Adriana Lima

Adriana Lima was born in 1982, in Salvador, Brazil. The blue/gray-eyed beauty can attribute her exotic good looks to her French, Portuguese, Native-American, and Caribbean heritage.

Her climb from obscurity to glam girl occurred after placing second in the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest (after having won the 1996 Ford Supermodel of Brazil Contest). Adriana signed with Elite Model Management at the age of 16, and moved to one of the fashion centers of the world, New York. Once there, her modeling portfolio only began to expand exponentially, after appearing in Vogue (Italy) in 1997, as well as Vogue (UK), I-D (UK), Marie Claire (Brazil), and Vogue (Italy) in 1998. Adriana has also appeared in Vogue (US, Germany, UK), and Marie Claire (Italy) all in 1999

But one of Adriana's most notable catwalk appearances was in the Victoria's Secret summer 2000 swimwear catalog (shot in Cannes), where the Brazilian beauty shared the spotlight with a bevy of supermodels such as Heidi Klum and Laetitia Casta.

Those who have not had the pleasure of seeing Adriana in a fashion spread may have caught her in advertisements for Anna Sui Jeans, bebe, Gasoline, Mossimo, BCBG, Keds, Guess?, and XOXO.

But it's her job as a Victoria's Secret "Angel" that has fueled her fame the most, especially after appearing in network television's Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2001 and 2003. In 2001, she also appeared in the short film, The Hire: Follow, with Mickey Rourke.

On a personal note, the Maybelline model was engaged to Lenny Kravitz in the spring of 2002, but they never got married.

In 2004, Adriana Lima received a lot of press when she appeared in a Victoria's Secret ad co-starring musician Bob Dylan, in which she's walking around Venice in nothing but lingerie, heels and a pair of wings -- it's for Victoria's Secret's "Angels" collection.