Background and career
Heidi Kaulitz (pronounced [ˈhaɪdiː ˈklʊm]; née Klum, formerly Samuel, born 1 June 1973) is a German and American model, television host, actress, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secret Angel.
Following a successful modeling career, Klum became the host and a judge of the reality shows Project Runway (2004–2017, 2025–present) and Germany's Next Topmodel (2006–present). For her work on Project Runway, she earned an Emmy nomination in 2008 and a win in 2013 for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program (shared with co-host Tim Gunn). Klum has also served as a judge on the NBC reality show America's Got Talent (2013–2018, 2020–2024). She has been nominated for six Emmy Awards.
As an occasional actress, Klum has had supporting roles in movies including Blow Dry (2001) and Ella Enchanted (2004), and made cameo appearances in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Perfect Stranger (2007) and Ocean's 8 (2018). She has also made guest appearances on television shows including Sex and the City (2001), How I Met Your Mother (2007), Desperate Housewives (2010), and Parks and Recreation (2013).
Klum has worked as a spokesmodel for Dannon and H&M and has appeared in numerous commercials for McDonald's, Volkswagen, and others. In 2009, she became Barbie's official ambassador on Barbie's 50th anniversary. In May 2011, Forbes magazine estimated Klum's total earnings for that year as US$20 million. She was ranked second on Forbes' list of the "World's Top-Earning Models". Forbes noted that since ending her 13-year run as a Victoria's Secret Angel, Klum has become more of a businesswoman than a model. In 2008, she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship.
Heidi Klum was born and raised in Bergisch Gladbach, a city near Cologne, West Germany. She is the daughter of Erna Klum (born 1944), a hairdresser, and Günther Klum (born 1945), a cosmetics company executive. A friend convinced her to enroll in a national modeling contest called "Model 92". Out of 25,000 contestants, Klum was voted the winner on 29 April 1992, and she was offered a modeling contract worth US$300,000 by Thomas Zeumer, CEO of Metropolitan Models New York. After winning, she appeared on the Gottschalk Late Night Show, a German television show with host Thomas Gottschalk. She accepted the contract a few months later, after graduating from school, and decided not to try for an apprentice position at a fashion design school.
How Heidi Klum makes money
In May 2011, Forbes magazine estimated Klum's total earnings for that year as US$20 million. Out of 25,000 contestants, Klum was voted the winner on 29 April 1992, and she was offered a modeling contract worth US$300,000 by Thomas Zeumer, CEO of Metropolitan Models New York. In July 2007, having earned US$8 million in the previous 16 months, Klum was named by Forbes as third on the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels.
