With looks that some have described as exotic her grandmother was a Chinese native of Jamaica, Naomi Campbell has become a familiar figure on the covers of leading American and European fashion publications. She has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and Elle, and was the first black woman ever to appear on the cover of the French edition of Vogue. Not content with modeling alone, Campbell has broadened her career to include singing, acting, and a variety of business ventures.
Campbell was born on May 20, 1970, in Streatham, London, England. Her father, a Jamaican immigrant who was part Chinese, left the family before she was born. Her mother, Valerie Campbell, was born in Jamaica but grew up in London. A modern ballet dancer, Valerie spent much time traveling throughout Europe with her dance troupe, so a nanny was hired to help raise Naomi and her brother. Like her mother, Campbell was also interested in ballet. At age ten, Campbell was accepted to London’s prestigious Italia Conti Stage School to study ballet. She also attended the London Academy of Performing Arts. During this time, Campbell landed bit parts in two films: Quest for Fire (1981) and Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1982).
When she was 15, an agent discovered Campbell in a shopping arcade at Covent Gardens, which Campbell frequented after school. Campbell described the encounter to George Wayne in Interview:“I was just hanging out, and this woman comes up to me and says, ’I’m a modeling agent.’ I didn’t believe her, but I took her card home and gave it to my mother. And then I saw an interview of her in Tatler, so I knew she was legitimate. After that, I started pleading with my mother to let me go see her. At the end of the school year, I did. She took a picture of me in my school uniform then she sent me to a photographer who was working on an assignment for British Elle in New Orleans, and he booked me.”
Signed to the Elite Modeling Agency, Campbell was soon working with some of the biggest names in the fashion industry, including Isaac Mizrahi, Calvin Klein, and Azzedine Alaia. She described in Interview some of her favorite fashion photographers: “I like working with Herb Ritts, and I do very much like working with [Francesco] Scavullo. He makes me feel like a woman. Herb makes you feel very innocent. Steven [Meisel] makes you feel like a character. When you work with him he’ll give you
Born on May 22, 1970, in London, England; daughter of Valerie Campbell (a ballet dancer). Education: Attended the London Academy of Performing Arts, c. 1985.
In the early 1990s, Campbell began to focus more on her other interests. In addition to appearing in Vanilla Ice’s film Cool as Ice (1991), she also contributed vocals to a track on the soundtrack. She then recorded two albums of her own: 1994’s Love and Tears and Babywoman (1995). Campbell also recorded “La, La, La Love Song” with Japanese singer Toshi, and the song reached number one in Japan. In addition, she appeared in several music videos, including Michael Jackson’s “In the Closet” video and George Michael’s “Freedom.”
Model, 1986-; appeared on London stage in The King and /; film appearances: Quest for Fire, 1982; The Wall 1982; Cool as Ice, 1991; The Night We Never Met, 1993; Miami Rhapsody, 1995; Girl 6, 1996; Invasion of Privacy, 1996; Trippin’, 1999; Prisoner of Love, 1999; Destinazione Verna, 2000; television guest appearances: The Cosby Show, 1988; The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 1990; albums: love and Tears, 1994; Babywoman, 1995; author (with ghostwriter), Swan, 1994; co-owner, The Fashion Café, beginning 1995.
Earning more than $1 million a year, Campbell’s assignments have taken her to many locations around the world. For one of her most exciting—and harrowing—photo shoots, she found herself, standing atop a volcano in Lanzarote, Spain—in heels. Her face was emblazoned on the French, Italian, American, and British editions of Vogue in the late 1980s. In 1988, she made a guest appearance on The Cosby Show.
One reason Campbell was so highly sought after is what many in the fashion industry have praised as her natural modeling ability. “She’s one of the most delightful girls I’ve ever worked with, one of my favorite models,” exalted fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo said in Harper’s Bazaar. “No one else has such an amazing body. She makes clothes come alive.” Fashion coordinator Audrey Smaltz also commented in Harper’s Bazaar on Campbell’s magnetism on style show runways: “She doesn’t realize how wonderful she is…. She has terrific body language and can translate this into whatever she’s wearing.”
In 1994 Campbell published a novel. The ghost-written Swan presents the story of a successful supermodel who has decided to quit modeling. The novel was a critical disappointment. Jonathan Van Meter of Vogue called the book “a laughingstock.”
She commented about her hopes to expand her acting career in the Interview: “You can’t learn it all. As they tell you, acting is reacting. So it’s all about going through life, having experiences.” She won a small role in The Night We Never Met (1993), and in 1994 played a model in Robert Altman’s Pret-a-Porter (Ready to Wear). The following year, she had parts into WongFoo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, and Miami Rhapsody, which starred Sarah Jessica Parker and Mia Farrow. She also showed talent in a cameo in Spike Lee’s Girl 6 (1996). Campbell continued to make guest appearances on such television shows as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and New York Undercover, in addition to a cameo appearance on the British comedy series Absolutely Fabulous.
Campbell continued to model, earning fees of $10,000 a day. She was reportedly paid a six-figure sum to appear in Madonna’s book Sex, which featured erotic photographs, and she selected all of the pictures for another photo book called simply Naomi, which consisted of favorite shots of herself taken by top photographers. Naomi’s proceeds were donated to the Red Cross, for use in Somalia relief efforts.
A bonafide supermodel with several films behind her, Campbell had risen to megastardom. Tabloids and gossip columns could not print enough about her personal life. She has been linked to Mike Tyson, Robert DeNiro, who Campbell initially denied dating but later revealed that they had a four-year relationship, and flamenco dancer Joaquin Cortes. Campbell was also briefly engaged to Adam Clayton, a member of the band U2. The rumor mill has also suggested romantic connections with Sylvester Stallone, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, and Gabriel Byrne.
In February of 2000, Campbell was still in demand as a model. However, she decided to reduce the number of runway shows she appeared in. “I find it really stressful,” she told the South China Morning Post. Besides, there was only so much time in a day for the model/actress/entrepreneur, and she had several goals yet to accomplish. “Oh God, there’s a lot more,” Campbell said in her book Naomi, as quoted in the African News Service. “I’ve got motherhood to achieve, marriage and family life. That for me would be a lot more than I’ve achieved in my career. That’s something I would really love to do in my life.”
