Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley is an English model and actress.
She is best known for her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret and Burberry, and
also for her role as Carly Spencer in the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon,
the third installment in the Transformers film series.
Early life and family Huntington-Whiteley was born at the Freedom
Fields Hospital, in Plymouth, Devon.
Her mother, Fiona, is a fitness instructor, and her father, Charles Andrew Huntington-Whiteley,
is a chartered surveyor.
Her paternal great-grandfather, Eric Huntington-Whiteley, was from a known English political family,
and was the son of politician Sir Herbert Huntington-Whiteley, 1st Baronet; Eric married
Rosie's great-grandmother, Enid Kohn, who was from a family of Polish Jews who emigrated
to Britain in the 1870s.
Rosie's paternal grandmother, Gillian, who was also from a Jewish family, was the daughter
of Jacob Franks, a prominent surgeon in Sussex.
Huntington-Whiteley grew up on a farm near Tavistock, Devon.
Educated at Tavistock College, she later stated that she was bullied and teased at school
for having a double-barrelled name, small breasts and full lips.
Career While a 15 years old student, she undertook
work experience at West End, London-based model agency Profile, before taking her GCSEs.
Signed after graduating in summer 2003 aged 16, her first modelling session was for a
Levi's jeans commercial.
She got her first big break in January 2004 when she travelled to New York for a shoot
with Teen Vogue.
She later made her catwalk debut alongside Naomi Campbell in New York in Spring 2004,
and was then photographed by Bruce Weber for Abercrombie & Fitch.
In early 2006, she was tipped to be "the next Kate Moss" by fashion experts, picked as one
of five international models to look out for in the following 12 months.
She was signed that year to American lingerie brand Victoria's Secret, making her debut
for the brand at the brand's 2006 show in Los Angeles.
Huntington-Whiteley remained unknown outside the fashion industry up until 2008, when she
was cast by chief creative director Christopher Bailey, replacing Agyness Deyn for Burberry's
autumn/winter campaign with actor Sam Riley.
She got her first British Vogue cover on the November 2008 issue, alongside Eden Clark
and Jourdan Dunn in a feature celebrating British models.
The following year, she was featured as the face of Karen Millen's spring/summer 2009
advertising campaign.
Huntington-Whiteley received an Elle Style Award for 2009's "Model of the Year".
She starred in a short film for Agent Provocateur playing a woman whose boyfriend forgets Valentine's
Day.
For fall/winter 2009, she modelled campaigns for Godiva and Miss Sixty.
In February 2010, Huntington-Whiteley officially became a Victoria's Secret Angel, modelling
for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York City.
In 2010, she posed nude for the Pirelli Calendar, which was photographed by Terry Richardson.
Huntington-Whiteley hit the runway for designers Prada in Milan and Giles Deacon in Paris.
For SS10 her advertising campaigns included Monsoon's first underwear line, Thomas Wylde,
Full Circle, and VS Online.
In March, she collaborated with VOGUE.COM to share her outfit choices daily for the
Today I'm Wearing feature.
She appeared on the covers of the May 2010 issues of Harper's Bazaar Russia and GQ UK.
She was featured on the cover of LOVE Magazine's September issue, styled as a pinup girl.
For FW10 she modelled for Burberry as well as the company's first Beauty line ad; her
other advertising campaigns included Loewe, Thomas Wylde, and Leon Max.
Fashion photographer Rankin devoted a book entirely to her entitled Ten Times Rosie.
Rankin thinks Huntington-Whiteley puts diversity back into fashion: "We’ve been looking at
very, very skinny, almost masculine girls for a long time.
[Rosie] really is the model of the moment.
She’s the actress of the moment.
She’s definitely going to become something much, much bigger."
Celebrity make-up artist Ruby Hammer, who has worked with Huntington-Whiteley for years,
described her as the "quintessential" English rose.
In March 2011, she landed her first solo British Vogue cover.
In May, she was voted No. 1 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100" list.
She was also voted No.1 in FHM's World's Sexiest Woman 2011 poll.
She appeared on the covers of the UK's July issues of Elle and GQ.
Huntington-Whiteley was unveiled as the face of Burberry's newest fragrance, Burberry Body,
in July 2011.
As of July 2011, she ranks No. 15 on "The Money Girls" list and No. 3 on the "Top 20
Sexiest Models" list at MODELS.COM.
In 2012, Huntington-Whiteley was named the top style icon at the Elle Style Awards.
In 2013, Huntington-Whiteley starred alongside Helena Bonham Carter and David Gandy in the
Marks & Spencer Xmas advert.
Acting
In May 2010, it was announced that Huntington-Whiteley would become the new female lead in Transformers:
Dark of the Moon, released 29 June 2011, replacing Megan Fox.
She had previously worked with the film's director, Michael Bay, on a Victoria's Secret
commercial.
MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the "Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011".
Prior to the film's release, she won the "Female Star of Tomorrow" award at the 2011 CinemaCon
Awards.
Critics were highly critical of the acting of Huntington-Whiteley and co-star Shia LaBeouf.
Peter Travers stated the two "couldn't be duller".
Jason Solomons of The Observer wrote that "we're first introduced to Rosie via a close-up
of her bum, segueing straight from the film's opening sequence and titles on to the pert
buttocks and underwear of our heroine", and that Huntington-Whiteley's English posh girl
accent "renders her practically unintelligible when surrounded by American accents and falling
masonry".
Much of the criticism towards Rosie Huntington-Whiteley compared her in an unfavorable light to Megan
Fox.
Lou Lumenick said that her "'acting' makes...Megan Fox look like Meryl Streep in comparison".
Baz Bamigboye gave his review of the film the title 'Come back Megan Fox, all is forgiven...'.
In a positive review, Drew McWeeny of HitFix said, "She reminds me of Cameron Diaz in The
Mask, an actress who doesn't really show off any range, but who gives a natural, winning
performance and who is up to the challenge of this particular picture."
Huntington-Whiteley will have a role in the film Mad Max: Fury Road, which is scheduled
for release in 2015.
Personal life Huntington-Whiteley dated Tyrone Wood, the
youngest son of Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood, from August 2007 until October 2009.
After she and Wood separated, Huntington-Whiteley was briefly involved with French actor Olivier
Martinez.
By April 2010, her new relationship with English actor Jason Statham became public after Statham
and Huntington-Whiteley attended the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival together and
were subsequently photographed after a shopping trip to Cartier of Beverly Hills.
Filmography Awards
References
External links Rosie Huntington-Whiteley at the Fashion Model
Directory Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on Twitter
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley at the Internet Movie Database
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley @ Elite New York City