Kate Upton

Katherine Elizabeth Upton, born June 10, 1992, is an American model and actress. She is widely recognized for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, serving as the cover model for the 2012, 2013, and 2017 editions, as well as appearing on the 100th-anniversary cover of Vanity Fair. Alongside her high-profile modeling career, she has acted in several feature films, including Tower Heist, The Other Woman, and The Layover.

Upton was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, to Shelley, a former Texas state tennis champion, and Jeff Upton, a high school athletic director. Her family moved to Melbourne, Florida, in 1999, where she attended Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. Prior to modeling, Upton was a competitive equestrian showing at the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) national level. Riding her horse Roanie, she won three APHA Reserve World Championships and was named the 13 and Under Reserve All-Around Champion. She also achieved competitive success with a second horse, Colby.

Her modeling career began in 2008 after attending a Miami casting call for Elite Model Management. After signing that day, she relocated to New York City and signed with IMG Models. Upton initially modeled for Garage and Dooney & Bourke, later becoming the face of Guess for 2010–11. She debuted in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011, earning the Rookie of the Year designation. That same year, a viral internet video of her dancing at a basketball game significantly heightened her public profile, followed by another viral dance video in 2012.

Over the course of her career, Upton appeared on the covers of major international fashion publications, including American, British, and Italian Vogue, French and American Elle, GQ, Esquire, and Vanity Fair. She participated in advertising campaigns for brands such as David Yurman, Sam Edelman, Betsey Johnson, Victoria's Secret, Express, and served as the face of Bobbi Brown cosmetics in 2014. In addition to her 2012, 2013, and 2017 Sports Illustrated covers, she was featured on the flip-side cover of the magazine's 50th-anniversary issue in 2014, which included a zero-gravity shoot.

Upton made her film acting debut in the 2011 movie Tower Heist, followed by a role in The Three Stooges. In 2014, she starred alongside Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the comedy film The Other Woman, and featured in Lady Antebellum's music video for "Bartender." She later starred in the 2017 comedy film The Layover and shot scenes for The Disaster Artist. In 2024, Upton began hosting the fashion reality television series Dress My Tour on Hulu.

Throughout her career, Upton has received various industry honors, including being named Model of the Year at the 10th annual Style Awards in 2013 and Sexiest Woman by People magazine in 2014. Upton is a committed Christian who has openly spoken about her faith. In her personal life, she began dating baseball pitcher Justin Verlander in 2014; the couple became engaged in 2016, married in Tuscany, Italy, in 2017, and have two children.