Cindy Crawford, born Cynthia Ann Crawford on February 20, 1966, in DeKalb, Illinois, is an American model, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming one of the most recognizable supermodels of her time.

Her career began when she was discovered by a local photographer while working on a farm during the summer. This led to her participation in the Elite Model Management's Look of the Year contest, where she made the national finals.

Cindy Crawford graduated as valedictorian from DeKalb High School and earned an academic scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern University, but she dropped out after one quarter to pursue modeling full-time.

She moved to New York City in 1986 and signed with Elite Model Management, quickly gaining recognition. Her big break came when she was chosen as the cover model for the August 1986 issue of Vogue, where her beauty mark above her upper lip was intentionally left unretouched, setting a new industry standard.

Her career expanded beyond modeling as she became the first modern fashion model to appear nude in Playboy in 1988 and hosted the fashion television show House of Style from 1989 to 1995.

She signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Revlon in 1989, further solidifying her status as a global icon. She also ventured into acting, appearing in movies such as Fair Game (1995) and 54 (1998).

On the personal front, Cindy Crawford was married to actor Richard Gere from 1991 to 1995, and later married businessman Rande Gerber in 1998.

They have two children, Kaia and Presley Gerber, both of whom have followed in their mother's footsteps into the modeling industry.