The Most Famous
MODELS from Germany
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary German Models of all time. This list of famous German Models is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Claudia Schiffer (1970 - )
With an HPI of 59.42, Claudia Schiffer is the most famous German Model. Her biography has been translated into 63 different languages on wikipedia.
Claudia Maria Schiffer (German: [ˈklaʊdi̯a ˈʃɪfɐ] ; born 25 August 1970) is a German model and actress based in England. She rose to fame in the 1990s as one of the world's most successful models, attaining supermodel status. Born in Rheinberg, Germany, Schiffer is fluent in German, English, and French. 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, elevating the brand and her career. Notably resembling Brigitte Bardot in her early career, she became Chanel's new face in 1990, walking in Karl Lagerfeld's fashion show. Her striking looks and appeal garnered international success, making her a fixture on magazine covers across Elle, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Time, among others. Schiffer appeared on over 1,000 magazine covers and walked for high-profile fashion houses, boasting a runway fee of $20,000 per show in 1992. She holds the record for model with 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. 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. The couple owns several properties, including the Tudor manor house, Coldham Hall. Schiffer's influence extends beyond fashion and film; she's a businesswoman with her own cashmere collection launched in 2011. Schiffer's legacy is defined by her transformative impact on the fashion industry.
2. Heidi Klum (1973 - )
With an HPI of 58.13, Heidi Klum is the 2nd most famous German Model. Her biography has been translated into 66 different languages.
Heidi Klum (pronounced [ˈhaɪdiː ˈklʊm]; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, 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 Germany's Next Topmodel and the reality show Project Runway, which earned her 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 been nominated for six Emmy Awards. She has worked as a spokesmodel for Dannon and H&M and has appeared in numerous commercials for McDonald's, Volkswagen and others. In 2009, Klum became Barbie's official ambassador on Barbie's 50th anniversary. As an occasional actress, she 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 TV shows including Sex and the City, How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives and Parks and Recreation. From 2013, with the exception of 2019, Klum has been a judge on the NBC reality show America's Got Talent. 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.
3. Tatjana Patitz (1966 - 2023)
With an HPI of 45.13, Tatjana Patitz is the 3rd most famous German Model. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Tatjana Patitz (25 May 1966 – 11 January 2023) was a German fashion model. She achieved international prominence in the 1980s and 1990s representing fashion designers on runways and in magazines such as Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue. She was one of the big five supermodels who appeared in the 1990 music video "Freedom! '90" by George Michael, and she was associated with the editorial, advertising, and fine-art works of photographers Herb Ritts and Peter Lindbergh.In the book Models of Influence: 50 Women Who Reset The Course of Fashion, author Nigel Barker reviewed Patitz's career during the height of the supermodel era in the 1980s and 1990s, writing that she possessed an exoticism and broad emotional range that set her apart from her peers. In her 2012 memoir, creative director of Vogue Grace Coddington regarded Patitz as one of the original supermodels and a must in photographs and on the catwalk.Harper's Bazaar wrote, "Indeed, Patitz's features almost confuse. Like Garbo or the Mona Lisa, the inexplicable gifts of line and luminescence defy definition." Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour stated that Patitz had always been one of her favourite models. Patitz's work bridged the eras of the exhibitionist 1980s and the minimalist 1990s in an enduring way, as Barker concluded, "The most lasting images of her are when she was really looking like herself." Author Linda Sivertsen noted that Patitz is greatly responsible for establishing the acceptance of statuesque and curvaceous beauty in an industry of extreme thinness.Patitz was an avid horsewoman who continued her lifelong passion for animals and the environment by campaigning for ecological causes and animal rights. Her self-described eclectic and bohemian design aesthetic for residential architecture and home design in her adoptive home state of California was recognised internationally.
4. Nadja Auermann (1971 - )
With an HPI of 44.61, Nadja Auermann is the 4th most famous German Model. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Nadja Auermann (born 19 March 1971) is a German model and actress. She was once stated by the Guinness Book of Records to have the longest legs of any model in the world.
5. Toni Garrn (1992 - )
With an HPI of 37.76, Toni Garrn is the 5th most famous German Model. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Antonia Garrn (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːni ˈɡaʁn]; born 7 July 1992) is a German model. She rose to prominence in the fashion industry after signing an exclusive contract with Calvin Klein in 2008. In October 2020, Garrn married British actor Alex Pettyfer. Their daughter was born in 2021.
6. Lena Gercke (1988 - )
With an HPI of 31.22, Lena Gercke is the 6th most famous German Model. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Lena Johanna Gercke (born 29 February 1988) is a German fashion model and television host. She won the first season of Germany's Next Topmodel and was the host of Austria's Next Topmodel (seasons 1–4).
7. Barbara Meier (1986 - )
With an HPI of 30.94, Barbara Meier is the 7th most famous German Model. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Barbara Meier (born 25 July 1986) is a German fashion model and actress. She is best known as the winner of the second season of Germany's Next Topmodel.
8. Fabio Mancini (1987 - )
With an HPI of 30.00, Fabio Mancini is the 8th most famous German Model. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Fabio Mancini (born 11 August 1987) is an Italian supermodel. He is best known for having been one of the top male models for Giorgio Armani, and represented the brand for 15 consecutive years on both the runway and in various advertising campaigns.
Pantheon has 8 people classified as models born between 1966 and 1992. Of these 8, 7 (87.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living models include Claudia Schiffer, Heidi Klum, and Nadja Auermann. The most famous deceased models include Tatjana Patitz. As of April 2022, 1 new models have been added to Pantheon including Tatjana Patitz.
Living Models
Go to all Rankings
Claudia Schiffer
1970 - Present
HPI: 59.42
Heidi Klum
1973 - Present
HPI: 58.13
Nadja Auermann
1971 - Present
HPI: 44.61
Toni Garrn
1992 - Present
HPI: 37.76
Lena Gercke
1988 - Present
HPI: 31.22
Barbara Meier
1986 - Present
HPI: 30.94
Fabio Mancini
1987 - Present
HPI: 30.00
