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Cheryl Tiegs on the cover of the 1975 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Cheryl Rae Tiegs, born September 25, 1947, in Breckenridge, Minnesota, was (in a way) the first modern American supermodel. Others award this distinction to Janice Dickinson. Cheryl was a step in the move towards tall models, since she is a striking 5'10" to 5'11" tall herself.

Tiegs was born in Minnesota, but raised in California, and she is a 1965 graduate of Alhambra High School in Alhambra, California. By the time she was 17 years old, she appeared on the the cover of Glamour magazine. The covers of Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, Time, and Vogue followed. She is best known, however, for her long-running affiliation with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which featured her on the cover in 1970, 1975, and 1983. The 1978 poster of her in a pink bikini became an iconic 1970s pop culture image. While posing for the 1978 swimsuit issue, she took a quick dip in the water on the beach wearing a white cotton fishnet swimsuit. When she emerged from the water, photographers — professional and amateur — flocked to her and asked her to pose for an extended amount of time – about 50 minutes. She had no idea why the photographers suddenly took such an interest in her. She didn't discover why until she saw the final prints from the shoot: when wet, the suit was almost completely translucent. Later in an interview she claimed she had no idea that the swimming suit was virtually see-through because "it was opaque when it was dry."

Tiegs was reputedly never comfortable in the spotlight, and did not welcome the scrutiny that came with it. She has been married and divorced four times, to Stan Dragoti (1970–1979), Peter Hill Beard (1981–1983), Tony Peck (1990–1995), and Rod Stryker (1998–2001). She has three sons, one by Peck and two by Stryker. Tiegs has admitted that during the height of her fame, she would jump from one relationship to the next, never secure with the man she was with.

Now in her late fifties she has resumed modeling, and she has entered the world of business with an accessory and wig line for Revlon.

Cheryl Tiegs became the mother of twin boys Jaden Joseph and Theo Reid at the age of 52, with the services of a surrogate mother.

• Cheryl Tiegs at the Internet Movie Database
• Askmen.com profile