Wilhelmina Cooper is one of the most famous and expensive models of her time. She is also known for her own modeling agency. She died suddenly from cancer at the age of forty.
Her childhood and youth
The future model was born on May 1, 1939 in the city of Kulemborg, Gelderland, the Netherlands. In the fashion industry, she was known as Wilhelmina Cooper, but her relatives simply called her Willy. The happy family moved to Chicago, Illinois when the girl was about 14 years old. Thanks to her beautiful Dutch appearance, she was successful in the modeling field. She began her career in 1957. A year later, shortly before graduation, she came to the casting at Models Bureau and passed the selection.
Throughout her teenage years, she was puzzled by being overweight. With her height of 1 m 74 cm, she weighed 63 kg instead of an enviable 53 kg. Wilhelmina Cooper was reminiscent of one of the world-famous supermodels of the time - Suzy Parker, which certainly played a role in the formation of the girl. With the advent of her photographs in catalogs, sales of companies whose products she represented began to increase markedly.
Cooper Wilhelmina: biography. The model that has become the standard of beauty
In 1959, impressed by the success of the young model, the head of the Models Bureau decided to send her pictures to a trade show in Chicago, where she was awarded the title of Miss West Berlin. After such a triumph, Wilhelmine was advised to move to New York, which was famous for its modeling agencies and the beauty industry as a whole. Upon arrival there, she meets Eileen and Jerry Ford of Ford Models. A warm relationship developed between them, but Eileen could not offer her a job in the agency, since the weight of the model did not meet the standards of that time. Saddened by this fact, Wilhelmina Cooper decides to move to Europe, where he soon gets a job in Germany and London. The girl quickly gained momentum and very soon was able to decorate the face of the famous L'Officiel magazine with her face. The shooting took place in Algeria, where the model posed in clothes from Madame Grea on the background of the endless sands of the Sahara.
After such a significant triumph, she still manages to sign a contract with Ford Models. Success was not long in coming. Very soon, Cooper Wilhelmina became one of the most famous, sought after and highly paid models of her time. Almost everyone knew her face. Throughout the history of her professional career, she has appeared on the covers of popular magazines more than 255 times. She was a happy owner of a very elegant, beautiful appearance, which allowed her to debut in such fashion magazines as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. In the first, she managed to appear about 28 times.
One of the few models with an impressive feminine figure - this was Cooper Wilhelmina. Her biography, unlike most other fashion models, has fewer black spots. With her high, well-defined cheekbones, deep, languid look and a shock of perfectly folded dark hair, she was a representative of the eternal classic - an aristocratic lady, whose admirers continue to admire the beauty to this day.
"Wilhelmina Models"
It combined external and internal beauty, a sharp mind and a strong character. These qualities allowed her to open her modeling agency under the name "Wilhelmina Models" and become famous already as a shark in the modeling business. The woman was also characterized by remarkable performance and rare enterprise. Cooper Wilhelmina proved herself to be a very competent and experienced model agent, possessing excellent instinct and intuition for hidden young talents and an enviable ability to correctly conduct advertising campaigns. Her agency to this day enjoys worldwide popularity and maintains a brilliant reputation.
Model family
The girl married in 1965 to the famous producer of the time - Bruce Cooper. So they went all their lives hand in hand, conducted joint affairs, supported each other in particularly unpleasant moments and raised beautiful children - daughter Melissa and son Jason. Bruce helped her establish a modeling agency, which turned out to be very profitable, pointed out her wife’s shortcomings and instilled in her the belief that she would be able to cope with any tasks that would get in her way.
Acquaintance with Gia Carangi and a film about the history of their friendship
Models such as Iman and Gia Carangi owe their success to this woman.
In the film "Gia, " the role of Vigelmina was played by actress Faye Dunaway. The film tells the story of the model of Gia Karandzhi, which Wilhelmina Cooper literally raised, recognizing the future world-famous model in the girl. And I was not mistaken. One minute was enough for Wilhelmina to understand - this girl will conquer the whole world. With the help of a woman who already knew the modeling business up and down, Gia was able to climb to the top much faster than her competitors. Wilhelmina Cooper and Gia Carangi were very close. Therefore, Willy's death was a real shock for the young model, on the basis of which she was addicted to drugs.
