Kelly Le Brock

Kelly LeBrock is an American actress and model born on March 24, 1960. She is best known for her prominent modeling career during the 1970s and 1980s, as well as her starring film roles in comedy and action productions such as The Woman in Red, Weird Science, and Hard to Kill.

LeBrock was born in New York City and was raised in the Kensington area of London. Her father was French-Canadian, and her mother, Maria, is of Irish descent. She was named after her grandmother, Mary Helen Kelly, who was from Keady in County Armagh.

She began her career as a model at age 16 in New York City. Her professional breakthrough arrived at age 19 when she was featured in a 24-page spread in Vogue magazine. Shortly afterward, she signed a contract with the fashion label Christian Dior to work 30 days per year. LeBrock subsequently appeared on numerous magazine covers and in fashion spreads, becoming one of Eileen Ford's most sought-after models. She gained additional recognition as the spokeswoman for Pantene shampoo commercials, in which her line, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful," became a pop culture catchphrase.

LeBrock made her film acting debut in 1984 alongside Gene Wilder in The Woman in Red, followed by a starring role in John Hughes's 1985 feature Weird Science. Cast as a "fantasy" woman in both projects, she became highly in demand in Hollywood. Following a hiatus from acting, she returned to the big screen in 1990 opposite her then-husband Steven Seagal in Hard to Kill. During the 1990s, she appeared in several additional films, including Betrayal of the Dove in 1993, as well as Tracks of a Killer and Hard Bounty in 1995.

Her subsequent film work included roles in Wrongfully Accused in 1998, The Sorcerer's Apprentice in 2001, Zerophilia in 2005, and Gamers: The Movie in 2006. She later appeared in the 2013 thriller Hidden Affairs and portrayed Queen Ariana in the 2015 film A Prince for Christmas. On television, LeBrock served as team captain for "Kelly's Bellies" on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club in 2005, appeared on the third UK series of Hell's Kitchen, and featured alongside her daughter Arissa in the Lifetime docuseries Growing Up Supermodel in 2017.

LeBrock was married to film producer Victor Drai from 1984 to 1986. She married actor Steven Seagal in September 1987, and the couple had three children—Annaliza, Dominic, and Arissa—before LeBrock filed for divorce in 1994. She was later married to retired investment banker Fred Steck from July 2007 until their divorce the following year. Following the death of her brother Harold in 2008, LeBrock began devoting time to helping terminally ill individuals and became a spokeswoman for Club Carson, a pediatric cancer foundation.