Entertainment
17 Models Who Became Actresses, From Cameron Diaz to Cara Delevingne
It's official: Cara Delevingne will star in John Green's novel Paper Towns adaptation as the film's leading lady, Margo. Some people were shocked by the news — after all, Cara Delevingne is better known as a model than she is as an actress. But though Delevingne may have roots in the modeling world and limited experience on screen, she's not the only model who tried her hand at acting. Let's hope that Delevingne's work on Paper Towns is as good as some of these other models-turned-actresses... and a million times better than some others.
Tyra Banks
The host of America’s Next Top Model has made several onscreen appearances, most notably in her 2000 Disney flick Life-Size, in which the model played a Barbie-like doll come to life. Prior to that she had an eight-episode arc on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In recent years she has made guest appearances on shows like Gossip Girl and Glee.
Kate Upton
Prior to her role in The Other Woman, Upton made a brief cameo in 2011’s The Three Stooges. It mostly involved her looking hot in a bikini… which is kind of what The Other Woman had her doing for most of the film too.
Brooke Shields
Shields was a teen model whose infamous Calvin Klein ad (“You want to know what gets between me and my Calvins? Nothing…”) creeped people out for years to come. Now known primarily for her acting work, she recently had an arc on The Middle and the Michael J. Fox Show.
Elizabeth Hurley
Hurley has jumped between modeling and acting, and has worked as the face for Estee Lauder. Currently she is working on E!’s first scripted series, The Royals, as the matriarch of a wild royal family.
Jenny McCarthy
McCarthy was Playmate of the Year for Playboy back in 1994, but now is better known for her time on The View and lots of ABC Family holiday movies.
Milla Jovovich
Jovovich started out as a model before moving onto films like the Resident Evil franchise and The Fifth Element.
Freida Pinto
The Slumdog Millionaire actress started her career as a model in India. These gorgeous photos of her in Interview Magazine make it obvious why.
Halle Berry
Yep, the Oscar winner was originally a model… and a pageant girl. In fact, her first acting role was an arc playing a model on the sitcom Who’s The Boss.
Jaimie King
The Hart of Dixie actress modeled for magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour before pursuing a career on screen.
Cameron Diaz
Diaz became a model after she was discovered by a scout at a party. Diaz went from model to actress with the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy The Mask.
Olga Kurylenko
The Ukrainian model rose to fame in the United States after landing the role of a Bond Girl in the 2008 film Quantum Solace.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
The Victoria’s Secret model replaced Megan Fox as the love interest in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. She also has a role in the upcoming film Mad Max: Fury.
Brooklyn Decker
Decker covered the 2010 swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated but has moved on to acting with roles in films like Just Go With It, opposite Adam Sandler, and the ensemble film What To Expect When You’re Expecting. She recently had a starring role on CBS sitcom Friend With Better Lives, which was cancelled earlier this year.
Gisele Bundchen
Former Victoria’s Secret model Bundchen played the villain in the 2004 Jimmy Fallon flick Taxi, and had a small role in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada as a fashion snob (but not model!)
Andie MacDowell
Before she starred in films like St. Elmo’s Fire and Groundhog Day, she was signed with Elite models.
Analeigh Tipton
The former America’s Next Top Model contestant — she was the runner up in Cycle 11 — has starred in films like Crazy, Stupid Love and currently has a romcom, Two Night Stand, out in theaters.
Gemma Ward
Ward put her doll-like appearance to good use when she played one of the creepy masked murders (hers was a baby doll mask) in the 2008 horror movie The Strangers. In 2011 model Ward joined the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as a mermaid.
