The German photo model became one of the few great top models in the world. She was discovered in a nightclub in the mid-1980s. Schiffer first attracted attention with a photo series for the jeans brand “Guess Jeans”. Claudia Schiffer became a star thanks to Karl Lagerfeld, who hired her as Chanel’s house model in 1988. In 1990, Schiffer appeared on the cover of Vogue for the first time. She then adorned over 500 covers of the world’s most famous magazines, including Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle. She was also the first model to be featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, music magazine Rolling Stone and the prestigious New York Times. Women like her gave the industry a new status and models became world stars…
Claudia Schiffer was born on August 25, 1970 as the eldest of four children of the lawyer Heinz Schiffer and his wife Gudrun in Rheinberg near Düsseldorf.
She grew up with her parents, where she spent a sheltered childhood. In her free time she played tennis and piano and took ballet lessons since childhood. She later attended high school. In March 1987 she visited the Düsseldorf discotheque “Checkers” with a friend. Here she was discovered by a photographer who invited her to Paris. After initial hesitation and consultation with her parents, she agreed and the first test shots were taken. After a few weeks, Claudia Schiffer was again invited to Paris by “Elle” magazine for a photo spread, and thus received her first professional assignment. Schiffer finished school and moved to Paris. The following orders strengthened their popularity.
She was chosen from numerous top models to be the face of the “Guess Jeans” campaign for a major advertising campaign for the American fashion label “GUESS”. Pictures of her could now be seen on posters, in newspapers and in the most important lifestyle magazines in the fashion industry. After the first pictures for the English “Vogue” were created, she immediately enchanted the fashion designer and head couturier of the Parisian fashion house Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld saw her as the second Brigitte Bardot and made her Chanel’s house model in 1988. In 1990, Schiffer appeared on the cover of Vogue for the first time. As early as 1991, Claudia Schiffer advanced to become the most expensive photo model in the world.
At the same time, she became the co-founder of a new generation of photo models, in which models rose to become celebrated world stars. Big fashion designers could no longer afford not to book at least two mannequins of their class for their shows. From the mid-1990s, her annual income was around US$ 10 million. The magazine “Der Spiegel” reported an annual income of around 30 million marks at the end of the 1990s. In March 1994, Claudia Schiffer became engaged to the American magician David Copperfield, who is one of the richest entertainers in the world thanks to his spectacular shows. Numerous rumors circulated in public that the connection was just a PR campaign. In 1995, Claudia Schiffer released the video “Perfectly Fit 1+2” in which she gave an insight into her training program.
In 1997, the 1.78 m tall Schiffer designed her own summer collection for Otto Versand. An exclusive illustrated book entitled “Claudia Schiffer in private” followed, in which she documents an illustrated overview of her career. On May 25, 2002, Claudia Schiffer married British film producer Matthew Vaughn at St. George Church in the English village of Shimpling (Suffolk). The celebrations, to which around 300 guests from business and the media were invited, took place at the nearby country estate of Coldham Hall. On January 30, 2003, she gave birth to her first son in London via caesarean section. She gave birth to her second child, a daughter, on November 11, 2004, also in London. On May 14, 2010, she gave birth to her third child, a girl, in London. Shortly before, she had posed heavily pregnant for the German edition of the magazine “Vogue”.
In 2003, she starred in a small role in the movie Love Actually. In addition to many show greats, Claudia Schiffer also took part in the Live 8 Festival initiated by Sir Bob Geldof. Almost 2 billion people around the world watched the gigantic spectacle on July 2, 2005, which fought for the debt cancellation of the poorest countries in Africa. In 2006 she received the “Women’s World Award – World Style Award”. In 2013 she was active for the ProSieben show “Fashion Hero”, a talent show in which she supported the participating fashion designers in the role of a mentor.
Claudia Schiffer lives with her family most of the time in her apartment in London or in her house on Mallorca.
Awards
1986
Salzburger Stier – Beste – German-speaking young cabaret artist
1988
Telestar – Advancement Award
1992
European Television Competition – 1st Prize Best Entertainment Show
1992
Adolf Grimme Prize for Gala – Christmas with Harald Schmidt
1993
Golden Europe – Entertainer of the Year
1993
Telestar
1993
Bambi
1993
Golden camera – funniest showmaster for MAZ off!
1997
Adolf Grimme Prize for The Harald Schmidt Show (Schmidt had previously awarded the prize to himself on his show.)
1997
Golden Lion – Best Show Host for The Harald Schmidt Show
1997
Telestar – Best Show Host for The Harald Schmidt Show
1998
Media Prize for Language Culture of the Society for German Language e. V
1998
Prix Pantheon – Special Prize Ripe and Crazy
1999
Bavarian TV Award for The Harald Schmidt Show
1999
Golden Romy for The Harald Schmidt Show
2000
German TV Award – Best Moderation – Entertainment
2001
German TV Award – Best Moderation – Entertainment
2001
Golden Wuschel from Brisant (ARD) for his connection to Brisant as a tireless critic
2002
Adolf Grimme Prize in the Special Competition for The Harald Schmidt Show
2002
Golden Camera – Best Young Actor (Theater Heute) for his role as Lucky in Waiting for Godot
2002
Goldene Feder together with Manuel Andrack
2003
German TV Award – Best Comedy for The Harald Schmidt Show
2003
Hans Bausch Media Prize
2003
Hildegard von Bingen Prize for journalism
How did Claudia Schiffer get famous?
In October 1987, at age 17, she was scouted in a nightclub in Düsseldorf by Michel Levaton, the head of Metropolitan Model Agency, and was later signed to the agency as a model. After leaving high school, Schiffer flew to Paris for a trial photo shoot, and subsequently appeared on the cover of Elle.
Was Claudia Schiffer married to David Copperfield?
From 1994 to 1999, Schiffer was married to the American illusionist, David Copperfield.
Why is Claudia Schiffer in love Actually?
Claudia Schiffer’s name is mentioned as a joke twice before she appears in the movie. While he’s giving the eulogy, Daniel mentions that his late wife jokingly suggested he bring German model Claudia Schiffer as his date to her funeral. Schiffer’s name is brought up again when Sam asks Daniel about his love life.
