Renée Toft Simonsen is a former
modelA model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
from
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, who currently works as a writer. Simonsen was one of the most successful models in the world during the 1980s.
Biography
Simonsen was born in
AarhusAarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, Denmark, where she worked as a supermarket
cashierCashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
before she was discovered.
In 1981 she caught the attention of fashion editor Birte Strandgaard, who convinced photographer Leif Nygaard to take some photos. Simonsen subsequently participated in the
Ekstra BladetEkstra Bladet is a Danish tabloid newspaper focusing on sensationalist stories. It gets a share of its income from sex ads. Since 1979 it has always had a partly or completely naked woman on page nine which is referred to as Side 9 Pigen , a Danish equivalent of the English Page Three girl...
Contest and won 2nd place. In July 1981 she appeared on the cover of the Danish magazine
Fotokino.
The following year she won the
Ekstra Bladet Contest, and was chosen to represent Denmark at the
Supermodel of the WorldSupermodel of the World is the debut studio album by American drag queen RuPaul, released on June 8, 1993 by Tommy Boy Records.-Album information:...
contest, which she won in August 1982. In December 1982 she appeared in the American edition of
VogueVogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
.
From 1983 on she became one of the quickest rising stars of the international modeling world, being featured on the covers of numerous international fashion magazines. She was the cover girl for the German
Vogue in March, April and September.
In 1983 she was featured on the cover of
Roxy MusicRoxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
's
Atlantic Years album.
From 1985-1989 she dated bassplayer
John TaylorJohn Taylor is an English musician who is best known as the bass guitarist and co-founder of pop rock band Duran Duran....
of the British band
Duran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
to whom she was engaged. That same year, she debuted as an actress in
Carlo VanzinaCarlo Vanzina is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He was born March 13, 1951.In 2001 he directed the romantic comedy film South Kensington starring Rupert Everett and Elle Macpherson. Two of his films, Eccezzziunale.....
's
Sotto il vestito niente (
The Last Shot), playing a psychopathic murderer. In America this film is entitled "Nothing Underneath". Besides her many modeling jobs, in 1987 she worked again with Vanzina on the comedy
Via MontenapoleoneVia Montenapoleone is a 1987 Italian film directed by Carlo Vanzina.-Cast:*Carol Alt*Luca Barbareschi*Corinne Clery*Renee Simonsen*Renato Scarpa*Paolo Rossi*Gianfranco Manfredi*Lorenzo Lena*Sharon Gusberti*Daniel Gélin*Valentina Cortese...
.
In 1988 she decided to take a break from fashion. After breaking up with Taylor in 1989, she lived for 3 months in a
kibbutzA kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
with her sister Heidi. Despite an offer to audition for the role of a
Bond GirlA Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
in one the upcoming
James BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films, the following year Simonsen ended her modeling career and returned to Denmark to study
journalismJournalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. After failing the qualifying examination she began to study
psychologyPsychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
instead.
From 1991 on she again worked as model for
Vichy cosmeticsVichy is a premium brand of skincare, bodycare, make-up and anti-aging products owned by L'Oréal under its Active Cosmetics division and is sold exclusively in pharmacies. Thermal spa water from the hot springs of the town of Vichy, France, is the only water source used in its formulations...
. In 1993 Simonsen became the face of
BiothermBiotherm is a luxury skin care company owned by L'Oréal under the Luxury Products division. Biotherm was acquired by L'Oréal in 1970. It is developed and manufactured in research laboratories in Monaco, under the direction of biologist Lucien Aubert and his team of researchers.Biotherm originated...
cosmetics.
She has two children from a relationship with Kristian Sandvad: Ulrikke, born in 1993, and Jens-Kristian, born in 1995.
In 1997 she worked as a fashion editor for the Danish magazine
Asschenfeldts Magasin, which was however stopped after a few issues. In summer she started a relationship with Danish rock singer
Thomas HelmigThomas Helmig is a Danish rock singer and musician, and has been one of the most popular singers in Denmark since the middle of the 1980s.-Biography:...
, whom she married in August 2000.
In 2002 she completed her degree in psychology. In 2003 Simonsen signed a contract to the French cosmetic company
ClarinsClarins is a French cosmetics company specializing in skincare products and fragrances.The family company was founded in 1954 by the medical student Jacques Courtin-Clarins, who died in 2007...
and began appearing in magazine advertisements for mature skincare products.
In October 2003 she published her first children's book, entitled
Karlas kabaleKarlas Kabale is a 2007 Danish movie based on the 2003 book of the same title written by Renée Simonsen, the film is directed by Charlotte Sachs Bostrup....
. In 2006 her children's book
Anthony Greenwood was nominated for the Danish book-prize "Orla" and she was awarded with "The Most Dynamic Women" award by cosmetic company Clarins for her social engagement at Plan Denmark.
Her book "
Karlas kabale" makes it 2007 to the movies and has premiere in November. In August appears her first novel "
Tirsdag formiddag" (Tuesday Morning).
Quote
After her time in the kibbutz:
Filmography
- Nothing Underneath (1985)
- Via Montenapoleone
Via Montenapoleone is a 1987 Italian film directed by Carlo Vanzina.-Cast:*Carol Alt*Luca Barbareschi*Corinne Clery*Renee Simonsen*Renato Scarpa*Paolo Rossi*Gianfranco Manfredi*Lorenzo Lena*Sharon Gusberti*Daniel Gélin*Valentina Cortese...
(1987)
External links