Model Behavior

This is a woman with reasons to smile. She has appeared on hundreds of magazine covers, married a rock star and amassed a fortune worth tens of millions of dollars. To celebrate her 64th birthday, click through for more on Christie Brinkley.

A Supermodel Is Born

She was born Christie Lee Hudson on Groundhog Day, 1954, Brinkley is of German, Irish, English and Scottish descent.

She Had Early Exposure to Hollywood

After her parents' divorce, Christie and brother Donald were adopted by her mother Marjorie's second husband, television writer Don Brinkley. Later a producer, he wrote more than 400 teleplays for classic TV series ranging from "Rawhide" to "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."

She Went to a Bilingual High School

Brinkley attended Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles. Fellow Lycée Français alumni include Jodie Foster, Claire Danes, Molly Ringwald, Tatum O'Neal and Shannon Doherty.

She Wasn't Really an "Uptown Girl"

"I was basically a surfer girl from California," said Brinkley, who spent some of her formative years in Malibu. "I never looked like a model."

She Didn't See Herself as Model Material

After graduation in 1973, Brinkley (seen here years years later, making faces with Brooke Shields) moved to Paris to study art, with the dream of becoming an illustrator. At 19, she was discovered in a French post office by a photographer, who introduced her to an agent with Elite Model Management. "Modeling was never in my plan," Brinkley recalled. "Never."

She Broke a Model Industry Record

In 1976, Brinkley signed to become the "face" of CoverGirl, beginning a 20-year contract with the cosmetics firm, the longest in the history of the model industry. In 2005, CoverGirl again signed Brinkley, using her in ads for skin products aimed at women over 40.

Sports Illustrated Made Her a Household Name

Also in 1976, Brinkley (seen here in a Vogue fashion feature) was hired as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. She proved so popular that SI put her on the cover of its annual swimsuit edition for three consecutive years, 1979-81. Brinkley returned to SI's swimsuit issue again in 2017, at age 63.

She's Truly a Supermodel

Brinkley has been featured on the cover of more than 500 magazines, including Vogue, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar and Cosmopolitan. She has reportedly amassed a fortune upwards of $80 million, which makes her one of the top-earning female models of all time.

She's Been Married Four Times

Her first husband was French artist Jean-Francois Allaux. They tied the knot in 1973 and divorced in 1981 without children. "We had a great marriage," said Brinkley. "We were just young."

She and Billy Joel Made Music Together

Brinkley met her second husband, Billy Joel, on the Caribbean island of St. Barts in 1983. He was having fun on the hotel piano, and she started singing along. "We literally never stopped singing the whole time we were together," said Brinkley. The couple were married in 1985 on a yacht on the Hudson River, taking their vows in a private ceremony attended by 175 friends and family members. They were divorced in 1994. Brinkley and Joel have a daughter, Alexa Ray Joel.

She Made Her Big-Screen Debut in "National Lampoon's Vacation"

Brinkley played the fetching "girl in the red Ferrari" opposite Chevy Chase. She was supposed to strip naked for the movie's skinny-dipping scene, but refused, instead wearing a nylon bodysuit. Brinkley went on to other movie and TV acting roles, recently appearing as a recurring character on "Parks and Recreation."

She's a Doll

In 1989, Matchbox Toys created a Christie Brinkley doll as part of its Real Model Collection, which also included dolls based on fellow supermodels Beverly Johnson and Cheryl Tiegs, seen with Brinkley here.

She Had a Very Close Call

In 1994, Brinkley and five others were in a potentially catastrophic helicopter crash while heli-skiing in Telluride, Colorado. Though all the copter's passengers survived without life-threatening injury, Brinkley recalled the accident as a moment of severe terror during which she thought: "I am going to die. Right now? Like this? A ski trip? Today?"

Then Came Marriage No. 3

Eight months after helicopter crash, Brinkley married fellow wreck survivor Ricky Taubman. in Telluride, near the site of the accident. Brinkley, then 40, announced at their wedding that they were expecting a baby boy. The marriage ended a year later with one child, Jack Paris Taubman.

And Then Marriage No. 4

In 1996, Brinkley married Peter Halsey Cook. The couple had one child together, Sailor Brinkley Cook, before they divorced in 2008. The divorce proceedings attracted media attention after Cook admitted that he had an extramarital relationship with an 18-year-old woman and that he was addicted to internet pornography.

She's Politically Engaged

A long-time supporter of liberal causes, Brinkley served as a delegate at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where she give the Pledge of Allegiance along with children representing the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

She Was in a Serious Skiing Accident

In 2006, Brinkley (seen here with daughter Alexa Ray Joel and son Jack Taubman) almost severed her spine in a skiing accident. "I could have lost my leg," she said. "The doctor told me unless I did the surgery immediately I would only have a 30 percent chance of the leg recovering."

She Hit Broadway

In 2011, Brinkley made her Broadway debut in the musical "Chicago"—and received a standing ovation. She later reprised her role as Roxie in the show's London production.

She's a Picky Eater

Brinkley is a strict vegetarian and a "flexible vegan," though she admits to indulging herself occasionally with a special treat. "I love a good chocolate chip ice cream," she has said. "I'm not going to go for some lousy version of it. If I'm going to have it I'm going to have a really good one."

She's Candid and Upbeat About Aging

Brinkley cheerfully admits to having had cosmetic treatments. "I'm almost 64," she said recently. "At a certain point, you might need a little something extra. When I look into the mirror, I want to look as good as I feel. And if you can have something done to feel more confident and better about yourself, then you feel like your face matches your spirit."