Dorian Leigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorian Leigh
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Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker
April 23, 1917 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
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| Died | July 7, 2008 (aged 91) Falls Church, Virginia, U.S.
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| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Suzy Parker (sister) |
Dorian Leigh (born Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker; April 23, 1917 – July 7, 2008) was an American model. She was one of the first famous models in the fashion world. Many people consider her one of the first supermodels. She was very well known in both the United States and Europe.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Dorian Leigh Parker was born in San Antonio, Texas. Her parents were George and Elizabeth Parker. She was the oldest of four daughters. Her younger sisters were Florian, Georgiabell, and Suzy Parker, who also became a famous model. The family moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, and later to Metuchen, New Jersey.
Dorian finished high school in Queens, New York, in 1935. She then went to Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. She was very good at math and engineering. She studied mechanical engineering at Rutgers and New York University. She even got a degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology.
During World War II, Dorian worked as a tool designer for Eastern Air Lines. She helped design airplane wings. Later, she worked for Republic Pictures, writing advertisements for movies. There, someone suggested she try modeling.
Modeling Career
In 1944, Dorian Leigh decided to try modeling. She was 27 years old, which was considered old for a model at the time. She was also shorter than most models. But her unique look, especially her eyebrows, caught the attention of Diana Vreeland, an editor at Harper's Bazaar.
Dorian's first modeling job was for the cover of Harper's Bazaar in June 1944. Her parents did not think modeling was a good job. So, Dorian used only her first and middle names, Dorian Leigh. When she became very successful, her youngest sister, Suzy, also became a famous model and used the Parker last name.
Dorian quickly became a very busy model. She appeared on the covers of many major magazines. These included Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Paris Match, LIFE, and Elle. Because she traveled so much, her two children lived with her parents in Florida.
She worked with famous photographers like Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. Avedon later became one of the most famous photographers in history.
Dorian also became well known for her advertisements for Revlon cosmetics. In 1952, when she was 35, Richard Avedon photographed her for Revlon's famous Fire and Ice campaign. In this ad, Dorian wore a shiny silver dress and a big red wrap. The ad was a huge success and won an award.
In 1948, Dorian married Roger Mehle. They had a daughter named Young Eve in 1949. Dorian continued to model and travel, often working in Europe with Richard Avedon. She even acted in a play called The Fifth Season. By 1953, Dorian had been on the covers of more than 50 magazines.
Dorian started her own modeling agency called the "Fashion Bureau." She created a new system where the agency paid models weekly. This was helpful because models often had to wait a long time to be paid by clients. One day, she met Eileen Ford, who later started the famous Ford Models agency.
Dorian closed her agency when she married. She then joined Ford Models. She also helped her younger sister, Suzy Parker, join the agency. Suzy, who was 15 years younger, soon became even more famous than Dorian.
In Paris, Dorian met a Spanish athlete named Alfonso de Portago. She fell in love with him. She divorced Roger Mehle in 1954. She then married Alfonso in Mexico, but his divorce was not final, so their marriage was not legal. Dorian gave birth to their son, Kim Blas Parker, in 1955.
Life After Modeling
As Dorian got older, her modeling career began to slow down. She started the first legal modeling agency in France to support her son, Kim.
On Dorian's 40th birthday in 1957, Alfonso de Portago told her he was finally getting divorced. He was going to race in the Mille Miglia car race in Italy. The next day, Dorian learned that Alfonso had died in a terrible car crash during the race. This accident caused the Mille Miglia race to end forever.
After Alfonso's death, Dorian's sister Suzy told a newspaper that Dorian had a son with him. This news shocked Dorian's parents, who did not know about Kim. This caused problems within the family.
Dorian continued to run her modeling agency in Paris, which grew to have offices in Germany and London. In 1961, Dorian had her fifth child, a daughter named Miranda.
In 1964, Dorian married Iddo Ben-Gurion. She later found out he was stealing money from her agencies. She divorced him in 1966. She had to close her agencies because so much money was stolen.
In 1972, Dorian became a born-again Christian. She also studied cooking at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She opened her own restaurant called Chez Leigh, which she ran for a few years. By 1976, Dorian had lost most of her money.
In 1977, Dorian moved back to New York City to work as an office manager for a modeling agency. Her son Kim was living there. Sadly, Kim died six months later.
Dorian later lived in Pound Ridge, New York. She made special foods for stores and even worked with Martha Stewart for a time. She also wrote two cookbooks: Pancakes: From Flapjacks to Crepes (1987) and Doughnuts: Over 3 Dozen Crullers, Fritters and Other Treats (1994).
Autobiography
In 1980, Dorian published her life story in a book called The Girl Who Had Everything. She wrote the book for her late son, Kim. She hoped others could learn from her experiences.
Death
Dorian Leigh died in a nursing home in Falls Church, Virginia, in 2008. She was 91 years old and had Alzheimer's disease. Her son, T.L. Hawkins, remembered her famous "Fire and Ice" photograph in her obituary.
Dorian was survived by three of her five children: Thomas Lofton, Young Eve, and Miranda Olga. Her son Kim and daughter Marsha Lynn had passed away before her. She also had several grandchildren.
Images for kids
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Dorian Leigh
See also
In Spanish: Dorian Leigh para niños
