The Most Sizzling Snaps Of Christie Brinkley: The Multi-Decade Beauty!
Apr. 21 2019, Updated 3:20 a.m. ET
Christie Brinkley was born Christie Lee Hudson in Monroe, Michigan. She made a seismic splash in the modeling world by becoming one of those who put the now famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue on the map. Although Christie Brinkley nude never quite happened it sure came close with some of those swimsuits she sported in those early SI days.
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Brinkley made history when she appeared on three consecutive SI swimsuit covers starting in 1979. Since then Brinkley has graced over 500 magazine covers. Think about that. She was one of the first models to put the “super” in supermodel and would also spend 25 years as the face of Revlon.
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After five decades of modeling it is time to look back to the beginning and to chronicle her astounding career. She even has made her mark on other avenues of popular culture — from movies like National Lampoon’s Vacation to TV appearances in instant classics such as Parks and Recreation.
Brinkley Beginnings
The self-proclaimed “California surfer girl” made her mark with her first of what would be over 500 covers. Those are her piercing blue eyes lighting up the December 1977 issue of Glamour magazine. An astounding career had takeoff.
Cosmo Debut
A legendary magazine got a (soon-to-be) legendary model, Brinkley, to grace its June 1977 issue. Scoring the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine, Cosmo for short, is a benchmark for any model, in any era.
A Sports Illustrated Sensation Begins
Christie Brinkley first made the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1979 with a one piece suit and a million dollar smile.
New Decade, Same Face
Brinkley’s second year in a row making the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue found her in the British Virgin Islands in a bikini that would become iconic simply because Brinkley was wearing it. What a way to usher in a new decade!
Sports Illustrated Three of Three
Her third Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover in a row saw the model flying high in Florida. Could those seagulls flying around her have any idea that they were part of history being made? But with that final cover the trilogy of Brinkley SI cover moments had ended. It would not be the final time the model would appear on the pages of the magazine it was just time for someone else to score the coveted cover spot. Only five other models have achieved her esteemed record in the history of the legendary magazine cover. Only one appeared on more and that was the five times achieved by Elle Macpherson. A little trivia … any idea who was the model that stopped Brinkley’s cover streak? It was Carol Alt.
Brinkley Took a Vacation
Brinkley made the successful leap from the pages of magazines to the silver screen in 1983 with her turn in National Lampoon’s Vacation. Some would argue her role in the road trip comedy opposite Chevy Chase was equally as iconic as any of those SI covers she adorned. Although her role was never given a name besides The Girl in the Ferrari, it still made a major splash. Her job was to drive past Chase’s, Clark Griswold while he was driving the “family truckster” and to flirt with him as they careened down the highway. Griswold met her again at a roadside motel. She would jump in the pool naked, and he joined her. The freezing pool temperature sent Griswold yelling loudly. The entire motel woke up including his wife and kids.
Brinkley Starts a Business
Brinkley was ahead of her time in the sense that she broke the mold of what was expected of a supermodel. Long before Heidi Klum and others branched out into other fields or started their own fashion line, it was Brinkley who started her own sportswear and swimwear line that carried her name — all the way back in 1983. Here is a shot of the launch party celebrating the milestone. And those two people on either end? They’re her proud parents!
Pretty in Pink!
Brinkley wasn’t immune to the workout craze that overtook America in the early ‘80s. That is not the only “hot” item in this particular Brinkley snap of note. Notice she is sporting pink leg warmers — also a trending item in the early ‘80s that was unique to that era.
Brinkley Marries a Pop Music Icon
Billy Joel met Brinkley in the Caribbean island of St. Barts when both were vacationing. He was on the keys at an island bar and she happened to be there — the rest, as they say, was history. Their marriage produced a daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, then a hit album for the singer-songwriter and delivered a music video hit with …
Brinkley Is an “Uptown Girl”
Her second husband, pop music superstar Joel, penned an entire album, An Innocent Man, about his better half. The most apt track on the entire album had to be “Uptown Girl.” The song’s lyrics described Joel’s feelings about being a “downtown guy” and marrying way above his lot in life! Brinkley would appear in the video for the hit single that would make its way all the way to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The song still resonates all these years later. "Uptown Girl’s" official video on YouTube has over 104 million views!
Playboy Pin-Up
Brinkley added a surprising cover to her list — Playboy. In November of 1984 Brinkley “dresses up” the publication, as it said on the Hugh Hefner magazine cover. Is she one of the 45 sexiest stars to appear in Playboy?
Posing for Prell
OK, there is no way Brinkley’s hair looks that good from a shampoo that combines the conditioner with the shampoo! But that’s neither here nor there as Brinkley did pose for a Prell Shampoo ad in 1985 that found her balancing motherhood, working and being the wife of an on-the-road rock star.
Comparing Snapshots
Oh how things have changed. At the February 10, 1987 premiere of L'Inchiesta (The Inquiry) in New York City, Brinkley and singer Carly Simon shared photos of their kids. Merely years before the two might have been comparing shots of themselves in bikinis basking in the sun on a tropical isle somewhere!
A Vegas Vacation Sequel
Brinkley followed up her explosive film debut in the second sequel to Vacation — Vegas Vacation — in 1997. If it appeared as if she hadn’t aged a day despite 14 years passing, you are not alone in that sentiment. The joke of this scene was not simply that Chase’s Clark was flirting with the blonde in a Ferrari again, but that that blonde had a baby seat in the back … complete with an infant! Griswold mouthed the words, “You have a baby?” Brinkley’s “Ferrari Girl” simply shrugged her shoulders before speeding away.
Giddy Up!
One of Brinkley’s best snaps was her riding a horse at the Montauk Horse Show in the summer of 1991. The charity event was one of hundreds that the supermodel has attended over the years in the Hamptons, a beach hamlet for the rich and richer.
All the World’s a Stage
Brinkley added another title to her resume in 2011 when she starred in an iconic musical Chicago in London’s West End. She played the role of Roxie Hart (the role made famous by Renee Zellweger in the Oscar-winning film) and performed her song and dance to rave reviews.
Joining Parks and Rec
Brinkley added another great role to her acting experience when she was cast as Jerry’s (Jim O’Heir) wife in Parks and Recreation. Jerry was the butt of many jokes in the office so it came as a huge surprise when the gang visited Jerry at home and discovered that his wife looks like she could be a supermodel. It was hilarious, and Brinkley got to show off her comedic chops.
Modeling at 63!
Brinkley has always been about making history, and appearing in the 2019 Elie Tahari fashion show during New York Fashion Week was another chapter in her decades long rich history. She is truly a trailblazer in every sense of the word.