Background and career
Claudia Maria Schiffer, Lady Drummond (German: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈʃɪfɐ] ; born 25 August 1970), is a German model and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a supermodel.
Born in Rheinberg, she initially aspired to join the legal profession, but her life took a turn when she was discovered at 17 in a Düsseldorf nightclub by Michel Levaton, the CEO of Metropolitan Models. This discovery led her to Paris and onto the cover of Elle, marking the start of her modeling career.
Schiffer's breakthrough came with Guess campaigns in 1989. Notably resembling Brigitte Bardot in her early career, she became Chanel's new face in 1990, walking in Karl Lagerfeld's fashion show. She appeared on the covers of Elle, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Time, among others. Schiffer appeared on over 1,000 magazine covers and walked for fashion houses. She allegedly charged $20,000 per show in 1992. She holds the record for model with the most covers, listed in Guinness World Records. Her endorsements span luxury and high street brands, including Chanel, Versace, and Mango. Beyond modeling, Schiffer ventured into acting, with roles in films like Richie Rich and Love Actually, and engaged in charity work with UNICEF and Make Poverty History. She launched her own cashmere collection in 2011. In 2023, her net worth was estimated at US$70 million.
Schiffer's personal life attracted significant attention, including her engagement to magician David Copperfield, followed by high-profile relationships and her marriage to film director Matthew Vaughn in 2002.
Claudia Maria Schiffer was born in Rheinberg, a small town 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest of Duisburg, on 25 August 1970, to mother Gudrun (d. 2020), and father Heinz Schiffer (1937–2007), a lawyer. She has two brothers, Stefan and Andreas, and one sister, Ann Carolin (born 1975). Schiffer is fluent in three languages – German, English and French.
How Claudia Schiffer makes money
In 2023, her net worth was estimated at US$70 million. In 1992, Schiffer signed an exclusive global contract with Revlon, for an estimated $6 million a year for 10 years; this agreement made her the highest-paid model in history. In 1992, she was earning a runway fee of $20,000 per show.
