Celebrity Galore

Marisa Miller (born August 6, 1978) is an American model

best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her work for lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret. After a stint shooting with photographer Mario Testino for fashion magazines like Vogue, Miller began working for both companies in 2002, and has remained with each since. As of late 2007, she is a Victoria’s Secret Angel, and graced the cover of the 2008 SI Swimsuit Issue to record-setting numbers, accomplishments that have led to her being dubbed the “return of the great American supermodel.”

She is also known for contracts with companies like Harley-Davidson and for taking the #1 spot on Maxim magazine’s 2008 “Hot 100″ list. Aside from modeling, she is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society.

Born Marisa Bertetta in Santa Cruz, California, she was first “discovered” at age 16 walking through a San Francisco café by two Italian modeling agents. After talking to her mother Krista Bertetta, she was on a plane to Italy with her mother a few months later, despite such a “shy and conservative” personality growing up that she had to put on all her clothes just to go to the trash can while at the beach. Miller says the most valuable thing her mom has ever told her was: “You can always go back to school, but you can’t always model.” Miller took her mom’s advice and soon gained attention when she appeared in a 1997 issue of Perfect 10 magazine. Although she came in third behind Ashley Degenford and Monica Hansen in Perfect 10 magazine’s first annual model search, she was repeatedly showcased in following issues, including the covers of the Winter 1998, Aug/Sept 1999, and Fall 2004 editions.

Miller was working for Victoria’s Secret and the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, of which she has been in every issue since 2002. In particular, she was featured in the 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008 editions’ sections of body painting featuring the work of Joanne Gair. Raphael Mazzucco’s handbra photograph of Miller wearing nothing but an iPod in the 2007 edition became one of the most famous photos ever published in that magazine. As part of the Sports Illustrated 40th anniversary celebration, she was selected to duplicate some of the swimsuit issues most memorable photos of models such as Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks, Cheryl Tiegs, and Daniela Pestova. She has also appeared in a diverse range of magazines, many of them international editions, such as GQ, Maxim, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, and Vanity Fair, as well as working on campaigns/advertisements for Nordstrom, J.Crew, Guess?, Tommy Hilfiger, Pepsi, Panasonic, Bath & Body Works, and most recently, for True Religion jeans and motorcycle company Harley-Davidson. In July 2008, Miller took her first step beyond modeling when her shoe line with skateboarder/surfer-oriented company Vans launched.

2008 hit an early high note for Miller when, on the February 12th episode of The Late Show with David Letterman, it was announced via a three-story billboard in New York City that Miller would grace the cover of that year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The tandem online launch of the issue drew record page views to the SI website: 228 million, a 41% increase over 2007. In September 2008, Sports Illustrated released a “Best of Marisa Miller” swimsuit calendar for the 2009 year.

Victoria’s Secret also put her to work in 2008, with a five-city tour to promote the 2008 Swim collection’s release in stores; the April-May tour included stops in New York City, Miami, Chicago (where she threw the opening pitch at a Cubs game), Boston, and Minneapolis. The relaunch of Victoria Secret’s sports line, VSX, soon followed, along with her first official campaign as an Angel: promoting the company’s newest fragrance, Very Sexy Dare. On announcing the campaign, Limited Brands president Edward Razek said of Miller:

“  Marisa is one in a billion. She’s the quintessential California beach girl, she’s incredibly gorgeous and she exudes a remarkably positive energy.  „

—Edward Razek

Miller ranked third in Askmen.com’s “Top 99″ for 2009, after ranking ninth in 2008, twelfth in 2007, and fourteenth in 2006. She added to her popular accolades with the “Hot N’ Fresh” award at the second annual Spike Guys’ Choice Awards.

Miller is currently an ambassador for the American Cancer Society, to which proceeds from her online store are donated. She also supports the Young Survival Coalition, which seeks to promote awareness of breast cancer in women under 40, as well as environmental organization The Surfrider Foundation, which aims to preserve the world’s oceans and beaches.

Source [ Wikipedia ]