Janice Dickinson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janice Dickinson
Dickinson in 2014
Born	(1955-02-16) February 16, 1955 (age 70) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Model television personality businesswoman
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Ron Levy ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1979)​ Simon Fields ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 1993)​ Alan B. Gersten ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 1996)​ Rocky Gerner ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	2
Relatives	Debbie Dickinson (sister)
Modeling information
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Hair color	Dark brown
Eye color	Brown

Janice Doreen Dickinson (born February 16, 1955) is an American model, TV star, and businesswoman. She became famous as a model in the 1970s and 1980s. Janice Dickinson has often said she was the first "supermodel." However, many people consider Lisa Fonssagrives to be the first supermodel, starting her career in the 1930s.

Dickinson was a judge on the TV show America's Next Top Model from 2003 to 2006. In 2005, she started her own modeling agency. This agency was featured in the reality TV series The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency from 2006 to 2008.

In 2007, Janice Dickinson was a contestant on the British TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She finished in second place. In 2008, she starred in Janice & Abbey with British model Abbey Clancy. She also appeared on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother 16 in 2015.

Janice Dickinson has written three books about her life. These include No Lifeguard on Duty (2002), Everything About Me Is Fake… And I'm Perfect (2004), and Check Please! Dating, Mating, and Extricating (2006).

Early Life and Family

Janice Dickinson was born in Brooklyn, New York. She is the second daughter of Jennie Marie and Ray Dickinson. Her mother had Polish family roots.

She grew up in Hollywood, Florida. Janice has an older sister named Alexis, who became a real estate agent. Her younger sister, Debbie Dickinson, also became a model.

Modeling Career Highlights

In the early 1970s, Janice Dickinson moved to New York City. She wanted to become a model after winning a contest called "Miss High Fashion Model." At that time, most famous models had blonde hair and blue eyes. Many modeling agents turned Dickinson down. One agent, Eileen Ford, even told her she was "much too ethnic" and would "never work."

A fashion photographer named Jacques Silberstein discovered her. His girlfriend, actress Lorraine Bracco, liked Dickinson's unique look. Wilhelmina Cooper became Janice Dickinson's first agent. Her modeling journey took her to Paris, France. There, her "exotic looks" helped her become well-known in the European fashion world.

She came back to New York City in 1978. For several years, she worked steadily and earned a lot of money. She made $2,000 per day, which was much more than other models. Dickinson later signed with Ford Models for a big ad campaign for a new JVC camera.

By the 1980s, Janice Dickinson was seen as a supermodel. She had a famous name and face that many models hoped to achieve. She appeared on the cover of Vogue 37 times (international editions). She was also on the cover of Elle seven times in a row. She worked in ad campaigns for brands like Revlon, Balmain, Christian Dior, and Max Factor.

As she got older, Dickinson found new ways to stay involved in fashion. She became a fashion photographer. In 2008, she started her own jewelry line on HSN.

In 2009, Janice Dickinson recorded a song called "Crazy." Craig Taylor wrote and produced the song.

The "First Supermodel" Claim

Dickinson (right) and Samata at London Fashion Week 2010

Janice Dickinson says she created the word supermodel in 1979. She also claims to be the first "supermodel." However, the word was used much earlier, in the 1940s. A writer named Judith Cass used the term in 1942 in a Chicago Tribune article. In 1943, author Clyde Matthew Dessner used it in his book So You Want to Be a Model!

Newspapers also used the term in the 1960s. The New York Times and The Daily Times both called Twiggy a supermodel in 1967.

In 1968, an article in Glamour magazine described Twiggy, Cheryl Tiegs, Wilhelmina, and others as "supermodels."

Many other models were called supermodels before Janice Dickinson's claim. These include Penelope Tree in 1970, Jean Shrimpton in 1971, and Margaux Hemingway in 1975. Beverly Johnson in 1977 and Naomi Sims in 1978 were also called supermodels.

Some models whose careers started even before Dickinson was born are now seen as the first supermodels of the 20th century. These include Lisa Fonssagrives and Dorian Leigh. Gia Carangi and Jean Shrimpton have also been called the first supermodels.

Lauren Hutton is also sometimes called the first supermodel. This is because she was the first model to get a big contract with a cosmetics company. She signed with Revlon in 1974.

Television Appearances

In 2003, Janice Dickinson became famous again as a judge on America's Next Top Model. The show's producer, Tyra Banks, hired her. Banks thought Dickinson could give good advice to the young models. As a judge, Dickinson was known for her honest and direct opinions.

Dickinson often had disagreements with other judges. She also had different ideas from Tyra Banks, especially about plus-size models.

After four seasons, Janice Dickinson left the show. She later made guest appearances in later seasons. She was a photographer for a challenge in season 5. She was a mentor in season 6 and an interviewee in season 7.

In 2005, Dickinson was on The Surreal Life. In 2006, she starred in her own reality show, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. This show was on the Oxygen channel. It ran for four seasons and showed Dickinson starting her new career as a modeling agent.

She also appeared with British model Abigail Clancy in Beauty & The Best. This show followed Clancy's efforts to become a model in America. It first aired in the UK in 2007 and in the U.S. in 2008.

In November 2007, Dickinson joined the British reality show I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!. She took part in many challenges and finished in second place. She was also a contestant on the American version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2009.

In 2009, Dickinson was a guest judge on the Finnish version of Top Model. She later apologized to the models during the show.

She made other guest appearances on TV shows. These include an episode of Charmed and the music video for Darren Hayes's song "On the Verge of Something Wonderful." In 2010, she was on the celebrity edition of Come Dine with Me.

Dickinson appeared in the fourth season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2010. In 2011, she was a guest star on an episode of 90210.

In August 2015, Janice Dickinson was a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother 16 in the UK. She was the seventh person to leave the house.

In 2020, Dickinson appeared on season 24 of The Bachelor. In 2023, she was on I'm a Celebrity... South Africa. She had to leave the show early due to a head injury.

TikTok Career

Janice Dickinson became popular on TikTok in 2023. She often reacts to models' walks and gives them ratings. She has over 740,000 followers on TikTok. Janice has reviewed walks by famous supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Shalom Harlow, Gisele Bündchen, and many others. She also shares advice for young people who want to become models.

Personal Life

Janice Dickinson has been married four times. Her past husbands include Ron Levy, Simon Fields, and Alan B. Gersten. She has two children, a son named Nathan and a daughter named Savannah. In 2012, she announced her engagement to Dr. Robert Gerner, also known as "Rocky." They got married in December 2016.

In March 2016, it was shared that Janice Dickinson had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Books by Janice Dickinson

Janice Dickinson released a book about her life as a supermodel. It was called No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World's First Supermodel (2002). This book helped introduce her to a new generation of fans. Her next book, Check Please! Dating, Mating, and Extricating (2006), talks about relationships and her dating advice.

Filmography

See Also

In Spanish: Janice Dickinson para niños

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