Claudia Schiffer
Encyclopedia
Claudia Schiffer ˈklaʊ̯dɪa ˈʃɪfɐ (born 25 August 1970) is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot
. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers. In 2002, Forbes estimated her net worth at about $
55 million (£
38 million).
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, West Germany, a small town 15 km northwest of Duisburg
. She is the daughter of Gudrun and Heinz Schiffer, a lawyer
. She has two brothers, Stefan and Andreas, and one sister, Ann Carolin.
Schiffer said that she was popular in high school, but felt socially overshadowed by the other girls in her class. She has revealed that because she was so tall, she became very shy and did not want to be noticed. She was also subjected to jealousy by others as she came from a wealthy family that was well-known locally. Schiffer became fluent in English and French.
She originally wanted to become a lawyer and used to work in her father's law firm
. She later dropped these aspirations when, in October 1987 at seventeen, she was spotted in a nightclub in Düsseldorf
by Michel Levaton, the boss of Metropolitan Model Agency who signed her up to become a model.
, after being well received in Paris. After several other magazine appearances, she quickly achieved "supermodel
" status when she was selected by Karl Lagerfeld
to become the new face of Chanel
. Schiffer went on to become world-famous, recognizable with her blue eyes, blonde hair and tall figure, standing at 1.80m (approx. 5 ft 11 in.).
In the early 1990s, she starred in highly publicised Guess?
jeans adverts in North America which created essential publicity for Schiffer. She was presented on the November 1999 Millennium cover of American Vogue
as one of the "Modern Muses". Paul Marciano said in E! Forbes Top 15 Supermodel Beauties Who Made Bank, "Guess name became really much more known around the world because [of] Claudia". Soon after appearing in the campaigns, her name was launched worldwide, appearing on five magazine covers in the United States and seven covers around Europe. Schiffer joined Thomas Zeumer's Metropolitan Models and was contracted to model for Revlon
. She also became involved in modelling for several catalogues. Schiffer has done catwalk modelling for Versace, Jil Sander
, Dolce & Gabbana
, Ralph Lauren
and Valentino
. Schiffer was the first model to make the covers of Vanity Fair
, Rolling Stone
, The New York Times
and People
. She has also appeared many times on covers of Vogue
, Harper's Bazaar
, Cosmopolitan
, Tank Magazine
and Time
.
Schiffer has also been the face of Spanish clothes store, Mango
and Accessorize, where she had her ears pierced especially for her Autumn/Winter 2006 Accessorize advertising campaign in 2006. Schiffer still holds a contract with L'Oréal
and Ebel
watches, and her billboard picture for Kenar has also hung over millions of tourists at Times Square
. Since 1990, she has created a swimsuit
calendar each year which she stars in and designs herself.
Schiffer later appeared in advertisements for Pepsi
, and has danced with a cartoon version of Mickey Mouse
in advertisements promoting Fanta
for an estimated $2 million. From her appearances in a 1998 Citroën
advertisement, she earned a reputed £3 million. Karl Lagerfeld filmed her for a Dom Perignon
campaign, some ten years after her first appearances in Chanel adverts.
She is signed to several agencies, including d'management group in Milan and 1/One Management in New York City, Simon Fuller
's 19 Entertainment
in London for her non modelling interests, and her mother agency 'Model Management' in Hamburg
.
and Matthew Modine
in The Blackout
. She went on to appear in Friends & Lovers and Black and White
in 1999, In Pursuit and Life Without Dick
in 2001, and then Love Actually
in a semi-cameo role. Schiffer has made several other cameo appearances in films, including Ben Stiller
's Zoolander
in 2001.
Schiffer has appeared on several talk shows and sitcoms, such as Larry King Live
, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, Dharma & Greg
and Arrested Development. She was also in boyband Westlife
's music video for "Uptown Girl
", and in 2000, she made a cameo appearance in Bon Jovi
's video for "Say It Isn't So
".
She has released four exercise videos, entitled Claudia Schiffer's Perfectly Fit, which were successful and reached the bestsellers list. Schiffer has hosted the French Fashion Awards and the World Music Awards
in Monaco
.
With fellow models Christy Turlington
, Naomi Campbell
, and Elle Macpherson
, Schiffer was joint owner of a chain of restaurants called the Fashion Café in 1995. Schiffer remains a prominent figure in German society and helped present and carry the trophy with Pelé
during opening ceremonies at the 2006 World Cup. She also presented Prince William with a polo
trophy in 2002.
When talking about the model profession at present, she said: "Supermodels, like we once were, don't exist any more." She has said Gisele Bündchen
was the only person who comes close to earning the supermodel title.
for about five years from 1994 until 1999. They first met in 1993 at one of Copperfield's stage shows, where he invited her on stage to take part in his 'Flying' illusion, and he then subsequently sawed her in half
during a joint appearance on German television. Throughout their relationship, she often joined Copperfield in his stage shows as a "special guest assistant" in a number of illusions, including being levitated, guillotined
and sawn in half. Following the end of her relationship with Copperfield, she had a relationship with Tim Jefferies.
On 25 May 2002, she married the film director
Matthew Vaughn
in Suffolk
. Instead of an engagement ring
, Vaughn bought her a tortoise
. On her wedding day, many journalists and 200 onlookers gathered to see her in her wedding dress
. She was married in St. George's church in the village of Shimpling
. The wedding reception was held at Schiffer's Elizabethan
mansion.
Schiffer and Vaughn have three children: son Caspar Matthew De Vere Drummond (born 30 January 2003, Westminster
, London), daughter Clementine Drummond (born 11 November 2004, Westminster), and a second daughter, Cosima Violet (born 14 May 2010). The family lives in London. During her spare time, Schiffer enjoys horse riding, painting, playing tennis and skiing.
Schiffer had two significant problems with harassment
in the past. In 2002, an Italian kitchen porter
was arrested after making nine visits to Schiffer's £5 million Coldham Hall
mansion near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
, attempting to see her. Charges against him were dropped however, as he was sectioned
under the Mental Health Act
. He believed that the Pope
had told him to marry Schiffer. In 2004, a Canadian man was accused of harassing Schiffer, also at her mansion in Suffolk. He called at her mansion in the hope of seeing her. He also repeatedly left letters at her home.
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers. In 2002, Forbes estimated her net worth at about $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
55 million (£
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
38 million).
Background
Schiffer was born in RheinbergRheinberg
Rheinberg is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. north of Moers and south of Wesel....
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, West Germany, a small town 15 km northwest of Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
. She is the daughter of Gudrun and Heinz Schiffer, a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. She has two brothers, Stefan and Andreas, and one sister, Ann Carolin.
Schiffer said that she was popular in high school, but felt socially overshadowed by the other girls in her class. She has revealed that because she was so tall, she became very shy and did not want to be noticed. She was also subjected to jealousy by others as she came from a wealthy family that was well-known locally. Schiffer became fluent in English and French.
She originally wanted to become a lawyer and used to work in her father's law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
. She later dropped these aspirations when, in October 1987 at seventeen, she was spotted in a nightclub in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
by Michel Levaton, the boss of Metropolitan Model Agency who signed her up to become a model.
Modeling and fashion
She completed her education and then began to work as a model. She flew out to Paris for a trial photo shoot and soon after she appeared in the cover of French ElleElle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
, after being well received in Paris. After several other magazine appearances, she quickly achieved "supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
" status when she was selected by Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
to become the new face of Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
. Schiffer went on to become world-famous, recognizable with her blue eyes, blonde hair and tall figure, standing at 1.80m (approx. 5 ft 11 in.).
In the early 1990s, she starred in highly publicised Guess?
Guess?
Guess is a American clothing line brand. Guess also markets other fashion accessories besides clothes, such as watches, jewelry and perfumes. The company also owns the line Marciano.-Founding:...
jeans adverts in North America which created essential publicity for Schiffer. She was presented on the November 1999 Millennium cover of American Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
as one of the "Modern Muses". Paul Marciano said in E! Forbes Top 15 Supermodel Beauties Who Made Bank, "Guess name became really much more known around the world because [of] Claudia". Soon after appearing in the campaigns, her name was launched worldwide, appearing on five magazine covers in the United States and seven covers around Europe. Schiffer joined Thomas Zeumer's Metropolitan Models and was contracted to model for Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
. She also became involved in modelling for several catalogues. Schiffer has done catwalk modelling for Versace, Jil Sander
Jil Sander
Heidemarie Jiline 'Jil' Sander is a minimalist German fashion designer and the founder of the Jil Sander fashion house....
, Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
, Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
and Valentino
Valentino SpA
Valentino SpA is a clothing company founded in 1959 by Valentino Garavani. Nowadays it is a part of Valentino Fashion Group. New creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli will take Alessandra Facchinetti's seat as creative designer...
. Schiffer was the first model to make the covers of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and 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 has also appeared many times on covers of Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, Tank Magazine
Tank Magazine
Tank Magazine is a quarterly UK magazine that focuses on lifestyle, art, architecture, literature and fashion.-Background:Tank magazine, first published in September 1998, is produced by the independent publishing company Tank Publications Ltd., who also publish "O:Magazine" by Tank, the luxury...
and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
.
Schiffer has also been the face of Spanish clothes store, Mango
Mango (clothing)
Mango, stylized MANGO, is a clothing design and manufacturing company. Isak Andic is the president.Its goal is "to be present in every city" in the world...
and Accessorize, where she had her ears pierced especially for her Autumn/Winter 2006 Accessorize advertising campaign in 2006. Schiffer still holds a contract with 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...
and Ebel
Ebel
Ebel is a famous Swiss luxury watch company, founded in 1911 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland by Eugene Blum and Alice Levy.-E.B.E.L.:...
watches, and her billboard picture for Kenar has also hung over millions of tourists at Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. Since 1990, she has created a swimsuit
Swimsuit
A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...
calendar each year which she stars in and designs herself.
Schiffer later appeared in advertisements for Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, and has danced with a cartoon version of Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
in advertisements promoting Fanta
Fanta
Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...
for an estimated $2 million. From her appearances in a 1998 Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
advertisement, she earned a reputed £3 million. Karl Lagerfeld filmed her for a Dom Perignon
Dom Pérignon (wine)
Dom Pérignon is a brand of vintage Champagne produced by the Champagne house Moët & Chandon and serves as that house's prestige champagne. It is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who was an important quality pioneer for Champagne wine but who, contrary to popular myths, did not discover...
campaign, some ten years after her first appearances in Chanel adverts.
She is signed to several agencies, including d'management group in Milan and 1/One Management in New York City, Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
's 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
in London for her non modelling interests, and her mother agency 'Model Management' in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Media appearances
Schiffer has appeared in a number of films and music videos. Her first appearance in film was in the children's movie Richie Rich in 1994 and then starred opposite Dennis HopperDennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
and Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
in The Blackout
The Blackout (1997 film)
The Blackout is a 1997 American drama film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Matthew Modine - Matty* Claudia Schiffer - Susan* Béatrice Dalle - Annie 1* Sarah Lassez - Annie 2...
. She went on to appear in Friends & Lovers and Black and White
Black and White (1999 film)
Black and White is a 1999 American film directed by James Toback, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gaby Hoffmann, Allan Houston, Jared Leto, Scott Caan, Claudia Schiffer, Brooke Shields and a number of rap musicians, namely members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Onyx .The...
in 1999, In Pursuit and Life Without Dick
Life Without Dick
Life Without Dick is a direct-to-video 2002 American black comedy film written and directed by Bix Skahill. The screenplay focuses on the relationship that develops between an incompetent hitman and a woman who accidentally kills her boyfriend when she discovers he's leaving her for another...
in 2001, and then Love Actually
Love Actually
Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
in a semi-cameo role. Schiffer has made several other cameo appearances in films, including Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
's Zoolander
Zoolander
Zoolander is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. The short films and the...
in 2001.
Schiffer has appeared on several talk shows and sitcoms, such as Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, Dharma & Greg
Dharma & Greg
Dharma & Greg is an American television sitcom that aired from September 24, 1997, to April 30, 2002.It starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a couple who married instantly on their first date despite being complete opposites...
and Arrested Development. She was also in boyband Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
's music video for "Uptown Girl
Uptown Girl
"Uptown Girl" is a song written and performed by musician Billy Joel, first released in 1983 on his album An Innocent Man. The lyrics describe a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy "uptown girl." The single peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts in the US, and #1 in the UK,...
", and in 2000, she made a cameo appearance in Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
's video for "Say It Isn't So
Say It Isn't So (Bon Jovi song)
"Say It Isn't So" is a song by Bon Jovi. It was released in 2000 as the second single off their Grammy nominated album Crush. It is unique in that David Bryan plays the solo of the song instead of Richie Sambora. Sambora performed vocals for this song along with Jon Bon Jovi...
".
She has released four exercise videos, entitled Claudia Schiffer's Perfectly Fit, which were successful and reached the bestsellers list. Schiffer has hosted the French Fashion Awards and the World Music Awards
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
.
With fellow models Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington Burns is an American model best known for representing Calvin Klein from 1987 to 2007. She has worked on dozens of modeling contracts with companies including Maybelline Cosmetics and Versace. Turlington starred in her fashion documentary Catwalk and Isaac Mizrahi's Unzipped...
, Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
, and Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
, Schiffer was joint owner of a chain of restaurants called the Fashion Café in 1995. Schiffer remains a prominent figure in German society and helped present and carry the trophy with Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
during opening ceremonies at the 2006 World Cup. She also presented Prince William with a polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
trophy in 2002.
When talking about the model profession at present, she said: "Supermodels, like we once were, don't exist any more." She has said Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
was the only person who comes close to earning the supermodel title.
Personal life
Schiffer dated magician David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield (illusionist)
David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...
for about five years from 1994 until 1999. They first met in 1993 at one of Copperfield's stage shows, where he invited her on stage to take part in his 'Flying' illusion, and he then subsequently sawed her in half
Sawing a woman in half
Sawing a woman in half is a generic name for a number of different stage magic tricks in which a person is apparently sawn or divided into two or more pieces.-History:...
during a joint appearance on German television. Throughout their relationship, she often joined Copperfield in his stage shows as a "special guest assistant" in a number of illusions, including being levitated, guillotined
Guillotine (magic trick)
The Guillotine is a magic trick where it appears that a blade of a guillotine passes through a person's neck without harming him/her.-History:...
and sawn in half. Following the end of her relationship with Copperfield, she had a relationship with Tim Jefferies.
On 25 May 2002, she married the film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn is an English film producer and director known for producing such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch and directing the films Layer Cake , Stardust and Kick-Ass...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. Instead of an engagement ring
Engagement ring
An engagement ring is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, engagement rings are traditionally worn only by women, and rings can feature diamonds or other gemstones. In other cultures...
, Vaughn bought her a tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
. On her wedding day, many journalists and 200 onlookers gathered to see her in her wedding dress
Wedding dress
A wedding dress or wedding gown is the clothing worn by a bride during a wedding ceremony. Color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants.- Western culture :...
. She was married in St. George's church in the village of Shimpling
Shimpling
Shimpling is a village and civil parish in south Suffolk, England. Located around 7 miles from Bury St Edmunds, it is part of Babergh district. The village is essentially split into two halves, the newer Shimpling Street and around 2 miles away the actual village of Shimpling...
. The wedding reception was held at Schiffer's Elizabethan
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
mansion.
Schiffer and Vaughn have three children: son Caspar Matthew De Vere Drummond (born 30 January 2003, Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London), daughter Clementine Drummond (born 11 November 2004, Westminster), and a second daughter, Cosima Violet (born 14 May 2010). The family lives in London. During her spare time, Schiffer enjoys horse riding, painting, playing tennis and skiing.
Schiffer had two significant problems with harassment
Harassment
Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and it is characteristically repetitive. In the legal sense, it is intentional behaviour which is found threatening or disturbing...
in the past. In 2002, an Italian kitchen porter
Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...
was arrested after making nine visits to Schiffer's £5 million Coldham Hall
Coldham Hall
Coldham Hall is a Grade I listed building, built in 1574, that is located in the parish of Stanningfield in Suffolk. The Hall is very close to the village of Lawshall, and part of the Coldham estate is located within this parish.-Description:...
mansion near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, attempting to see her. Charges against him were dropped however, as he was sectioned
Involuntary commitment
Involuntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness is court-ordered into treatment in a hospital or in the community ....
under the Mental Health Act
Mental Health Act 1983
The Mental Health Act 1983 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which applies to people in England and Wales. It covers the reception, care and treatment of mentally disordered persons, the management of their property and other related matters...
. He believed that the Pope
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
had told him to marry Schiffer. In 2004, a Canadian man was accused of harassing Schiffer, also at her mansion in Suffolk. He called at her mansion in the hope of seeing her. He also repeatedly left letters at her home.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Richie Rich | Herself as an aerobics instructor | |
| 1994 | Prêt-à-Porter Prêt-à-Porter (film) Prêt-à-Porter is a 1994 American satirical black comedy film co-written, directed, and produced by Robert Altman and shot during the Paris, France, Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models and designers... |
Herself | American title Ready to Wear |
| 1996 | Perfectly Fit | none | Fitness program by Claudia Schiffer |
| 1997 | The Blackout The Blackout (1997 film) The Blackout is a 1997 American drama film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Matthew Modine - Matty* Claudia Schiffer - Susan* Béatrice Dalle - Annie 1* Sarah Lassez - Annie 2... |
Susan | |
| 1999 | Desperate But Not Serious Desperate But Not Serious Desperate But Not Serious is a 1999 movie directed by Bill Fishman. It was released in the USA under the title Reckless + Wild.Out-of-towner Lily arrives in Los Angeles to attend a wedding reception with the man of her dreams, Jonathan . Aided by party-girl Frances , they embark on a night of... |
Gigi | USA DVD release titled Reckless + Wild |
| 1999 | Friends & Lovers | Carla | |
| 1999 | Black and White Black and White (1999 film) Black and White is a 1999 American film directed by James Toback, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gaby Hoffmann, Allan Houston, Jared Leto, Scott Caan, Claudia Schiffer, Brooke Shields and a number of rap musicians, namely members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Onyx .The... |
Greta | |
| 1999 | Fart Party | Susie | |
| 2000 | Meeting Genevieve | Genevieve | |
| 2000 | Chain Of Fools Chain of Fools Chain of Fools is a 2000 heist comedy/romance film about a hapless barber named Kresk .-Plot:... |
Herself | |
| 2001 | In Pursuit In Pursuit In Pursuit is a direct-to-video 2001 American film directed by Peter Pistor and written by John Penney, based on a story by Pistor. The film was shot in Encino, California.-Plot:... |
Catherine Wells | USA DVD release titled Rules of the Game |
| 2001 | Zoolander Zoolander Zoolander is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. The short films and the... |
Herself | |
| 2002 | 666 - Traue keinem, mit dem Du schläfst! | Herself | English title 666: In Bed with the Devil |
| 2002 | Life Without Dick Life Without Dick Life Without Dick is a direct-to-video 2002 American black comedy film written and directed by Bix Skahill. The screenplay focuses on the relationship that develops between an incompetent hitman and a woman who accidentally kills her boyfriend when she discovers he's leaving her for another... |
Mary | |
| 2003 | Love Actually Love Actually Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress... |
Carol |
Appearances in documentaries
- Noche de tu vida, La (1993)
- The Magic of David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic (1994)
- Die schönsten Frauen der Welt - Claudia Schiffer (1995)
- Around Claudia Schiffer (1995)
- Catwalk (1996)
- The 68th Annual Academy Awards (1996)
- Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life (1997)
- An Audience with Elton John (1997)
- 1997 VH1 Fashion Awards (1997)
- Beautopia (1998)
- The Sound of Claudia Schiffer (2000)
- Í skóm drekans (2002)