Who is Paulina Porizkova: Biography, Personal Life, Career and Net Worth

Paulina Porizkova, 56, dances in a bikini as she makes her TikTok debut - but she uses her late ex-husband's surname on her account

Who is Paulina Porizkova: Biography

Paulina Porizkova is a Czech-American model and actress.

At the age of eighteen years, she became the first woman from Central Europe to be on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She was the second woman (after Christie Brinkley) to be featured on the swimsuit issue's front cover consecutive times (1984 and 1985). Porizkova also joined judging in America's next top model From cycle 10-12.

Fast Facts

*Left behind to live with her grandmother and brother when her parents fled Czechoslovakia for Sweden in 1968

*They were reunited seven years later

*Was the face of Estée Lauder in late 1980s and early 1990s

*Met her husband Ric Ocasek, the former lead singer for the Cars, when she appeared in the band's "Drive" music video

*Wrote a novel, A Model Summer (2008), and cowrote a children's book, The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach (1992); has blogged for the Huffington Post and Modelina

*Was a judge on America's Next Top Model in 2008 and 2009; was fired the day before her 44th birthday in 2009

*Landed a multi-episode arc on the soap As the World Turns in 2010

Paulina Porizkova - Early Life

Paulina Porizkova was born on 9 April, 1965 in Czechoslovakia and is one of the best-known European models of all time.

Born in Prostějov, Czechoslovakia, Porizkova was a toddler when her parents fled Czechoslovakia to Lund, Sweden, to escape the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. She was left in the care of her grandmother. Czechoslovak authorities would not allow her parents to reclaim her, and the ensuing battle was widely publicized in the Swedish press, making Porizkova a cause célèbre.

After a failed rescue attempt, in which her pregnant mother was detained by the national police and then placed under house arrest, international political pressure led by Olof Palme caused the communist government to allow the Pořízek family to be reunited after seven years. Porizkova acquired Swedish citizenship. The reunion was soon ended when Porizkova's father left the family, and her parents filed for divorce, and her father refused to pay child support for Paulina and her younger brother. Porizkova and her father have been estranged since her youth. Her mother remarried at least two additional times.

The Czechoslovakian authorities would not allow this, and the ensuing battle for Porizkova was widely publicized in the Swedish press, making her a cause célèbre. After a failed rescue attempt, in which her mother was detained by the national police, international political pressure led by Olof Palme caused the communist government to allow the Po?ízek family to be reunited after seven years. Porizkova acquired Swedish citizenship. The reunion was soon ended when Porizkova's father left the family, and her parents filed for divorce. Porizkova and her father have been estranged since.

This left Paulina's mother to fund her own medical education and Paulina and her brother Jachym (who was born in Czechoslovakia during her mother's house arrest) to look after themselves, including having to steal bread to have something to eat. Paulina hated her time in Sweden, as she was harassed by her peers for her poverty-stricken political refugee status.

Paulina Porizkova - Personal Life: Family, Husbands, Childrens

On 23 August 1989, Porizkova married Ric Ocasek, lead singer for the rock band The Cars.

They had first met in 1984 during the filming of The Cars' music video "Drive" (directed by Timothy Hutton) in which she stars. Porizkova was 19 years of age and Ocasek was already married at that time.

The couple have two children, Jonathan Raven Ocasek, born on November 4, 1993, and Oliver Orion Ocasek, born in May 23, 1998.

Jonathan Raven Ocasek Paulina’s eldest son was born on November 4, 1993. His mom and late dad may be huge Hollywood stars, but it appears Jonathan isn’t interested in paving a career in showbiz. Instead, he’s a video game designer, Page Six reported. Paulina can’t help how proud she is of her handsome son, so she’s always sharing pics of Jonathan on social media. In honor of his birthday in November 2020, the actress shared a sweet tribute alongside a pic with his dog. Oliver Orion Ocasek The model’s second kiddo, Oliver, was born on May 23, 1998. Though Olivier is still a college student, according to reports, he’s already made his magazine debut. As Paulina marveled about on social media, he appeared on the cover alongside his mom on Vogue Czechoslovakia in September 2018. Oliver also shows up on his mom’s social media like his brother. For her youngest son’s birthday in May 2020, Paulina shared the most touching message. “Happy birthday to my little guy. Little? At 6’5? Yeah, he’ll always be my little boy,” she penned. “There are few humans I enjoy spending more time with than my Oliver. I think when your kids grow up to be your favorite people, you are a lucky mom indeed.”

Paulina Porizkova’s Sons

Porizkova is the subject of the song "Friends of P" by The Rentals on their 1995 album Return of the Rentals, written by lead singer Matt Sharp. She is also the subject of the song "Paulina" on No Doubt's eponymous first album and "Dear Paulina", written and performed by Luna for the film Thursday, in which she stars.

Paulina became a naturalized U.S. citizen under the name Paulina Porizkova-Ocasek.

She was also dealt a rough hand by her estranged husband and Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, who cut her out of his will before his death in 2019 and left Porizkova in such dire straits that she was borrowing grocery money from friends following his death.

The Arizona Dream actress was even by her estranged hubby’s side as he struggled with his health during the final years of his life. When Ric died at age 75 in September 2019 due to heart disease, the New York City medical examiner’s office confirmed to Rolling Stone Paulina was heartbroken for her sons, as well as his four other children. The “Drive” crooner shared his older kids, Christopher, Eron, Adam and Derek, with his ex-wife Suzanne Ocasek.

Paulina Porizkova has been strutting her stuff in sexy selfies on Instagram lately, but behind the scenes, she’s being the best mom to her two kids. When the beloved model isn’t flaunting her admirable confidence and gorgeous glow, she’s spending time with her sons, Jonathan and Oliver.

Paulina shares her children with her late husband, Ric Ocasek. The Thursday actress and the Cars singer married in 1989 and welcomed their first child together, Johnathan, in 1993. Their second son, Oliver, arrived five years later in 1998. However, the couple split following 28 years together in May 2018.

Porizkova announced her split from Sorkin on July 20, after roughly three months together. She posted a photo of herself and her now-ex, 60, out for a walk with a broken heart emoji over it.

Porizvoka and Sorkin made their red carpet debut in April.

In the caption, she gushed about how wonderful the Oscar-winning screenwriter is, calling him 'witty' and 'sexy.' She never explicitly revealed why their relationship came to an end, but she alluded to them being too different.

Sorkin was the first man Porizkova has been publicly linked to since the death of her estranged husband, but she seems to be taking the breakup in stride.

Not only is she back on dating apps, but she has also been keeping busy with work and events. Last week, she went to her first film premiere in over a year.

The proud mom shared a photo of herself on the red carpet with her sons Jonathan and Oliver, who graduated from the University of Rochester this spring.

Porizkova also recently hinted at a 'top-secret' project she is working on while sharing a video of herself having a grueling workout session with her trainer.

Despite their separation, Paulina and Ric continued to live together while raising their kids. The Her Alibi star and the musician were even spotted on multiple outings with Jonathan and Oliver. Paulina defended their friendship via Instagram at the time, writing, “The photos of our happy family are in fact, happy family photos; we are just no longer a couple.”

Paulina Porizkova, 56, dances in a bikini as she makes her TikTok debut Paulina Porizkova has made her TikTok debut with a playful video of herself dancing in a bikini, but the handle on her new account lists her late husband Ric Ocasek's surname instead of her own. The 56-year-old model, who is in Texas visiting her brother and his family, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share her first TikTok with her 485,000 followers, many of whom were likely were unaware she was on the social media platform. The video shows Porizkova and her nieces Georgia and Astrid doing a choreographed dance to The Contours' hit 'Do You Love Me' while poolside.

Paulina Porizkova addresses crying selfie, airs ‘shames’ on Instagram

Paulina Porizkova addresses crying selfie, airs ‘shames’ on Instagram Paulina Porizkova addressed the crying selfie she posted Thursday with another, more clear-eyed Instagram pic Friday evening. Under the title “Shameless or Shameloss?” Porizkova first took time to thank people who weighed in sympathetically following her original pic. “A few of my friends accused me of being a narcissist and posting my emotions on IG so I could get attention and my a– kissed by sycophants,” she wrote. “I had to think about it. Am I here to gather sympathy?” Porizkova posted a tear-stained selfie Thursday, writing in part, “Trust after being betrayed seems as far fetched as being shot into space.” “When you’ve been betrayed- promised something, only to have that promise broken without your participation — you were blindsided,” she continued. “You trusted someone you loved, and now all love is suspect.” It seems likely that Porizkova is working through her recent breakup from Aaron Sorkin, which happened in July, just shy of three months after the couple’s public debut at the Oscars.

Paulina Porizkova Net Worth

Paulina Porizkova's fortune as of 2021 is $10 million which she has amassed thanks to her modelling and acting career.

Paulina signed a deal with Estee Lauder in 1988 for $6 million which was reportedly the largest modelling contract at the time.

She recently moved to a new home in Manhattan and opened up about living on her own in an Instagram post.

“I have not lived alone in 37 years. Actually, make that my whole life. I was raised in a family where we slept four to a bed. When we moved to Sweden, I was raising my little brother, so never alone. In Paris, there were model apartments, and once I got my own, I always had friends who were not as fortunate with salaries, who slept on couches.”

She continued: “This is the first time in my life I’m really alone. Sometimes it feels empowering. Yes, I can build my own stuff, yes, I am a strong woman who needs no one. I’m free to make my own choices! But other days, it’s lonely. One can get pretty good at washing dishes and crying while wearing glasses.”

Paulina Porizkova - Career

Modeling

An aspiring photographer friend took pictures of Porizkova and sent them to the Elite modeling agency in 1980, hoping they would notice her own photography skills. However, instead of taking the photographer on board, Elite head John Casablancas noticed Porizkova's physical beauty and potential, and offered her a ticket to Paris.

She quickly rose to become a top model in Paris during the early 1980s, and her fame spread to the United States when she posed in swimwear for Sports Illustrated. She appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1984 and again in 1985 (her first appearance as a model in the magazine was in 1983). She appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine in August 1987 to preview her new (non-nude) swimsuit calendar. Both of her calendars in 1988 and 1989 by photographer Marco Glaviano sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Porizkova was chosen twice by People as one of the Fifty Most Beautiful People in the world, in 1990 and 1992. Harper's Bazaar named her one of its ten most beautiful women in 1992. American Photo in its first issue declared her to be the model of the 1980s. She appeared on the covers of numerous magazines around the world during the 1980s and 1990s, including Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Self, Cosmopolitan and Glamour. She was also featured in advertising for Diet Sprite. Porizkova was the cover model for the 20th Anniversary issue of Cosmopolitan magazine in November 1985.

In 1988, Porizkova won what was then the highest-paying modeling contract: a six million dollar contract with Estée Lauder cosmetics, replacing the model Willow Bay. The black-and-white television and print advertising campaign won praise from critics. The Estée Lauder makeover transformed Porizkova's public image from a swimsuit model to that of European sophisticate and she remained the company's face until 1995. She was presented on the November 1999 Millennium cover of American Vogue as one of the "Modern Muses".

Porizkova's photos appeared in the books Models and Sirens, by Marco Glaviano, and in Fashion Photography by Patrick Demarchelier. The latter includes some of the noted LIFE magazine swimsuit pictures from several years ago. She was in Women by Herb Ritts.

After having her first baby in 1993, Porizkova devoted less time to modeling, and she moved into acting in independent films. She soon got a new contract as the lead model for Escada. In early 2001, she was the hostess for a television show on the E! network's Style Channel.

Television work

Porizkova was part of the panel of judges on America's Next Top Model, starting on Cycle 10 replacing the fashion icon, Twiggy. Porizkova continued to conduct regular weekly evaluations of Top Model participants on the show until she announced she'd been fired from Top Model during a 12 May 2009 appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS. Though Porizkova maintained she was told by producers that she had an "ego problem", especially when she "consistently complained" about Tyra Banks' "lateness to the set, ANTM executive producer Ken Mok as well as Tyra Banks released a statement saying her firing was due to "the current state of the economy", forcing ANTM to "make major budget cuts...unfortunately, Paulina was a casualty of these cuts." When questioned by ABC's Cynthia McFadden about the firing of Porizkova as well as former ANTM colleague, Janice Dickinson, both of whom have complained Banks is "difficult", Tyra Banks refused to address the issue.

Porizkova was a participant on the Spring 2007 series Dancing with the Stars, but she was voted off on the first results show which aired 27 March 2007. In January 2010, she played the minor role of Clarissa, in the CBS Daytime soap opera, As The World Turns. Porizkova appeared in the fourth episode of Celebrity Ghost Stories' second season.

Porizkova also had a guest appearance in the short-lived sitcom Ned & Stacey in 1995.

Acting

Porizkova's film debut was in the 1983 modeling mockumentary, Portfolio. Only 17 years old, she managed to look more mature and intelligent than the other more-established models, and became "covergirl" for the film. She appeared in the 1987 film Anna, receiving good reviews from her patrons at Vogue magazine. It was in 1989 that she had her largest, and best-known role to date, co-starring with Tom Selleck (who was rumored to not get along with her at all) in the film Her Alibi. However, she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry for worst actress for her appearance in the film.

Porizkova appeared in Emir Kusturica's 1993 film Arizona Dream, with Johnny Depp and Jerry Lewis, in a minor role as Lewis's young Polish fiancee. She turned down an opportunity to be a Bond Girl in the 1995 film GoldenEye because of better earnings available to her in modeling at the time, as well as not wishing to take time away from her family. In 1998 she featured in the film Thursday.

She also appeared in a 6th season episode of Desperate Housewives, Chromolume No. 7 alongside model Heidi Klum.

Porizkova wrote and directed the 2001 film, Roommates. In 2004, she starred in the romantic comedy Knots. Her recent television work includes an 18 April 2007 appearance on The Colbert Report after remarks that she found Colbert "extremely attractive." She appeared on the Starz comedy series Head Case which aired on 24 April 2009. She most recently appeared on the ABC Family drama-comedy series Jane by Design which aired on 06 March 2012.

Writing

Porizkova co-authored a children's book, The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach (ISBN 978-0385424028) with Joanne Russell and illustrated by stepson Adam Ocasek, that was published in September 1992.

She published her first novel, A Model Summer (ISBN 978-1401303266; Modellsommar in Swedish), in 2007. It is about a 15-year-old Swedish girl (Jirina) chosen by a modeling agent to spend a summer working in Paris in 1980.

Porizkova is currently a blogger for Modelinia and the Huffington Post.