The Most Famous
MODELS from Italy
Top 9
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Italian Models of all time. This list of famous Italian Models is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Isabella Rossellini (b. 1952)
With an HPI of 63.82, Isabella Rossellini is the most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 54 different languages on wikipedia.
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (Italian: [izaˈbɛlla rosselˈliːni]; born 18 June 1952) is an Italian and American actress, model, and animal behaviorist. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme model and an established career in American and European cinema. She has received nominations for a Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award. She gained recognition as an actress after her breakthrough role in White Nights (1985) and again in David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986) for which she received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. Other notable films include Cousins (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), Death Becomes Her (1992), Fearless (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), Big Night (1996), Roger Dodger (2002), Infamous (2006), Two Lovers (2008), Enemy (2013), Joy (2015), La chimera (2023), and Conclave (2024). She has voiced roles in Incredibles 2 (2018) and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021). Rossellini received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the HBO film Crime of the Century (1996). She received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series nomination for Chicago Hope (1997). She also has guest starred in the sitcoms Friends and 30 Rock as well as the dramas Alias and The Blacklist. She portrayed Simone Beck in the HBO series Julia (2022).
2. Carla Bruni (b. 1967)
With an HPI of 63.61, Carla Bruni is the 2nd most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 68 different languages.
Carla Bruni-Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; Italian pronunciation: [ˈkarla dʒilˈbɛrta ˈbruːni teˈdeski]; 23 December 1967) is an Italian and French singer, songwriter and fashion model who served as the first lady of France from 2008—when she married then president Nicolas Sarkozy—to 2012. She was born in Italy and moved to France at the age of seven. Bruni was a model from 1987 to 1997 before taking up a career in music. She wrote several songs for Julien Clerc that were featured on his 2000 album, Si j'étais elle. Bruni released her first album, Quelqu'un m'a dit, in 2003, which eventually spent 34 weeks in the top 10 of the French Albums Chart. Bruni won the Victoire Award for Female Artist of the Year at the 2004 Victoires de la Musique. The same year, Bruni released her second album, No Promises, then the following year, she released her third album, Comme si de rien n'était. In 2013, Bruni released her fourth album, Little French Songs. In 2017, Bruni released her fifth album, French Touch. In 2024, she walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
3. Tina Modotti (1896 - 1942)
With an HPI of 62.59, Tina Modotti is the 3rd most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.
Tina Modotti (born Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini, August 16/17, 1896 – January 5, 1942) was an Italian American photographer, model, actor, and revolutionary political activist for the Comintern. She left her native Italy in 1913 and emigrated to the United States, where she settled in San Francisco with her father and sister. In San Francisco, Modotti worked as a seamstress, model, and theater performer and, later, moved to Los Angeles where she worked in film. She later became a photographer and essayist. In 1922 she moved to Mexico, where she became an active member of the Mexican Communist Party.
4. Ira von Fürstenberg (1940 - 2024)
With an HPI of 62.03, Ira von Fürstenberg is the 4th most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Princess Virginia von Fürstenberg (Virginia Carolina Theresa Pancrazia Galdina Prinzessin zu Fürstenberg; 17 April 1940 – 18 February 2024), known as Ira von Fürstenberg, was an Italian socialite, actress, jewelry designer, and public relations manager for the fashion designer Valentino Garavani. She was a member by birth of the princely family of Fürstenberg and a member by marriage of the princely family of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
5. Lilli Carati (1956 - 2014)
With an HPI of 49.18, Lilli Carati is the 5th most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Lilli Carati (23 September 1956 – 21 October 2014) was an Italian actress.
6. Ilary Blasi (b. 1981)
With an HPI of 44.41, Ilary Blasi is the 6th most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Ilary Blasi (Italian pronunciation: [ˈiːlari ˈblaːzi]; born 28 April 1981) is an Italian television host, former model and former child actress.
7. Vanessa Hessler (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 43.50, Vanessa Hessler is the 7th most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Vanessa Hessler (born January 21, 1988) is an Italian-American model and actress. A model since she was 15, Hessler has appeared in many publications throughout Italy, Germany, and France.
8. Mariacarla Boscono (b. 1980)
With an HPI of 37.83, Mariacarla Boscono is the 8th most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Mariacarla Boscono (pronounced [maˌri.aˈkarla boˈskɔːno]; born 20 September 1980) is an Italian fashion model and actress. Rising to fame in the early 2000s, Boscono has walked the runways of major worldwide fashion weeks and festivals, including Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, the Met Gala and Venice Film Festival. In 2005, over a two-week period, she walked more than seventy runways in three different cities (Milan, New York City, Paris), establishing a world record. Vogue Paris declared her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s, and in 2005 she earned an estimated $3,500,000 in one year, earning her a spot on Forbes' list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels . Models.com has ranked Boscono on their Icons List, a ranking of the twenty supermodels considered icons in the fashion industry. Boscono has worked with the most recognized fashion brands and become a favorite of famous designers such as the late Karl Lagerfeld and Riccardo Tisci. She has posed for major fashion magazines, having been photographed by Juergen Teller, Steven Meisel, Tim Walker, Peter Lindbergh, Peter Beard and Mert and Marcus. Boscono has also worked with other top models such as Natalia Vodianova, Caroline Trentini, Karlie Kloss, Naomi Campbell, and Joan Smalls. Boscono made her theatrical debut in 2006 in New York City with the play The Maids by Jean Genet and between 2010 and 2011 in Imogen Kusch's plays Shakespeare's Women, The Winter's Tale and Cymbeline. She has worked with world-renowned fashion brands such as Chanel, Blumarine, Moschino, Etro, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Escada, Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Diesel, Roberto Cavalli, Alberta Ferretti, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Barneys New York, NARS Cosmetics, H&M, John Galliano, Hermes, Lanvin, Loewe, Prada, Pucci, Missoni, Laura Biagiotti and Salvatore Ferragamo.
9. Bianca Balti (b. 1984)
With an HPI of 37.48, Bianca Balti is the 9th most famous Italian Model. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Bianca Balti (pronounced [ˈbjaŋka ˈbalti]; born 19 March 1984) is an Italian model. She is known for her Dolce & Gabbana campaigns, after being the face of the brand for 10 years.
People
Pantheon has 9 people classified as Italian models born between 1896 and 1988. Of these 9, 6 (66.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Italian models include Isabella Rossellini, Carla Bruni, and Ilary Blasi. The most famous deceased Italian models include Tina Modotti, Ira von Fürstenberg, and Lilli Carati. As of April 2024, 1 new Italian models have been added to Pantheon including Mariacarla Boscono.
Living Italian Models
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Isabella Rossellini
1952 - Present
HPI: 63.82
Carla Bruni
1967 - Present
HPI: 63.61
Ilary Blasi
1981 - Present
HPI: 44.41
Vanessa Hessler
1988 - Present
HPI: 43.50
Mariacarla Boscono
1980 - Present
HPI: 37.83
Bianca Balti
1984 - Present
HPI: 37.48
Deceased Italian Models
Go to all RankingsTina Modotti
1896 - 1942
HPI: 62.59
Ira von Fürstenberg
1940 - 2024
HPI: 62.03
Lilli Carati
1956 - 2014
HPI: 49.18
Newly Added Italian Models (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Models were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Models since 1700.
