Elle MacPherson (born Eleanor Nancy Gow; 29 March 1964) is an Australian supermodel, actress, producer, presenter and entrepreneur who first became famous through her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues during the 1980s and 1990s, debuting in 1985 and appearing on the cover a record five times, including three times in a row from 1986 to 1988. She appeared in MANY fashion magazines during her active modeling career, including appearing in every issue of, naturally, ELLE for six straight years. Following a brief appearance in Woody Allen's 1990 film Alice, she made her first significant acting appearance in 1994's Sirens, where she drew notice, for different reasons, both for appearing nude and for giving what some critics, including Leonard Maltin, deemed a good performance. She, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer tried their hand at a celebrity restaurant called the Fashion Café, which did not last very long. She has had more success with her lingerie company Elle MacPherson Intimates, as well as other business ventures.
"Body Tropes":
- Actor/Role Confusion: She has stated that her son Cy and his friends often call her "Janine Lecroix".
- Alliterative Name: Her character in The Edge was named Mickey Morse.
- Awesome, but Impractical/Rule of Sexy: In the 1990 Swimsuit Issue, there was a picture of her in a black one-piece suit that had a strap covering her right breast but nothing covering her left breast. The magazine Lampshaded this by writing that the suit might give her "an unusual tan." In this video
, Kate Bock said that her wearing a yellow one-piece suit for the 2018 shoot was her attempt to recreate the 1990 image, which she called "one of the coolest shoots ever." - The Burlesque of Venus: She appeared this way, with Godiva Hair, on the cover of a May 2000 issue of Who Magazine, though it wasn't meant as a parody.
- Fashion Show: Although known more for appearing in magazines, she could and did walk the runways as well as any of her contemporaries.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear: A lot during her career, sometimes combined with Godiva Hair.
- Les Yay: In-Universe. She and Kate Capshaw had a lesbian sex scene in the Showtime miniseries A Girl Thing.
- Lingerie Scene: For her Elle MacPherson Intimates line, a scene in the movie If Lucy Fell, and other work she did over her career.
- Male Gaze: Her first ever picture in the Swimsuit Issue was of her in a one piece suit with the back rolled up to show off her legs and her butt, meaning her face was not shown.
- Ms. Fanservice: She was a supermodel, would you expect anything else?
- Omniglot: She's fluent in French and can also speak Spanish and Italian.
- Reality Show: She hosted Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, and hosts and executive produced NBC's Fashion Star.
- The Rival: Heidi Klum, after she originally accused Klum of stealing the nickname "The Body." Eventually, she said it was OK.
- Sesquipedalian Smith: Played straight, then inverted. She was born Eleanor Gow. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager and her mother married a man named MacPherson. Elle took the new surname and balanced it out by shortening her first name.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: Paparazzi have captured many pictures of her topless/nude on beaches, boats, etc., and she's had moments of Wardrobe Malfunctions. She doesn't seem to mind.
- Sitcom: Played Joey's roommate Janine on Season 6 of Friends.
- Statuesque Stunner: She's six feet tall and always showing off her beauty.
- Take That!: Her May 1994 Playboy appearance was one to the mainstream media who were trying to find nude photos of her, as it was a way for her to appear in nude photos "on her own terms.
- Walking Swimsuit Scene: Can't be on the cover of the Swimsuit Issue without them. Plus her calendars and other work she did over the years.
