Wilhelmina Cooper's model: biography, career, personal life

Wilhelmina Cooper - one of the most famous and expensive models of his time. Known also due to its own modeling agency. Suddenly died of cancer at the age of forty.

Her childhood and youth

The future model was born on May 1, 1939 in the city of Kulemborg, Gelderland, the Netherlands. In the fashion industry, she was known as Wilhelmina Cooper, her close ones called her just Willy. The happy family moved to Chicago, Illinois, when the girl was about 14 years old. Thanks to her beautiful Dutch appearance, she achieved success in the modeling field. Her career began in 1957. A year later, shortly before the senior class, she came to casting in the "Models Bureau" and was selected.

Throughout the teenage period, she was puzzled by being overweight. With her growth of 1 m 74 cm, she weighed 63 kg instead of an enviable 53 kg. The appearance of Wilhelmina Cooper reminded one of the world famous supermodels of that time - Susie Parker, which, of course, played a role in the formation of the girl. With the appearance in the catalogs of her photographs, the sales of companies whose products she represented were noticeably increasing.

Cooper Wilhelmina: biography. The model, which became the standard of beauty

In 1959, impressed by the successes of the young model, the head of the Models Bureau decides to send her pictures to a trade show in Chicago, where she is awarded the title "Miss West Berlin". After such a triumph, Wilhelmine was recommended to move to New York, which was famous for its modeling agencies and the beauty industry as a whole. Upon arrival there, she meets Eileen and Jerry Ford of the Ford Models. They had a warm relationship, but Eileen could not offer her work in the agency, as the weight of the model did not meet the standards of that time. Saddened by this fact, Wilhelmina Cooper decides to move to Europe, where she soon gets a job in Germany and London. The girl quickly gained momentum and very soon was able to decorate her face with the cover of the famous magazine L'Officiel. Filming took place in Algeria, where the model posed in clothes from Madame Gre against the background of the endless sands of the Sahara.

After such a significant triumph, she still manages to sign a contract with Ford Models. Success did not take long. Very soon Cooper Wilhelmina became one of the most famous, demanded and highly paid models of his time. Her face was known to almost everyone. In the history of her professional career, she appeared on the covers of popular magazines more than 255 times. She is Was a happy owner of a very elegant, beautiful appearance, which allowed her to debut in such fashion magazines as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. In the first she managed to appear about 28 times.

One of the few models with an impressive feminine figure, was Cooper Wilhelmina. Her biography, unlike most other mannequins, has fewer black spots. With her high, well-defined cheekbones, deep, languid gaze and a shock of beautifully folded dark hair, she was a representative of the eternal classics - an aristocratic lady whose beauty continues to admire to this day.

Wilhelmina Models

It combined external and internal beauty, sharp mind and strong character. These qualities allowed her to open her modeling agency called "Wilhelmina Models" and become famous as a shark model business. The woman also was characterized by remarkable efficiency and a rare entrepreneurial spirit. Cooper Wilhelmina manifested itself as a very competent and experienced model agent, possessing an excellent instinct and intuition for hidden young talents and an enviable ability to competently carry out advertising campaigns. Her agency still enjoys worldwide popularity and maintains a brilliant reputation.

Family models

The girl married in 1965 for the famous producer of that time - Bruce Cooper. So they went all their lives hand in hand, led joint business, supported each other in especially unpleasant moments and brought up beautiful children - daughter Melissa and son Jason. Bruce helped her to found a model agency that turned out to be very lucrative, pointed out the shortcomings of his wife and instilled in her the belief that she could cope with any tasks that would stand in her way.

Acquaintance with Jia Karanji and a film about the history of their friendship

Such models as Iman and Gia Karandzhi, due to this successful woman, are due to this successful career.

In the film "Gia" the role of Wilhelmina was performed by actress Faye Dunaway. The picture tells the story of the model of Gia Karandzhi, which Wilhelmina Cooper literally brought up, recognizing the girl's future world- famous model. And I was not mistaken. Wilhelmine had only one minute to understand - this girl will conquer the whole world. With the help of the already known model business, along and across the woman, Gia was able to climb to the top much faster than competitors. Wilhelmina Cooper and Gia Karandji were very close. Therefore, Willy's death was a shock to the young model, on the basis of which she became addicted to drugs.

Finally

This woman was rightly considered the most famous and highly paid model of her time. "Wilhelmina Models" is still represented as one of the most prestigious agencies in the world. The first, who managed to develop two careers at the same time, the hostess of the rapidly gaining popularity of the modeling agency and mannequin, was Cooper Wilhelmina. The biography of the model describes the entire long period of its emergence as a person in the first place. She was able to compete with such well-known fashion models of the time, as Twiggy, Verushka and Gene Shrimpton.

She knew how to succeed, and she walked confidently toward her goal. What this unique woman could not bargain for herself was life itself. Perhaps we really have to pay for everything? In late 1970, Miss Cooper was diagnosed with cancer, and she left this life at the age of 40. The strength of the spirit prevented the woman from falling into depression, and almost to the very end, Wilhelmina Cooper worked tirelessly, to enjoy life, to give the people around her smile and just live. Probably, this star was too bright, too much light was emitted - and burnt out.