Adriana Lima

Adriana Lima

Birth Place: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Date of Birth: 1981/6/12

Heritage: Brazilian

Famous for: Featured in a Vassarette billboard in Times Square

Background:

"Modeling is a tough job, your co-workers are your rivals. It really puts a damper on your perspective of other girls." Adriana Lima

Brazilian model Adriana Lima is probably best recognized as a spokesmodel for Guess?, Victoria's Secret and Armani Jeans. Becoming one of the world's top fashion models, Adriana later branched out to acting, playing a role in the 2001 short film The Hire: The Follow.

The blue/gray-eyed Brazilian beauty, whose trademark is a mole on her chin, stands at 5' 10" tall and has the measurements of 33-23-33. She was listed as one of Maxim's Hot 100 in 2003. As for her private life, Adriana was engaged to Lenny Kravitz (she appeared in his music video "Yesterday Is Gone") in the spring of 2002.

Lima Bean

Childhood and Family:

In Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Adriana Francesca Lima, nicknamed Lima Bean, was born on June 12, 1981. Adriana speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, and is a blend of French, Portuguese, Native-American, Japanese and Caribbean heritage. While not busy walking on runways, Adriana dedicates her time helping with an orphanage called "Caminos da Luz" (Ways of Light) in her homeland Brazil. She also helps the unfortunate children in El Salvador de Bahia by buying clothes for them.

Good Energy And Feelings

Career:

"Fashion is about good energy. It's about feelings. That's what I have to give the people, good energy and good feelings." Adriana Lima

First spotted while shopping at a local mall, 13-year-old Adriana Lima joined a Ford Supermodel of Brazil model search and finished 1st in the competition. In 1996, she competed in the Ford Supermodel of the World contest and placed 2nd. In the next year, she landed a contract with Elite Model Agency and subsequently packed for New York.

Under her new agent, Adriana scored a campaign for the fashion label Anna Molinari. She also managed to work with the world's top photographers like Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Lindbergh and Ellen von Unwerth and appeared in several fashion and women magazines including Vogue (Italy) and Harper's Bazaar in 1997, Vogue (UK), I-D (UK), Marie Claire (Brazil), and Vogue (Italy) in 1998. She followed it up with the next year's appearances in Vogue (U.S., Germany, UK) and Marie Claire (Italy). She also stepped on runways for many prestigious designers like Cynthia Rowley, Vera Wang, Christian Lacroix, Emanuel Ungaro, Betsey Johnson, Girls Rule, Richard Tyler, Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Randolph Duke, Ralph Lauren, and Valentino.

Adriana's first big break was being the model for a Vassarette printed advertisement in New York's Times Square. She later was hurled towards the spotlight after being chosen as the spokesmodel for Guess?. Adriana starred in the company's Fall 2000 ad campaign, which was shot by Pablo Alfaro in Northern California, along with several other young fresh faces. Soon afterward, a string of campaign offers followed, notably Anna Sui Jeans, Bebe, Gasoline, Mossimo, BCBG, Keds and XOXO.

Another modeling job arrived when Adriana became the spokesmodel for Victoria's Secrets. She modeled in the company's catalogues and ads with supermodels Heidi Klum and Laetitia Casta. She also appeared in the popular TV transmitted lingerie shows, The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which she debuted with in 2000 and later became the show opener in 2003. Currently, she starred in the Italian TIM mobile Commercials.

On screen, Adriana has been profiled on E! Entertainment Television, The Travel Channel, Viva, Extra and Whipple's World. She also shared the screen with Mickey Rourke, playing a wife in the BMW short film, The Hire: The Follow in 2001. In November of 2004, she guest starred in "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn."