Mehgan Heaney-Grier
Encyclopedia
Mehgan Heaney-Grier is a US
champion free-diver, fashion model, actress, conservationist
, and TV personality.
to Bill and Renee Heaney. Her parents divorced when she was six years old. When she was eleven years old her mother remarried to Nelson Grier and in the summer of 1989, Heaney-Grier, along with her sister Erin, mother and new stepfather moved to the Florida Keys
. When she was 16 years old, she legally changed her last name to Heaney-Grier.
record in the United States
with a dive to 155 feet (47.26 meters) on a single breath of air. The following year she beat her own record with a dive to 165 feet (50.3 meters), When she set her second US record, the women's world record for free diving was 204.5 feet.
In 1998 Heaney-Grier captained the first United States Freediving Team to compete in the World Cup Freediving Championships held in Sardinia, Italy. In 2000, Heaney-Grier was inducted as part of the inaugural roster into the Women Divers Hall of Fame.
showed her photograph to a modeling agency. Shortly after Heaney-Grier attended a modeling competition hosted by the Modeling Association of America International (MAAI) in New York City
where she won in the overall Most Photogenic category and placed first in the Bathing Suit category. Over the years Heaney-Grier has modeled for, and been featured in, numerous catalogs and magazines including People, Outside, Life, Vogue Japan, Abercrombie & Fitch. Heaney-Grier has also been a public relations ambassador for several major companies including Alberto VO5 and OMEGA
Watches.
and Mark Rackley (who was at the time also Heaney-Grier's boyfriend), filming underwater encounters with animals such as alligators and sharks. Rackley had worked as a spearfisherman and underwater videographer, and Puig had experience as an animal handler on movie sets and had learned how to ride and handle alligators in their environment. Together with Heaney-Grief, they formed a company named Extreme Encounters, and the footage they produced led to the Animal Planet
series titled Extreme Contact. The 20 episode series featured the trio in cage-free encounters with sharks, alligators and other aquatic wildlife. They also worked on a USA Network one hour special titled "Deep Diver: Tiger Shark Odyssey". In 2002, Heaney-Grier went on to other projects.
In 1999 Heaney-Grier had a guest-starring role as a free-diver on an episode of Baywatch
, and a starring role on a UPN movie of the week, Avalon:Beyond the Abyss, produced by Viacom Productions
. Heaney-Grier has been a featured guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, London's TFI Friday
, Primetime Live with Anderson Cooper
and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Heaney-Grier also hosted Saturn's Gravity Files, covering the Gravity Games
in 2004, and the Mad Fin Shark Series for ESPN
in 2008.
, Gore Verbinski
, to perform an underwater stunt for Keira Knightley
. Heaney-Grier has also performed underwater stunts, including scuba diving
, free diving and working with sharks, as a stunt double for Jessica Alba
and Ashley Scott
in Into the Blue, and for actress Olivia Wilde
in Turistas
.
, filmed by Bob Talbot
and Peter Zuccarini. Heaney-Grier was a contributing author to the Blue Planet book published in Japan for Omega
Watches and has also been featured in books such as A Family of Women by Caroline Jones, Freedive! by Terry Maas and David Sipperly, and Homo Delphinus: The Dolphin within Man by Jacques Mayol
. Since 1997 Heaney-Grier has worked as a motivational speaker, appearing at grades schools and with groups such as PACE for Girls (an organization in South Florida that works with troubled teens) and Habitat for Humanity.
work. Heaney-Grier is in her third year of college at the University of Colorado at Boulder
in Boulder, Colorado
and is set to graduate in 2011 with degrees in Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology and Anthropology
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
champion free-diver, fashion model, actress, conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, and TV personality.
Early life
Heaney-Grier was born in Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
to Bill and Renee Heaney. Her parents divorced when she was six years old. When she was eleven years old her mother remarried to Nelson Grier and in the summer of 1989, Heaney-Grier, along with her sister Erin, mother and new stepfather moved to the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
. When she was 16 years old, she legally changed her last name to Heaney-Grier.
Freediving
In 1996 at the age of 18 Heaney-Grier established the first constant weight free-divingFree-diving
Freediving is any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Examples include breathhold spear fishing, freedive photography, apnea competitions and, to a degree, snorkeling...
record in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a dive to 155 feet (47.26 meters) on a single breath of air. The following year she beat her own record with a dive to 165 feet (50.3 meters), When she set her second US record, the women's world record for free diving was 204.5 feet.
In 1998 Heaney-Grier captained the first United States Freediving Team to compete in the World Cup Freediving Championships held in Sardinia, Italy. In 2000, Heaney-Grier was inducted as part of the inaugural roster into the Women Divers Hall of Fame.
Modeling
Heaney-Grier began modeling when she was 14 years old when a photographer in Miami Beach, FloridaMiami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
showed her photograph to a modeling agency. Shortly after Heaney-Grier attended a modeling competition hosted by the Modeling Association of America International (MAAI) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she won in the overall Most Photogenic category and placed first in the Bathing Suit category. Over the years Heaney-Grier has modeled for, and been featured in, numerous catalogs and magazines including People, Outside, Life, Vogue Japan, Abercrombie & Fitch. Heaney-Grier has also been a public relations ambassador for several major companies including Alberto VO5 and OMEGA
OMEGA
OMEGA is the premier counter-terrorism unit of Latvia. Founded in 1992, OMEGA cooperates with many other counter-terrorism units over the world. Its equipment and weaponry includes the Heckler & Koch MP5, the HK G36C and the Walther P99....
Watches.
Television
In the late 1990s, Heaney-Grier partnered with her diving trainers, Manny PuigManny Puig
Manny "Sharkman" Puig is an American wildlife educator and entertainer. Puig is known for his direct approach when dealing with dangerous animals such as sharks, black bears and American alligators...
and Mark Rackley (who was at the time also Heaney-Grier's boyfriend), filming underwater encounters with animals such as alligators and sharks. Rackley had worked as a spearfisherman and underwater videographer, and Puig had experience as an animal handler on movie sets and had learned how to ride and handle alligators in their environment. Together with Heaney-Grief, they formed a company named Extreme Encounters, and the footage they produced led to the Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
series titled Extreme Contact. The 20 episode series featured the trio in cage-free encounters with sharks, alligators and other aquatic wildlife. They also worked on a USA Network one hour special titled "Deep Diver: Tiger Shark Odyssey". In 2002, Heaney-Grier went on to other projects.
In 1999 Heaney-Grier had a guest-starring role as a free-diver on an episode of Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, and a starring role on a UPN movie of the week, Avalon:Beyond the Abyss, produced by Viacom Productions
Viacom Productions
Viacom Productions was a television production company active from 1974 until 2004.-History:*1971: Viacom Enterprises was reincorporated from CBS Enterprises .*1973: Viacom Enterprises was spun-off from CBS....
. Heaney-Grier has been a featured guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, London's TFI Friday
TFI Friday
TFI Friday is an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of Guest Presenters. It was broadcast on...
, Primetime Live with Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Heaney-Grier also hosted Saturn's Gravity Files, covering the Gravity Games
Gravity Games
The Gravity Games were a multi-sport competition originating from Providence, Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations...
in 2004, and the Mad Fin Shark Series for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in 2008.
Stunt work
In 2003, Heaney-Grier was sought by the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black PearlPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 adventure fantasy film based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. It was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, Gore Verbinski
Gore Verbinski
Gregor "Gore" Verbinski is an American film director, writer and musician. He is best known for directing the films The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Rango.-Early life:...
, to perform an underwater stunt for Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
. Heaney-Grier has also performed underwater stunts, including scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
, free diving and working with sharks, as a stunt double for Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
and Ashley Scott
Ashley Scott
Ashley McCall Scott is an American actress. She is known for her work on television and in film including her roles in the television series Birds of Prey, Dark Angel and Jericho.-Acting career:...
in Into the Blue, and for actress Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
in Turistas
Turistas
Turistas is a 2006 American thriller film directed and produced by John Stockwell. In some regions of the world, such as France, the Republic of Ireland, Malta and the UK, the film has been released under the alternative title Paradise Lost.-Plot:Three young American tourists, Alex , his sister...
.
Other work
In 2005 Heaney-Grier starred in a coral reef conservation documentary titled Reflections for NOAA and the United States National Marine SanctuaryUnited States National Marine Sanctuary
A U.S. National Marine Sanctuary is a federally-designated area within United States waters that protects areas of the marine environment with special conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, cultural, archeological, scientific, educational, or aesthetic qualities. The National Marine...
, filmed by Bob Talbot
Bob Talbot
Robert Dale Talbot is a retired American professional baseball player, an outfielder in the Major Leagues from to for the Chicago Cubs. Talbot joined the Cubs from their Pacific Coast League team, the Los Angeles Angels....
and Peter Zuccarini. Heaney-Grier was a contributing author to the Blue Planet book published in Japan for Omega
Omega
Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system, it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" , as opposed to omicron, which means "little O"...
Watches and has also been featured in books such as A Family of Women by Caroline Jones, Freedive! by Terry Maas and David Sipperly, and Homo Delphinus: The Dolphin within Man by Jacques Mayol
Jacques Mayol
Jacques Mayol was the holder of many world records in free diving.Jacques Mayol was a French national born in Shanghai, China. He was the first free diver to descend to 100 meters , and he managed to descend to 105 meters when he was 56 years old...
. Since 1997 Heaney-Grier has worked as a motivational speaker, appearing at grades schools and with groups such as PACE for Girls (an organization in South Florida that works with troubled teens) and Habitat for Humanity.
Personal life
Heaney-Grier married Silas Binkley on June 6, 2010. For seven years she has been the guardian of a rescued wolf-dog hybrid named Rontu, and they are in the process of becoming a registered team for animal-assisted therapyAnimal-Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy is a relatively new field of study, although the human-animal bond has existed for thousands of years. AAT is a type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. The goal of AAT is to improve a patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functioning...
work. Heaney-Grier is in her third year of college at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
and is set to graduate in 2011 with degrees in Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and Evolutionary Biology and Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
.