Aimee Mullins
Encyclopedia
Aimee Mullins is an American athlete, actress, and fashion model best known for her collegiate-level athletic accomplishments, despite a medical condition that resulted in the amputation of both of her legs.
(missing fibula bones) and, as a result, had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was a year old. She is a graduate of Parkland High School
in Allentown and Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
While attending Georgetown University, she competed against able-bodied athletes in NCAA
Division I track and field
events. She competed in the Paralympics in 1996 in Atlanta
, in which she ran the 100-meter dash in 17.01 seconds and jumped 3.14 meters in the long-jump.
Also while at Georgetown, Mullins won a place on the Foreign Affairs internship program, working at The Pentagon
. She also makes appearances as a motivational speaker.
in his London
show, on a pair of hand-carved wooden prosthetic legs made from solid ash, with integral boots. She is able to change her height between 5 ft 8in and 6 ft 1in by changing her legs. She has been named one of the fifty most beautiful people in the world by People
.
She also appeared in Dazed & Confused Magazine in 1998, seen on Coverage, and in Kenneth Cole
's anniversary Campaign (2010). She is also part of the L'Oréal
fashion Beauty Team along with Jennifer Lopez
and Gwen Stefani
(2011).
's Cremaster 3 as a cheetah woman (the Entered Novitiate and Oonagh MacCumhail). In 2006, she appeared in World Trade Center
, playing the role of a reporter. She also appeared, in 2003, in the made-for-television version of Agatha Christie
's Five Little Pigs
, as the woman who asks Hercule Poirot
to clear her dead mother of murder.
She appeared on The Colbert Report on April 15, 2010 and declared having 12 pairs of prosthetic legs, with "some in museums".
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Background
Mullins was born with fibular hemimeliaHemimelia
Fibular hemimelia or longitudinal fibular deficiency is "the congenital absence of the fibula and it is the most common congenital absence of long bone of the extremities." It is the shortening of the fibula at birth, or the complete lack thereof. In humans, the disorder can be noted by ultrasound...
(missing fibula bones) and, as a result, had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was a year old. She is a graduate of Parkland High School
Parkland High School (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Parkland High School, located near Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States, is a public high school serving students in grades 9 to 12. It is the only high school for the Parkland School District....
in Allentown and Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
While attending Georgetown University, she competed against able-bodied athletes in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
events. She competed in the Paralympics in 1996 in Atlanta
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
, in which she ran the 100-meter dash in 17.01 seconds and jumped 3.14 meters in the long-jump.
Also while at Georgetown, Mullins won a place on the Foreign Affairs internship program, working at The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. She also makes appearances as a motivational speaker.
Fashion model
In 1999, she modelled for British fashion designer Alexander McQueenAlexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
in his London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
show, on a pair of hand-carved wooden prosthetic legs made from solid ash, with integral boots. She is able to change her height between 5 ft 8in and 6 ft 1in by changing her legs. She has been named one of the fifty most beautiful people in the world by People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
.
She also appeared in Dazed & Confused Magazine in 1998, seen on Coverage, and in Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole may refer to:*Kenneth Cole , American clothing designer** Kenneth Cole Productions, American fashion house founded by the designer...
's anniversary Campaign (2010). She is also part of the L'Oréal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
fashion Beauty Team along with Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
(2011).
Actress
In 2002, she appeared in Matthew BarneyMatthew Barney
Matthew Barney is an American artist who works in sculpture, photography, drawing and film. His early works were sculptural installations combined with performance and video...
's Cremaster 3 as a cheetah woman (the Entered Novitiate and Oonagh MacCumhail). In 2006, she appeared in World Trade Center
World Trade Center (film)
World Trade Center is a 2006 American disaster-drama film directed by Oliver Stone and based on the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center. It stars Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. The film was shot from October 19, 2005 - February 10, 2006...
, playing the role of a reporter. She also appeared, in 2003, in the made-for-television version of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
's Five Little Pigs
Five Little Pigs
Five Little Pigs is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in May 1942 under the title of Murder in Retrospect and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in January 1943 although some sources state that publication occurred in November 1942...
, as the woman who asks Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
to clear her dead mother of murder.
She appeared on The Colbert Report on April 15, 2010 and declared having 12 pairs of prosthetic legs, with "some in museums".
Films and television
- 2002 - Cremaster 3 (Cremaster Cycle), film directed by Matthew BarneyMatthew BarneyMatthew Barney is an American artist who works in sculpture, photography, drawing and film. His early works were sculptural installations combined with performance and video...
. - 2003 - Five Little PigsFive Little PigsFive Little Pigs is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in May 1942 under the title of Murder in Retrospect and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in January 1943 although some sources state that publication occurred in November 1942...
- 2006 - MarvelousMarvelous (film)Marvelous is a 2006 American drama/comedy written and directed by Síofra Campbell.-Plot:Martha Plimpton's character, Gwen, is living with her sister Queenie after getting divorced. Soon after the movie begins, it is revealed that Gwen has the ability to magically fix broken machinery and heal sick...
- 2006 - World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center (film)World Trade Center is a 2006 American disaster-drama film directed by Oliver Stone and based on the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center. It stars Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. The film was shot from October 19, 2005 - February 10, 2006...
as a reporter - 2008 - Quid Pro QuoQuid Pro QuoQuid Pro Quo is a film written and directed by Carlos Brooks, starring Nick Stahl, Vera Farmiga, Pablo Schreiber, and Kate Burton. The film was released at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and scheduled for release on 13 June 2008....
Books
Mullins has been featured in the following books:- Athlete (2002) ISBN 0-06-019553-3
- Laws of the Bandit Queens (2002) ISBN 0-609-80807-9
- The Prosthetic Impulse - Smith and Morra (eds.) (2006) ISBN 0-262-19530-5
External links
- Aimee Mullins's Official Site at AimeeMullins.com
- Aimee Mullins at AllAmericanSpeakers.com
- TED Talks: Aimee Mullins: Running on high-tech legs, Filmed 1998
- TED Talks: Aimee Mullins: How my legs give me super-powers, Filmed 2009
- TED Talks: Aimee Mullins: The opportunity of adversity, Filmed Oct 2009
- Role Models interview from CaptainU
- Official paralympic.org records page
- Press and Advertisement related to Handicap on wheelchair information website
- Sports Illustrated article on Aimee Mullins