be stupid to let it go to my head. It’s modeling—I didn’t find the cure for cancer. â€

—Miller on her career[20]

Television spots of Miller's include the short-lived reality television series Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model (2004),[21] Puddle of Mudd's "Spin You Around" music video (2004), the pilot episode and finale of VH1's reality show The Shot (2007), and cameos in HBO's Entourage and the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother (both 2007), the latter with her fellow Victoria's Secret Angels. However, it wasn't until 2007 that she filmed her first television commercial for Victoria's Secret, appearing alongside Heidi Klum for the It bra. Miller's other commercials include a viral video with All Star baseball player Ryan Braun for Remington[22] and a September 2008 commercial for the NFL Network.

Marisa Miller was featured on the cover of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Marisa Miller was featured on the cover of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

On December 4, 2007, Miller made her debut at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show,[4] and has been confirmed for the 2008 show, which will take place in Miami. Other runway credits of Miller's include 2007's Fashion for Relief show, benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina,[6] as well as MTV's Fashionably Loud, Imitation of Christ, Inca, and Amir Slama's Rosa Cha, for which she was one of the most anticipated models.[23]

2008 hit an early high note for Miller when, on the February 12th episode of The Late Show with David Letterman, it was announced via a three-story billboard in New York City that Miller would grace the cover of that year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The tandem online launch of the issue drew record page views to the SI website: 228 million, a 41% increase over 2007.[24] In September 2008, Sports Illustrated released a "Best of Marisa Miller" swimsuit calendar for the 2009 year.

Victoria's Secret also put her to work in 2008, with a five-city tour to promote the 2008 Swim collection's release in stores; the April-May tour included stops in New York City, Miami, Chicago (where she threw the opening pitch at a Cubs game), Boston, and Minneapolis. The relaunch of Victoria Secret's sports line, VSX, soon followed, along with her first official campaign as an Angel[25]: promoting the company's newest fragrance, Very Sexy Dare. On announcing the campaign, Limited Brands president Edward Razek said of Miller[26]:

“ Marisa is one in a billion. She’s the quintessential California beach girl, she’s incredibly gorgeous and she exudes a remarkably positive energy. „

—Edward Razek

In the media

“ Not since Cindy Crawford ruled the catwalk has a pinup born and bred on U.S. soil so thoroughly captured the imagination of the American male. â€

—Maxim magazine[20]

The swell in publicity resulting from her 2008 work served to land Miller in the number one spot on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" rankings for 2008,[20] beating out list regulars such as Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, and Eva Longoria-Parker. This marked the first time anyone has debuted on the list in the number one position.[19] In her subsequent cover story for the July issue, Maxim proclaimed her as the "return of the great American supermodel." She also finished first place in The Best Damn Sports Show Period "Smokin' Sixteen" competition in 2008,[27] repeating her 2007 win over competitors such as Gisele Bündchen and Adriana Lima. Miller then ranked #9 in the Askmen.com's "Top 99" for 2008 (an increase of three places from the previous year, which was a two-place increase itself from 2006) and added to her popular accolades with the "Hot N' Fresh" award at the second annual Spike Guys' Choice Awards.

Personal life

She married Jim Miller, a Los Angeles surfing contest promoter and lifeguard from California[18] in 2000, and separated from him in 2002. They divorced soon after. She married Hollywood producer Griffin Guess, on April 15, 2006.[28] Miller enjoys football, muscle cars, cooking, and boxing. From an early age she loved surfing; in 2004, she placed second in the celebrity division of the Kelly Slater Surf Invitational[6] behind Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction fame. She was a standout volleyball player on her high school team,[6] and has long been a big sports fan in general. She has said that if she weren't a model she would be a sportscaster.[29]

Miller is currently an ambassador for the American Cancer Society,[4] to which proceeds from her online store are donated. She also supports the Young Survival Coalition,[30] which seeks to promote awareness of breast cancer in women under 40,[19] as well as environmental organization The Surfrider Foundation, which aims to preserve the world's oceans and beaches.

References

  1. ^ "Cartel Management". Cartel Management (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
  2. ^ "Messages to Marisa". www.fashionmodeltalk.com (2007-06-18). Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  3. ^ SI.com - 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Photo Gallery
  4. ^ a b c "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show". www.cbs.com (2007-11-11). Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  5. ^ "Santa Cruz model reveals the makeup of a media image". www.santacruzsentinel.com (2000-05-05). Retrieved on 2007-03-29.
  6. ^ a b c d "Askmen Bio". Retrieved on 2008-09-18.
  7. ^ "TV.com Bio". Retrieved on 2008-09-18.
  8. ^ Townsend, Peggy (2004-02-20). "Model Citizen: Santa Cruz's own Marisa Miller is poised to become the next international supermodel". Retrieved on 2007-06-24. 
  9. ^ "Marisa Miller Does Sports Illustrated". Model of the Week. www.askmen.com (2005-08-07). Retrieved on 2006-09-25.
  10. ^ "SI Swimsuit Collection: Marisa Miller". Time Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
  11. ^ "SI Swimsuit Collection: Marisa Miller". Time Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
  12. ^ "Swimsuit 2007: Marisa Miller". CNN/Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
  13. ^ "Swimsuit 2008: Body Painting (Marisa Miller)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
  14. ^ "Marisa Miller". CNN/Sports Illustrated (2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  15. ^ "Tyra Banks". CNN/Sports Illustrated (1997). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
    "Marisa Miller". CNN/Sports Illustrated (2004). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  16. ^ "Cheryl Tiegs". CNN/Sports Illustrated (1978). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
    "Marisa Miller". CNN/Sports Illustrated (2004). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  17. ^ "Daniela Pestova". CNN/Sports Illustrated (1995). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
    "Marisa Miller". CNN/Sports Illustrated (2004). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  18. ^ a b "Bay Living". Retrieved on 2008-09-18.
  19. ^ a b c "Marisa Miller's model year just got 'Maxim' exposure". Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  20. ^ a b c "Maxim Hot 100". Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  21. ^ "Carmen Electra to Host Bravo's 'Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model'" (2004-09-08). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  22. ^ "Beauty and the Brewer". Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
  23. ^ "Runway Miami". Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
  24. ^ "SI Digital Launch of Swimsuit 2008 Experiences Unprecedented Traffic and Engagement Levels". Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  25. ^ "Fox News". Retrieved on 2008-09-20.
  26. ^ "CNN". Retrieved on 2008-09-27.
  27. ^ "BDSSP Smokin' Sixteen Brackets". Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
  28. ^ "Marisa Miller". Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  29. ^ "Marisa Miller". www.askmen.com (2005). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
  30. ^ Young Survival Coalition[1]

External links

v â€¢ d â€¢ e
Victoria's Secret Angels
Former Angels
Related articles
v â€¢ d â€¢ e
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s



Persondata
NAME Miller, Marisa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bertetta, Marisa
SHORT DESCRIPTION American Model
DATE OF BIRTH August 6, 1978
PLACE OF BIRTH Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH