Paulina Porizkova
Czech-born model and author (born 1965)
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Key Takeaways
- Paulina Porizkova ( Czech: [ˈpavliːna ˈpor̝iːskovaː] ; born 9 April 1965) is a fashion model, author and actress.
- In 1984, Porizkova became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
- Early life Porizkova was born on 9 April 1965 in Prostějov, then in Czechoslovakia, to anti-Soviet dissident parents, Anna Pořízková and Jiří Pořízka.
- Czechoslovak authorities would not allow her parents to reclaim her, and the ensuing battle was widely publicized in the Swedish press, making her a cause célèbre .
- After the attempt failed, her mother was briefly detained by the national police and then placed under house arrest with her family.
Paulina Porizkova (Czech: [ˈpavliːna ˈpor̝iːskovaː]; born 9 April 1965) is a fashion model, author and actress. Born in Czechoslovakia, she moved to Sweden in 1973 and began modelling in France at the age of 15. In 1984, Porizkova became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
As an actress, she made her film debut in Anna (1987).
Early life
Porizkova was born on 9 April 1965 in Prostějov, then in Czechoslovakia, to anti-Soviet dissident parents, Anna Pořízková and Jiří Pořízka. She was left in the care of her maternal grandmother after her parents fled to Sweden to escape the Warsaw Pact invasion. Czechoslovak authorities would not allow her parents to reclaim her, and the ensuing battle was widely publicized in the Swedish press, making her a cause célèbre.
When Porizkova was seven, her pregnant mother returned to Czechoslovakia with a fake passport in an attempt to rescue her. After the attempt failed, her mother was briefly detained by the national police and then placed under house arrest with her family. In 1973, international political pressure led by Olof Palme caused the communist government to allow the Pořízka family to be reunited.
Porizkova's parents divorced after her father had an affair. She and her father, who refused to pay child support for his children, have been estranged since her youth. Her mother, a midwife, remarried at least twice and, as of 2010, was reported to be serving in the Peace Corps in Uganda.
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