Adriana Lima Biography

Birth Name : Adriana Francesca Lima

Nickname : LimaBean

Height : 5' 10" (1.78 m)

Date of Birth : June 12, 1981

Birth Place : Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Famous as : Supermodel

Adriana Lima (Adriana Francesca Lima) was born on 12 June 1981 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Adriana is from French, Portuguese, Native American, and Caribbean descent.

At the age of 13, Lima was first spotted by a agent when she was shopping at a local mall. When Lima was 15, she won the Ford Supermodel of Brazil title, while she was placed second in the Ford Supermodel Of The World contest. Shortly thereafter, Lima moved to New York moved from Ford and signed a contract with Elite Model Management.

Modeling career :

Lima was discovered while shopping at a local mall at the age of 13. At the age of 15, she entered and finished in first place in Brazil`s Ford Supermodel of the World Search. She subsequently entered the 1996 Ford Supermodel of the World contest and finished second place. Three years later, she moved to New York City, and signed with Elite Model Management. Lima’s modeling portfolio began to expand exponentially, appearing in numerous international editions of Vogue and Marie Claire. As for fashion shows, she has walked the catwalks for big-name designers such as Vera Wang, Christian Lacroix, Emanuel Ungaro, Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, among others. Lima then became a GUESS? girl appearing on GUESS? Fall 2000 ad campaign. She also appeared in the book 'A second decade of Guess? Images'.

In 2001, Lima starred in BMW short film, The Follow alongside actors Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and Forest Whitaker. The film was directed by Hong Kong film director and internationally renowned auteur Wong Kar-Wai.

Lima continued to build upon her entry, doing more print work for Maybelline, bebe, Mossimo, BCBG and gracing the cover and editorials of more high fashion magazines such as Harper`s Bazaar, ELLE, Vogue, GQ, to name a few. Her April 2006 GQ cover was the highest-selling issue of the year. Her other notable works include the well-famed Pirelli Calendar 2005 and the face of Italy’s big cell phone carrier Telecom Italia Mobile where she became known as the "Catherine Zeta-Jones of Italy."

Lima is probably best known for her work with Victoria`s Secret. She first graced the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1999 and has appeared on subsequent shows ever since. Her most notable walk down the runway was in 2003, where she was the show opener. Lima had appeared on several television ads for the brand but her most memorable one, was appearing alongside the legendary rock musician Bob Dylan in 2003 Victoria`s Secret Angel in Venice commercial which received both praise and criticism. She is currently a contract 'Angel' and spokesperson for the brand.

Lima is also a spokesperson for cosmetic giant Maybelline New York. She is the world`s fourth highest paid supermodel as of 2007.

Personal life :

Lima is fluent in three languages—Portuguese, Spanish and English. In her free time, she loves reading a novel by her favorite author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Lima has admitted that she was shy around boys when she was younger, not receiving her first kiss until she was 17 years old. In an interview with GQ April 2006 issue, Lima told the magazine that she is a virgin. “Sex is for after marriage," she says. "They have to respect that this is my choice. If there`s no respect, that means they don't want me." US GQ dubbed her as "The World`s Most Voluptuous Virgin".

Despite reports, Lima denied ever being engaged to rocker Lenny Kravitz and said that she and Kravitz are just friends. She has also been romantically linked to other celebrities in the past, including New York Yankees superstar, Derek Jeter and Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein.

Currently, Lima is reported dating NBA Minnesota Timberwolves player, Serbian Marko Jaric.

Why is She famous :

Adriana Lima is one of Brazil’s finest exports. Men know her best as one of the elite Victoria’s Secret Angels, an association that has allowed her to participate in many company events such as ritzy runway shows and popular Super Bowl ads for the past decade. The reach of Adriana Lima’s fame has extended beyond the many pop culture branches of the Victoria’s Secret umbrella, allowing her to experiment with other top-line modeling campaigns, runway appearances and acting projects.

Adriana Lima’s substantial industry power and strong physical appeal have earned her an amount of fame that puts her among the very best in her profession. If today’s Queen Bee model Gisele Bundchen were to glance over her shoulder, she would likely see Adriana Lima looking back from her consistent place as one of today’s five top-earning models. In addition to her financial status, Lima’s high beauty pedigree has earned her nods from the respective “Sexiest Women” and “Most Beautiful People” lists of People and FHM, while here at AskMen we have featured her numerous times as one of our Top 99 Most Desirable Women -- including the No. 1 spot in 2005.