Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage to musician Billy Joel.
Brinkley has also worked as an illustrator, photographer, writer, and designer, and as an activist for human and animals rights and the environment.
Her financial holdings were worth in 2008 an estimated USD $80 million, primarily as the owner of real estate, much of it in the Hamptons.
Born Christie Lee Hudson
February 2, 1954 (1954-02-02) (age 57)
Monroe, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation Model, actress, designer, activist
Years active 1973–present
Net worth $80 million[1]
Spouse Jean-François Allaux (1973–1981)
Billy Joel (1985–1994)
Richard Taubman (1994–1995)
Peter Cook (1996–2008)
Children Alexa Ray Joel
Jack Paris Brinkley Cook
Sailor Lee Brinkley Cook
Born Christie Lee Hudson in Monroe, Michigan, Brinkley is the daughter of Herbert and Marjorie Hudson. Her mother moved to California, where she later married television writer Don Brinkley, and Christie adopted her stepfather's surname. Brinkley attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California, graduating in 1972. During this time, the family lived in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Brinkley was educated at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles and moved to Paris to study art in 1973.
