Amber Smith

Originally from Tampa, Florida; Amber began to model professionally at the age of sixteen . She flew to Paris to work, compete, learn the trade, and hopefully survive the weeding out process inherent in modeling. She is quoted for saying: "In Europe it was sink or swim. I was broke, lonely, unable to communicate; and rejected on a daily basis." For four years she traveled from country to country hoping for a breakthrough. The breakthrough came when she decided to dye her blonde hair red in order to capitalize on her resemblance to Rita Hayworth. Her career skyrocketed! She appeared in back to back issues of the Sports Illustrated Swimwear Edition . She was chosen as Esquire's first Vargas Girl of the 90s, and launched the first Wonder Bra campaign. She received recognition with numerous covers and appearances in Max, Elle, Vogue and many others. The editorial coverage lead to advertising for L' Oreal Cosmetics , Buffalo Jeans, and Panama Jack. She strolled down the catwalks for many designers, from Chanel to Jean Paul Gaultier. Acting on her celebrity, she appeared in calendars, posters and trading cards (pictured to the right). Her image changed from high-fashion model to sex-symbol, and this brought about a supermodel pictorial and cover for Play.boy Magazine. She was then named one of the Sexiest Stars of 1995 and 1996 by Play.boy, Celebrity Sleuth, High Society and Celebrity Skin. Smith was cast in her first film role in Paul Mazursky's Faithful, on a referral from Robert DeNiro that stemmed from her Casino auditions.She also appeared in The Funeral, directed by Abel Ferrara, and Barbra Streisand's The Mirror Has Two Faces. She played Susan Lefferts, a Rita Hayworth lookalike, in Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential. Smith's resemblance to Hayworth came into play again with a role in HBO's cable telefilm The Rat Pack.