Cheryl Tiegs Biography

Model, clothing designer. Born September 27, 1947, on an isolated farm in western Minnesota. The daughter of Theodore and Phyllis Tiegs, she moved with her family to the sunny Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra in 1952. Tiegs attended the local public high school, where she was a pep rally leader and played violin in the orchestra.

On the advice of a friend, the teenaged Cheryl Tiegs auditioned for and was cast in a handful of television commercials. The exposure coupled with her all-American look landed her on the cover of Glamour magazine in 1964. Immediately inundated with offers, Tiegs moved to New York City in hopes of launching a professional modeling career while her plans to graduate college fell by the wayside.

After initially struggling to find work, Tiegs' eventually landed photo shoots with high profile magazines like Vogue and Elle. However, it was the 1978 swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated that changed her career. The now-famous photograph, which featured Tiegs in a seemingly innocent white swimsuit, epitomized her perfect combination of girl-next-door innocence and innate sexuality. The Sports Illustrated feature lead to a wealth of opportunities, including the cover of Time magazine and a $1.5 million contract with Cover Girl cosmetics.

In 1980, Tiegs published The Way to Natural Beauty and began using her name and knowledge of fashion to create signature designs for Sears, Roebuck and Co.With in a year, the Cheryl Tiegs casual sportswear line was sold at over 700 stores nationwide and accounted for an estimated $100 million in revenue. Considered one of the pioneers of celebrity-endorsed apparel and credited with bringing sex appeal to the 100-year-old chain, Tiegs was featured on the cover of Time magazine for a second time in 1984.

Tiegs' clothing line was discontinued in 1989, at which time she signed on as the spokesperson for Light 'n' Lively yogurt. In 1995, 47-year-old Tiegs made a very visible comeback when she posed for her fourth Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She also reentered the fashion business with a new line of womenswear (sold exclusively on QVC), as well as a line of wigs and hair accessories for Revlon Cosmetics. In November 2000, at a gala at the Beverly Wilshire, Tiegs was honored as the first MAC Fashion Icon, a fitting tribute to the all-American girl who became the first American supermodel.

Tiegs has been married four times: to advertising executive Stan Dragoti (from 1970-79); to photographer Peter Beard (from 1981-83); to aspiring actor Anthony Peck (from 1990-94), with whom she has one son, Zachary; and most recently to yoga instructor Rod Stryker. After numerous vain attempts to become pregnant on their own, Tiegs and Stryker hired a surrogate mother to carry their child. In July 2000, they became the parents of twin sons, Jaden and Reid. Tiegs and Stryker divorced in 2001.

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