Paulina Porizkova

Paulina Porizkova is a fashion model, author, and actress born in Prostějov, Czechoslovakia. She is best known for her prominent international modeling career during the 1980s and 1990s, becoming the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 1984.

Born on April 9, 1965, to anti-Soviet dissidents Anna Pořízková and Jiří Pořízka, Porizkova spent her early childhood in Czechoslovakia. After her parents fled to Sweden following the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion, she remained in the care of her maternal grandmother. Following a widely publicized international battle led by Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, she was permitted to reunite with her family in 1973. Her parents subsequently divorced, and Porizkova was raised by her mother alongside a younger brother.

Porizkova's modeling career began at age 15 after photographs taken by a friend caught the attention of model scout John Casablancas. She quickly rose to become a top model in Paris, appearing on the covers of major global magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour. In addition to back-to-back Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue covers in 1984 and 1985, she featured in campaigns for luxury brands including Chanel, Versace, Hermes, Dior, and Revlon. In 1988, she signed a record $6 million contract to become the face of Estée Lauder, representing the brand until 1995.

Porizkova also developed an acting and television career. After appearing in the 1983 mockumentary Portfolio, she made her narrative film debut in Anna (1987) and co-starred in Her Alibi (1989). Her film credits also include Arizona Dream (1993), Thursday (1998), Dark Asylum (2001), and Knots (2004), alongside writing and directing the 2001 film Roommates. On television, she served as a judge on America's Next Top Model starting in cycle 10, competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2007, and appeared in guest roles on series such as As the World Turns, Desperate Housewives, and The Mysteries of Laura.

As a writer, Porizkova co-authored the children's book The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach in 1992 and published her debut novel, A Model Summer, in 2007. She has also written blogs for platforms including Modelinia and The Huffington Post. In popular culture, she was the subject of songs by bands such as No Doubt and The Rentals, and was praised by performer Octavia St. Laurent in the documentary Paris Is Burning.

In her personal life, Porizkova holds dual Swedish and American citizenship. She married Ric Ocasek, lead singer of the Cars, in 1989, and the couple had two sons before separating in 2017. Following Ocasek's death in 2019, she settled a dispute regarding his estate in 2021. She later dated screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and entered a relationship with screenwriter Jeff Greenstein in 2023, whom she married in July 2026.