Sela Ward

Sela Ann Ward was born July 11, 1956, in Meridian, Mississippi. The oldest of 4 children -- with a sister and 2 brothers -- Sela (pronounced See-lah, it's an abbreviated form of Hallelujah) is the daughter of an electrical engineer and a homemaker.

Her childhood was nothing short of ordinary for a beautiful girl growing up in the South. While a student at the University of Alabama, where she studied art and advertising, Sela was also a cheerleader for the football team, a sorority sister, and was elected homecoming queen.

With her Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sela headed to New York to pursue a career in advertising, but after the striking, statuesque brunette was encouraged to become a model, she decided to try her hand at modeling.