Elizabeth Jane Hurley

Born on 10 June 1965
Elizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and former actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s

"I have three lives: actress, model, producer. Sometimes I'm aware that there's a fourth life, which is somewhat neglected, which is living a bit."

"Being English, I always laugh at anything to do with the lavatory or bottoms. "

"I certainly don't want a child of mine to be famous, or anyone I was very close to who isn't yet... It's the worst thing to be trapped in your house not be able to leave."

"I would seriously question whether anybody is really foolish enough to really say what they mean. Sometimes I think that civilization as we know it would kind of break down if we all were completely honest"

"I've always wanted to be a spy, and frankly I'm a little surprised that British intelligence has never approached me. "

“I love glamorous women. Hugh adores glamour, as well. I'm completely behind women dressing up and looking as good as they can.”

“A bit of lusting after someone does wonders for you and is good for your skin.”

"Nothing irritates me more than chronic laziness in others. Mind you, it's only mental sloth I object to. Physical sloth can be heavenly"
-Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth Hurley oozes sex appeal with her walk, her talk and the glances she gives the camera. She knows how to turn up the heat and ironically does so by playing the icy-cool seductress so well.

Whether she plays up the sex-kitten angle, like she did as the Princess of Darkness in Bedazzled, or plays it straight, like she did as the brainy, bespectacled Vanessa Kensington, she's always hot.

Hurley started working as an actress in the late 1980s and became a model in 1995. During the 2000s, she worked unsuccessfully as a reality television presenter in Britain. Allmovie described her as "one of the world's most famous arm ornaments, model, and sometimes-actress," with the first being a reference to her red-carpet appearances accompanying Hugh Grant to his film premieres and other social functions while they were a couple until 2000. She has appeared thrice on the cover of British Vogue.

In 1995, with no prior modeling experience, Hurley was introduced as an Estée Lauder spokesmodel. She later recounted, "I was far from an ingénue, having had my first modeling job at 29." Hurley has since featured in ads for Lauder's 'Pleasures', 'Beautiful', 'Dazzling', 'Tuscany per Donna', and 'Sensuous' fragrances as well as participated in campaigns for the company's other cosmetics. She was replaced as the face of Estée Lauder by Caroline Murphy in 2001. However, she continues to work with the company non-exclusively, signing a contract for the 14th year with Lauder in 2008. In 2005, she modeled for Saloni, Liverpool Department Stores of Mexico, and Lancel. She was part of the seasonal advertising campaigns for Jordache, Got Milk?, Patrick Cox, MQ Clothiers of Sweden, and Lancel in 2006 and Monsoon in 2007. In 2008, Hurley was unveiled as the seasonal campaign face for Blackglama mink.

In April 2005, Elizabeth Hurley Beach, her beachwear line that she also models every summer, was launched at Harrod's in the UK. It debuted later that year in select Saks Fifth Avenue stores in the United States and other European countries. She told Tatler magazine, "I was on Necker Island for a fashion shoot and even as [Richard Branson] was lying back in a hammock, he was on the phone, doing deals, managing his empire. But then I thought I am never going to have even a holiday home, let alone an island, unless I start a business that I can do without disrupting Damian's school days." In May 2008, Hurley designed and modeled a capsule collection of 12 swimsuits for the Spanish clothes brand MANGO.

Hurley is signed to the Independent modeling agency in London.

Hurley made her first film appearance in Aria (1987). She has since appeared in movies such as Passenger 57, EdTV, Bedazzled, and Serving Sara. In 1997, she received her first and only acting award, the ShoWest Supporting Actress of the Year, for her performance in the spy spoof Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. When Hugh Grant founded and became the director of Simian Films in 1994, Hurley was credited as one of the producers for the company's two Grant vehicles, Extreme Measures (1996) and Mickey Blue Eyes (1999). Critics such as Julie Burchill, who has called Hurley's acting "a notch above pornography," have dismissed her performances. In 2000, she was publicly criticised for breaking a five-month acting strike to film an Estée Lauder advertisement, for which she was fined $100,000 (£70,000 in 2000) by the Screen Actors Guild and labeled "Elizabeth Scably" by protesters

In the late 1980s, Hurley portrayed the title character in a four-part television drama, Christabel. After appearing in John Cleese's The Human Face (2001), she hosted the inaugural season of the British reality series Project Catwalk on Sky1 in 2006. The show drew tepid ratings with only 1% of its target audience tuning into the first few episodes. Hurley was almost universally criticised as a presenter. Marcelle D'Argy Smith, a former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, called her "witheringly boring" and added: "Liz Hurley has no fashion experience whatsoever. She wore a dress and has appeared at premieres." GQ 's Dylan Jones defended her as someone "immersed in the fashion world as a celebrity." Hurley was ridiculed by critics for her "aspirational Basingstoke-gone-jetset accent and dead fish stare," while also being described as "the not-nice-but-dim host." She was dropped after one season because her bosses reportedly believed she was too wooden. It was also later revealed that Hurley had asked contestants to send her free clothes off the record.

Charity
Hurley has been active in Estée Lauder's Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, as part of which the company created an "Elizabeth Pink" lipstick whose sales benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Hurley, whose grandmother died of breast cancer, was the mistress of ceremonies at "The Hot Pink Party" that marked the tenth anniversary of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She supported The Prince's Trust by co-presenting the 2003 Fashion Rocks event in its aid and helping launch the Get Into Cooking youth initiative in 2004. She has also helped raise funds for End Hunger Network, ARK children's charity, and the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre

Filmography
Film
Aria (1987) ... Marietta
Remando al viento (1988) ... Claire Clairmont
Kill Cruise (1990) ... Lou
El Largo Invierno (1992) ... Emma Stapleton
Passenger 57 (1992) ... Sabrina Ritchie
Beyond Bedlam (1993) ... Stephanie Lyell
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1995) ... Antonia Dyer
Dangerous Ground (1997) ... Karen
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) ... Vanessa Kensington
Permanent Midnight (1998) ... Sandra Stahl
My Favorite Martian (1999) ... Brace Channing
EdTV (1999) ... Jill
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) ... Vanessa Kensington
The Weight of Water (2000) ... Adaline Gunne
Bedazzled (2000) ... The Devil
Double Whammy (2001) ... Dr. Ann Beamer
Dawg (2002) ... Anna Lockheart
Serving Sara (2002) ... Sara Moore
Method (2004) ... Rebecca Fairbanks

Theatre
The Cherry Orchard - A Jubilee (Russian & Soviet Arts Festival)
The Man Most Likely To (Middle East tour)

Television
Christabel (1988) ... Christabel Bielenberg
Act of Will (1989) ... Christina
Death Has a Bad Reputation (1990) ... Julia Latham
The Orchid House (1991) ... Natalie
Sharpe's Enemy (1994) ... Lady Isabella Farthingdale
Shamrock Conspiracy (1995) ... Cecilia Harrison
Harrison: Cry of the City (1996) ... Cecilia Harrison
Samson and Delilah (1996) ... Delilah
The Human Face (2001) ... Various roles
Project Catwalk (2006) ... Presenter