Place of Birth: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Occupation: Model

Height: 5' 9½"

Measurements: 34B-24-34

Linda Evangelista was born on May 10, 1965, in Ontario, Canada. She is of Italian decent and her father, brother, and uncle all work for General Motors. She knew she wanted to become a model at a young age, and at age 12, Evangelista entered the 1978 Miss Teen Niagara Contest. She didn't win the contest, but a talent agent at the pageant approached Evangelista and she soon moved to New York City and signed with Elite Model Management. She later moved to Paris, France, one of the fashion hubs of the world, to develop her career further.

Evangelista has appeared on numerous magazine covers and advertising campaigns for top designers including, Alberta Ferretti, American Express, Anne Klein, Barney's, Bloomingdale's, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Chloé, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Versace, Hermes, Perry Ellis, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Christian Dior, Jones New York and Kenar.

In addition to modeling, Evangelista appeared in the music videos for George Michael and plays the accordion. She is an advocate for HIV/AIDS and breast cancer awareness. In 2005, New York-based AID for AIDS honored Evangelista with its annual HERO Award for her commitment in helping to eradicate the disease throughout the world.