Christie Brinkley (born Christie Lee Hudson; February 2, 1954) is an American model and actress. Brinkley gained worldwide fame beginning in the late 1970s with three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers through 1981. She spent twenty five years as the face of CoverGirl (the longest running cosmetics contract of any model in history), has appeared on over 500 magazine covers, and has signed contracts with major brands—both fashion and non-fashion.
Brinkley went on to work as an actress, illustrator, television personality, photographer, writer, designer, and activist for human and animal rights and the environment.
Brinkley has been married four times, most notably to musician Billy Joel, several of whose music videos she appeared in. Her fourth marriage, to architect Peter Cook, ended in a much-publicized 2008 divorce.
With a career spanning more than three decades, magazines such as Allure, Playboy, and Men’s Health have named Brinkley one of the most attractive women of all time. Her financial holdings in 2008 were worth an estimated USD $80 million, primarily as the owner of real estate. In February 2012, she was ranked third in the Daily Mail list “World’s 20 richest models.”
