Born on August 6, 1978, in the coastal city of Santa Cruz, California, Marisa Miller was a star volleyball player in high school. In fact, thanks to her position as outside hitter in her junior year, her team never lost a game.
Marisa Miller's first modeling gig was in 1998 when she appeared nude in Perfect 10 magazine. Although she did several other spreads in the magazine after that, her modeling career didn't seem to be going anywhere.
That is, until a chance meeting changed the course of her life forever. In 2001, she drove to Manhattan Beach, California, to surf, and famous fashion photographer Mario Testino happened to be on the beach.
Mesmerized by Marisa Miller and her singular appeal, he took some pictures of her. Just like Rebecca Romijn, who was discovered in the same manner, Marisa was offered a chance to become a model. Her mother, Krista, encouraged her to pursue this profession, saying: &qout;You can always go back to school, but you can't always model.&qout; Stimulated by these words, Marisa Miller took the plunge.
Soon thereafter, she was offered the opportunity to appear within the pages of the 2001 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Obviously, this secured Marisa Miller's place within the modeling industry. As a result, Victoria's Secret hired her to model lingerie for its catalogs.
Many other companies also noticed Marisa Miller, and she was soon appearing in publicity campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, J.Crew and Nordstrom.
With her stock rising, her face was seen on the cover of magazines like Vogue, Fitness and Shape. It's no wonder Sports Illustrated called her back for the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Swimsuit Issues.
In 2004, Marisa Miller made her television debut as a modeling judge on the short-lived reality show Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model. That same year, she showed off her surfing skills to the world when she came in second place at the celebrity edition of the Kelly Slater Surf Invitational in Fiji.
Marisa Miller also proved that she has a big heart when she participated in the Fashion for Relief benefit show in September 2005. Along with many other celebrities, including Nicole Richie, Beyonce, Naomi Campbell, Kelly Osbourne, and Rachel Hunter, Marisa Miller helped raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to all her modeling work with big names like Sports Illustrated, Marisa Miller made her debut in the coveted 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Among some of the most celebrated and illustrious models in the world, Marisa strutted her oh-so-fine stuff down the catwalk.
In February 2008, Marisa Miller also appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and, in May, she topped Maxim's annual Top 100. Sports Illustrated also released a &qout;Best of Marisa Miller&qout; calendar that was released in 2009.
She went on to grace the cover of Cosmopolitan's March issue. We're going to lie and say that we did not pick it up. Definitely not.
Marisa Miller will strut her stuff on the Victoria's Secret runway yet again this December 1st on CBS.
