Claudia Schiffer
Schiffer at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
Born (1970-08-25) 25 August 1970
Rheinberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Occupations
  • Model
  • actress
Years active1989–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2002)​
PartnerDavid Copperfield (1994–1999)
Children3
Modeling information
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Hair colorBlonde[1]
Eye colorBlue[1]
Agency
  • d'management group (Milan)
  • Model Management (Hamburg)[2]
Signature
Websiteclaudiaschiffer.com

Claudia Maria Schiffer (German: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈʃɪfɐ] ⓘ; born 25 August 1970) is a German model and actress based in England.[3] She rose to fame in the 1990s as one of the world's most successful models, attaining supermodel status. In her early career, she was compared to Brigitte Bardot.[4]

She has appeared on more than 1,000 magazine covers[5] and holds the record for the model with the most magazine covers, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.[6][7][8] In 2002, Forbes estimated her net worth to be around US$55 million.

Early life

Claudia Maria Schiffer was born in Rheinberg,[9] a small town 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest of Duisburg, on 25 August 1970, to mother Gudrun and father Heinz Schiffer (1937–2007), a lawyer.[10][11] She has two brothers, Stefan and Andreas, and one sister, Ann Carolin (born 1975).[3][11] Schiffer is fluent in three languages – German, English and French.[12]

Career

Modelling

Schiffer in 1993

Schiffer originally aspired to become a lawyer and used to work in her father's law firm.[9][13] In October 1987, at age 17, she was scouted in a nightclub in Düsseldorf[9][14][15] by Michel Levaton,[16] the founder and CEO of the French modeling agency Metropolitan Models,[17][18] and was later signed to the agency as a model.[19][20] After leaving high school, Schiffer flew to Paris for a trial photo shoot, and subsequently appeared on the cover of Elle.[14][21]

In 1989, she starred in campaigns for Guess?.[13][14][22] Guess? co-founder 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". Early on in her career, Schiffer was said to resemble Brigitte Bardot.[9][23][24] After several other magazine appearances including the cover of British Vogue, shot by Herb Ritts,[25] Schiffer was selected by Karl Lagerfeld to become the new face of Chanel,[15][21][22] where she walked in her first fashion show in January 1990.[20]

Named one of the most beautiful women in the world, her ability to appeal to a global audience assured an internationally successful career spanning over 25 years. In addition to Elle and Vogue, Schiffer has appeared on the covers of numerous other magazines including Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Time, and was the first model to be featured on the covers of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and People.[26] She was one of 10 models on Vogue's 100th anniversary cover in 1992.[22][20] In May 1997, Schiffer was featured on the cover and in the pictorial of Playboy.[27] She has appeared on a total of more than 1,000 magazine covers.[9][15]

Schiffer has walked in fashion shows for various fashion houses, including Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, Chloé, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Fendi, Michael Kors, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Balmain, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Anna Sui, Oscar de la Renta, Jil Sander, Donna Karan, Helmut Lang, Thierry Mugler, Chanel and Valentino. In 1992, she was earning a runway fee of $20,000 per show.[24]

She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Chanel, Versace, Balmain, Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, Dom Pérignon,[28] Alberta Ferretti, Bulgari, Chloé, Escada, Blumarine, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Emporio Armani, Liz Claiborne, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, Guess?, Salvatore Ferragamo, Neiman Marcus, Gap, Dillard's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Revlon, Intergaz and Pepsi. In 1994, she starred in a campaign for Valentino, photographed by Arthur Elgort in Rome, which was inspired by the film La Dolce Vita.[20][29] In 1997, Schiffer signed an exclusive worldwide contract with L'Oréal.[30] Schiffer still holds a contract with L'Oréal and is one of their longest standing ambassadors.

As well as endorsing luxury brands, Schiffer has appeared as the face of high street retailers including Mango and Accessorize, and had her ears pierced for the first time specially for the 2006 Autumn/Winter Accessorize campaign.[31][32][33][34] From her appearances in a 1998 Citroën advertisement she allegedly earned £3 million.

Schiffer was a judge on Fashion Fringe in 2011.[35] In 2012, she posed for Guess? again, marking the brand's 30th anniversary.[36] She made her runway return in September 2023, closing out Versace's Spring 2024 show at Milan Fashion Week.[37][38]

Acting and media

Schiffer made her film debut in the children's movie Richie Rich (1994, as the title character's personal fitness trainer). She then starred opposite Dennis Hopper and Matthew Modine in The Blackout (1997). She then went on to appear in Friends & Lovers, Black and White (both 1999), In Pursuit, Life Without Dick (both 2001), and Love Actually (2003) in a semi-cameo role. Films in which Schiffer has made cameo appearances include Ben Stiller's Zoolander (2001).[13]

Schiffer has appeared on several talk shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Jonathan Ross Show, and sitcoms Dharma & Greg and Arrested Development. She made a cameo appearance in the music video for Bon Jovi's "Say It Isn't So" in 2000, and appeared in the music video for Comic Relief's 2001 charity single, Westlife's "Uptown Girl".

Charity work

Schiffer began her involvement with UNICEF by becoming a member of the Arts & Entertainment Support Committee, and is currently a UK Goodwill Ambassador for the organisation. Schiffer was also a spokeswoman for Make Poverty History, and appeared in their "Click" campaign. In July 2005, she appeared as a presenter at both the Berlin and Edinburgh Live 8 concerts.

Other work

Schiffer has released four exercise videos, entitled Claudia Schiffer's Perfectly Fit, which reached the best seller list. Starting in 1992, Schiffer was the star of her own line of annual calendars. Her initial 1992 calendar sold more than 300,000 copies.[24] Schiffer has hosted the French Fashion Awards, and also the 1995 World Music Awards in Monaco.[39]

Along 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.[13] Schiffer helped present and carry the trophy with Pelé during the opening ceremonies at the 2006 World Cup. She also presented Prince William with a polo trophy in 2002.[10]

Schiffer launched her eponymous cashmere collection during Paris Fashion Week in March 2011.[40] The Autumn–Winter 2011 season saw her fashion design debut and was followed by a Spring–Summer 2012 collection.[41]

Personal life

Schiffer with her husband Matthew Vaughn, 2010

In 1993, at a Berlin celebrity gala, Schiffer met the American magician David Copperfield when he brought her on stage to participate in a mind reading act and in his flying illusion, and they became engaged in January 1994. During this engagement, Schiffer sometimes appeared on stage with Copperfield to act as his special guest assistant in illusions including being levitated, guillotined, and sawn in half.[42][43][44] She also appeared alongside Copperfield in David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic, a 1994 documentary in which she played the role of a reporter interviewing him, and at the end of which they reprised their performance of the flying illusion. In September 1999, they announced they had ended their relationship, citing work schedules.[45]

In 1997, Copperfield and Schiffer both sued Paris Match after the magazine claimed their relationship was a sham, that Schiffer "[was] paid for pretending to be Copperfield's fiancée and [didn't] even like him".[46][47][48][49] In 1999, Schiffer won an undisclosed sum and a retraction from Paris Match when a French court ruled that the magazine's story was false.[50][51] Copperfield's publicist confirmed that while Schiffer had a contract to appear in the audience at Copperfield's show in Berlin where they met, she was not under contract to be his "consort".[52]

Following her break-up with Copperfield, Schiffer had a short relationship with art dealer and Green Shield Stamps heir Tim Jefferies until 2000.[53][54] On 25 May 2002, she married English film director Matthew Vaughn in Suffolk.[40] Schiffer and Vaughn have a son and two daughters.[55][56]

Schiffer and Vaughn bought Coldham Hall, a Tudor manor house in Suffolk, in 2002.[57] The couple has homes in Notting Hill, London, Northamptonshire and Coldham Hall, Stanningfield, Suffolk.[58]

In 2002 an Italian kitchen porter was arrested after making nine visits to Coldham Hall; he was subsequently sectioned under the Mental Health Act.[59][58] In 2004, a Canadian man was accused of harassing Schiffer, repeatedly leaving letters at her Suffolk residence.[60]

The Pandora Papers list Schiffer as one of many celebrities who have used offshore financial constructs.[61]

Filmography

Films

YearFilmRoleNotes
1994Richie RichHerself as an aerobics instructor
1994Prêt-à-PorterHerselfAmerican title Ready to Wear
1996Perfectly FitnoneFitness program by Claudia Schiffer
1997The BlackoutSusan
1999Desperate But Not SeriousGigiUSA DVD release titled Reckless + Wild
1999Friends & LoversCarla
1999Black and WhiteGreta
2000Meeting GenevieveGenevieve
2000Chain of FoolsHerself
2001In PursuitCatherine WellsUSA DVD release titled Rules of the Game
2001ZoolanderHerself
2002666 – Traue keinem, mit dem du schläfst!HerselfEnglish title 666: In Bed with the Devil
2002Life Without DickMary
2003Love ActuallyCarol
2024Argylle—Executive producer

Documentaries

YearDocumentary
1993Noche de tu vida, La
1994David Copperfield: 15 Years of Magic
1995Die schönsten Frauen der Welt – Claudia Schiffer
1995Around Claudia Schiffer
1996Catwalk
199668th Annual Academy Awards
1997Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
1997An Audience with Elton John
19971997 VH1 Fashion Awards
1998Beautopia
2000The Sound of Claudia Schiffer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Inferno Television film[62]
1999FuturamaClaudia Schiffer's HeadEpisode: "A Head in the Polls"
2002 Dharma & Greg Gretchen 2 episodes

Music video

Year Title Performer Album Ref.
2000 "Say It Isn't So" Bon Jovi Crush
2001 "Uptown Girl" Westlife World of Our Own [63]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "CLAUDIA SCHIFFER | Model Management". Model Management. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. ↑ Claudia Schiffer at Fashion Model Directory
  3. 1 2 "Interview: Claudia Schiffer". Stylist.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "Beauty; Tropical Tresses". The New York Times Magazine. 5 January 1992. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "10 Minutes with Claudia Schiffer". Glamour. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Profit Models – Forbes". Forbes. 20 March 2000. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Claudia Schiffer [Fashion Wiki]". Fashion Encyclopedia. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Claudia Schiffer – Guinness record". YouTube. 18 March 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Sauer, Jennifer (14 September 2021). "Claudia Schiffer Captivates with Curatorial Debut of '90s Fashion Photography - Supermodel". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Biography Archived 1 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine". Ask Men. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  11. 1 2 Tod beim Golfspielen – Claudia Schiffer weint um ihren Vater, Hamburger Abendblatt, 26 July 2007
  12. ↑ "5 Things You Didn't Know About Claudia Schiffer". Harpers Bazaar. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Claudia Schiffer: Biography Archived 11 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine". MSN. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  14. 1 2 3 Watson, Ingrid (14 November 1990). "Schiffer Loves Being A Model". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 Sayej, Nadja (16 September 2021). "To This Day, Claudia Schiffer Still Follows Karl Lagerfeld's Advice". W Magazine. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "Michel Levaton". Anonymes, Justes et Persécutés durant la période nazie (in French). Retrieved 2 July 2023. Michel Levaton, le fondateur de l'agence de mannequin Metropolitan models est décédé le 9 juin 2019
  17. ↑ "Société METROPOLITAN MODELS". annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 July 2023. La société METROPOLITAN MODELS a été créée le 26 mai 1986
  18. ↑ "Metropolitan Models". 25 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2023. Founded in 1986 by Michel Levaton [...] 1987: METROPOLITAN launches new model Claudia Schiffer on the international fashion scene.
  19. ↑ Lomrantz Lester, Tracey (30 January 2013). "Claudia Schiffer Turned Down an Offer to Have Hermés Name a Bag After Her". Glamour. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Cooper, Sabrina (26 August 2020). "50 Questions with Claudia Schiffer (on Her 50th Birthday)". AnOther Magazine. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Five Minutes With Claudia Schiffer". New Straits Times. 5 May 1996. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  22. 1 2 3 Lee, Sophie (25 August 2021). "Relive the '90s Supermodel Era with Young Photos of Claudia Schiffer - Karl Lagerfeld". L'Officiel USA. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  23. ↑ McLaughlin, Patricia (11 July 1990). "Bardot Look Returns, Suggesting Abdication Of Adulthood For Infancy". Sun Journal. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  24. 1 2 3 Lynch, Lorrie (4 December 1992). "Who's News". The Robesonian. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  25. ↑ "". Vogue cover. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  26. ↑ Craven, Jo (11 May 2011). "Claudia Schiffer Biography". British Vogue. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  27. ↑ Playboy Magazine, May 1997 w/ Claudia Schiffer on the Cover. Playboy Press. January 1997. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  28. ↑ " Archived 8 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine". Fab Sugar. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  29. ↑ "La Schiffer En La Fuente De Trevi" [Schiffer In The Trevi Fountain]. La Opinion (in Spanish). 24 October 1994. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  30. ↑ "L'Oreal Gets Schiffer". The Nation. 26 July 1997. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  31. ↑ Style File: Claudia Schiffer (image #18). Archived 30 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Vogue. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  32. ↑ Claudia Schiffer Vogue. Retrieved 31 March 2012. Archived 5 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ↑ Claudia Schiffer Profile in the FMD database. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  34. ↑ Designed to delight India Today, 26 November 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  35. ↑ ""Claudia Schiffer and Roland Mouret to judge Fashion Fringe 2011 - Telegraph". Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.". Telegraph. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  36. ↑ Krupnick, Ellie (28 March 2012). "PHOTOS: Claudia Schiffer Returns To Guess For 30th Anniversary". HuffPost.
  37. ↑ Jackson, Hannah (22 September 2023). "Claudia Schiffer Makes Her Return to the Runway With Versace". Vogue. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  38. ↑ Flam, Charna (22 September 2023). "Claudia Schiffer Shuts Down the Versace Runway with Her Iconic '90s Strut". People. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  39. ↑ "Claudia Schiffer, TV Host". The Item. 21 May 1995. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  40. 1 2 Jones, Dolly (7 March 2011). "Schiffer's New Role". Vogue. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  41. ↑ Jones, Dolly (3 October 2011). "Show Report". Vogue. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  42. ↑ Style File: Claudia Schiffer (image #7). Archived 24 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine Vogue. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  43. ↑ Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum's secret wedding: 10. Claudia Schiffer and David Copperfield The Independent. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  44. ↑ David Copperfield Biography Archived 19 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Ask Men. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  45. ↑ "Canoe – Jam! – Schiffer's big shift". jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2009. It was our work schedules that ended the relationship.
  46. ↑ "Fairytale romance that began with a cunning illusion". The Independent. London. 11 July 1997. Retrieved 8 June 2009. The French magazine Paris Match claims that the meeting was a carefully calculated stunt, to boost Ms Schiffer's profile in the US and Copperfield's career in Europe. 'It was just a plot to dupe their loyal fans, and we've got the contracts to prove it,' said the magazine.
  47. ↑ Luscombe, Belinda (4 August 1997). "Copperfield v. Paris Match". Time. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2009. The suit states that Paris Match added that the supermodel now gets paid for pretending to be Copperfield's fiancée and doesn't even like him.
  48. ↑ "Shedding Light: Copperfield talks candidly about his profession". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved 8 June 2009. Last year Copperfield slapped a $30 million lawsuit on Paris-Match magazine that alleged in a story that the Copperfield-Schiffer relationship was mere illusion; little more than a business deal to enhance both their careers.
  49. ↑ Schiffer Boots British Fiance ABC News. 8 November 2000. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  50. ↑ Rush, George; Molloy, Joanna; Malkin, Marc S. (29 August 1999). "Copperfield's Claudia Clone". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2009. They won an undisclosed sum and a retraction from Paris Match in January when they sued the magazine for $30 million for claiming their relationship was a sham.
  51. ↑ "A Lift Out of Life". People. 9 April 1999. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2012. Schiffer responded by filing a $30 million lawsuit in France. In 1999 a French court declared the story false and defamatory and ordered Paris Match to pay undisclosed damages.
  52. ↑ "Love, Honor and Portray". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 16 July 1997. Retrieved 12 June 2009. Copperfield's publicist said he and Schiffer had contracts to do the 1993 show, but "there is no contract that states Claudia is there as some sort of consort".
  53. ↑ Claudia Schiffer Hello. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  54. ↑ Serial celebrity model-daters: Tim Jefferies Telegraph. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  55. ↑ "Baby on Board". Chicago Tribune. 12 November 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  56. ↑ hellomagazine.com. "Claudia Schiffer names new baby daughter – Latest celebrity news hellomagazine.com". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  57. ↑ Jane Keltner de Valle (1 August 2017). "We Go Inside Claudia Schiffer's Tudor Mansion". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  58. 1 2 "Celebrity couple's love for Suffolk". East Anglian Daily Times. October 2004. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  59. ↑ "Supermodel stalker to be deported". BBC News. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  60. ↑ "Claudia Schiffer is plagued by second stalker". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  61. ↑ "Neues Steueroasen-Leak belastet Hunderte Politiker".
  62. ↑ "Inferno - Full Cast & Crew". Imdb. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  63. ↑ "Ioan Gruffudd – Biography". Imdb. 21 February 2018.
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