Cindy Crawford

Early life

Cynthia Ann Crawford was born on 20 February 1966 in DeKalb, Illinois, to Daniel Kenneth Crawford and Jennifer Sue Crawford-Moluf; her brother, Jeffrey, died of leukemia at age three, an event she has cited as shaping her later charitable work. After a prank modelling-agency call in high school led to a local shoot, she entered Elite Model Management’s "Look of the Year" contest at 17 in 1983, graduated as valedictorian of DeKalb High School in 1984, and briefly attended Northwestern University on a chemical-engineering scholarship before leaving after one quarter to model full-time, signing with Elite in New York in 1986.

Defining the supermodel era, 1988–1991

Crawford’s first Playboy pictorial, shot by Herb Ritts, ran in July 1988. In January 1990 she appeared on Peter Lindbergh’s landmark British Vogue cover alongside Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz and Naomi Campbell — a defining image of the "supermodel" era — and appeared in George Michael’s "Freedom! ’90" video that year. In 1991 she wore a red Versace dress to the 63rd Academy Awards, a widely cited fashion moment, and married actor Richard Gere.

Television, fitness and film, 1989–1998

Crawford hosted and executive-produced MTV’s House of Style from 1989 to 1995, and released the fitness videos "Shape Your Body" and "The Next Challenge" in 1992 and 1993, alongside a Pepsi commercial during Super Bowl XXVI. She took a lead film role in Fair Game in 1995, and appeared in the documentaries Unzipped and Catwalk that year. Her second Playboy pictorial, again shot by Herb Ritts, ran in October 1998, the same month she married Rande Gerber; she also appeared in the film 54 that year.

Business ventures and recent record

Crawford stepped back from full-time runway and editorial modelling around 2000, launching the Cindy Crawford Home Collection furniture line and the Meaningful Beauty skincare line with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh in 2005. She published the autobiography "Becoming" in 2015 and appeared in Taylor Swift’s "Bad Blood" video that year, followed by a joint Vogue Paris cover with daughter Kaia Gerber in April 2016 and a runway appearance closing Versace’s Spring/Summer 2018 show alongside fellow 1990s supermodels. She served as executive producer and interview subject for Apple TV+’s docuseries "The Super Models" in 2023.

Why is Cindy Crawford ranked #103?

• Walked Off-White Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 in Paris; occasional runway and campaign appearances continue into 2024.
• Quit full-time modelling in 2000 and now appears only for select engagements rather than a working booking schedule.

Confidence: Baseline · full audit pending. Scores may change when a source is corrected or new work enters the current window.