Elisabeth Hurley Biography And Filmography:

Being named one of the sexiest females in movie and film history by Empire magazine would be a designation which many actresses would find tricky to live up to, but Elizabeth Hurley was unlike most of the models-turned-movie stars that came before her. Not only gifted with high cheek bones and a curved figure, she was also blessed with a keen business ability, natural aptitude, as well as an almost mystical ability to remain dignified in the face of unpleasant controversies. These scandals would come fast and furious, including the infamous arrest of her actor Hugh Grant, for soliciting a prostitute, followed a few years later with an threatening paternity suit against millionaire Stephen Bing over the birth of their child in 2001. 

Even with these high profile setbacks, Hurley remained a admired model with her multi year employment with Estee Lauder, as well as kept a humble career as an actress and producer, most notably starring as Vanessa Kensington, the drop-dead gorgeous secret agent teamed with Mike Meyers in “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” (1997).

Born June 10, 1965, in Hampshire, England, Hurley was one of three children born to her parents, a British Army major and a schoolteacher. She was spellbound by dance at an early age, attending a private boarding school that focused on dance at the tender young age of 12. 

Hurley’s first attempt with modeling success came in the late 1980's when she won a “Face of the Year” competition sponsored by a local newspaper. The prize was a 12 month contract with a top modeling agency in London, giving Hurley an opportunity to make the rounds in advertising print modeling. 

She also made her film debut in 1987 with “Aria,” an compilation film in which famous directors created short scenarios based on classical and operatic music pieces. Her piece was directed by Bruce Beresford. She followed this with roles in several popular English television productions, most notably “Christabel” (1988), with a script by Dennis Potter. She also appeared in a number of Continental productions, including a Spanish drama called “Remando al viento” (1988), which also featured her future boyfriend, Hugh Grant.

Even with  her popularity as a print model, Hurley had a hard time making the jump to full-time actress. Even a role as a terrorist in the Wesley Snipes action picture “Passenger 57” (1992) could not elevate her beyond the “occasional actress” label. What did push her to the top was Hugh Grant’s film “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994) and made her an overnight sexy celebrity and hot commodity.

The renowned cosmetics company Estee Lauder thought so, hiring her to become their spokesmodel in 1995. Hurley’s face covered more pages and billboards than ever before, and her perfume line, “Pleasures,” was a best seller. She also got involved with the company’s breast cancer charity, giving her grandmother’s death from breast cancer as the reason for her involvement. Lauder’s trust in their official face never faltered. In 2007, the company not only renewed the then 41-year-old Hurley’s contract, but extended it for many more years.

Hurley then appeared in several television productions, most notably “Sharpe’s Enemy” (1994), which was part of the enormously admired historical drama series based on the books of Bernard Cornwell. She also portrayed the Biblical temptress Delilah in the TNT movie “Samson and Delilah” (1996). 

Once again, it was a tabloid media event that sent her to the top of the news – this time, the arrest of her boyfriend Hugh Grant for solicitation in Los Angeles. Writers, critics, and the public at large were perplexed by her resolve to remain with Grant after the occurrence, even after his illustrious and amusing confession on “The Tonight Show” immediately after the arrest. 

In fact, the pair’s bond grew stronger in the coming years – seemingly, because Grant knew how close he had come to losing a good thing over his thoughtless sexual encounter with Divine Brown. The couple formed a production company, Simian Films, in 1996, which cranked out two starring vehicles for Grant – “Extreme Measures” with Sarah Jessica Parker (1996) and “Mickey Blue Eyes” (1999) – and one for Hurley, “Method” (2004), where she played a serial killer.

In 1997, Hurley was hired and cast in the starring role she was hoping for in “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.” A spoof of 1960's spy films, Hurley was a good partner for Mike Myers’ comic talents.  She returned temporarily to the franchise in 1999 for “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and filmed a cameo for 2002’s “Austin Powers in Goldmember” with Beyonce Knowles. 

For the next several years, Hurley worked regularly in major Hollywood films, including Ron Howard’s “EdTV” with Matthew McConaughey (1999), “My Favorite Martian” (1999), and “Permanent Midnight” with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson (1998). Most of her parts were small in scope. 

But things began to dry-up in 2000, starting with the end of her 13-year-relationship with Grant – though they remained friends and continued their business partnership through Simian Films until 2006. Hurley then got on the bad side of the film unions in the United States when she broke an actor’s strike to film an Estee Lauder commercial. She would later release a public statement that she was not aware of the strikes, but this did nothing to stopl the anger from working actors.. Finally, her relationship with producer Stephen Bing came to an ugly end when they became embattled in a paternity suit after a son, Damien Charles Hurley, was born in 2002. 

Despite the run of bad luck, Hurley continued to appear in feature films. She made a outstanding Devil in Harold Ramis’ anguished remake of “Bedazzled” (2000) – complete with red underwear and a python snake wrapped around her neck. She also overwhelmed critics with her roles in several interesting independent features, including “The Weight of Water” (2000) with Sean Penn, and Tom DiCillo’s “Double Whammy” (2001) co-starring Dennis Leary. 

However, Hurley stopped making films in the United States after the failure of her comedy “Serving Sara” (2002), turning her energy back to UK movies and her modeling career.

In 2005, Hurley launched her own swimwear line, Elizabeth Hurley Beachwear, in various department stores around the world and on her web site. The next year, she was as an executive producer and periodic host of “Project Catwalk” (Sky One, 2006- ), a UK version of the popular American reality series “Project Runway” (Bravo, 2004- ). On a personal note, Hurley had started dating a wealthy Indian businessman and software magnate, Arun Nayar, who offered her and her son Damien a stable figure in their high-profile lives. Immediately falling in love, the couple would date happily for several years.

In 2007, Hurley married Nayar in two ceremonies – one in England; the other in Mumbai. The weddings – which cost an estimated 2 million dollars – attracted worldwide press and tabloid reports, thanks to a deal Hurley struck with British tabloid Hello! and the fact that it was a star-packed affair, with Elton John giving away the bride. 

The ceremony also took a deceivingly darker role when after the ceremony, the couple attracted strong criticism from the deeply religious Hindu community of India, which filed criminal charges against Hurley and Nayar for violating wedding customs in their ceremony, such as kissing and not removing their shoes. Nayar’s parents also made a public display of disowning their child for his transgressions. 

Never one to back down, Hurley’s bad reaction to her new families behavior led to more international coverage. Further ugliness was cast upon the couple when violence broke out between security guards and paparazzi who tried to keep the couple’s car from entering the wedding reception at a military fort in Jodphur. 

• Born:
  on 06/10/1965 in London, England
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Producer, Model

Family

• Brother: Michael Hurley. younger
• Sister: Katie Hurley. older
• Son: Damian Charles Hurley. born on April 4, 2002; father is film producer Steve Bing

Significant Others

• Husband: Arun Nayer. began dating January 2003; In August 2006 they announced plans to marry; the couple wed twice in March of 2007; the first in a private civil ceremony outside London at a 15th-century English castle and the second in a traditional Hindu ceremony at Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur, India.
• Companion: Charles Dean. Dean is also the son of soft drinks magnate; rumored to be dating
• Companion: Hugh Grant. born on September 9, 1960; together from 1986; formed Simian Films together; mutually decided to separated in April 2000; announced separation in May
• Companion: Stephen Bing. born c. 1964; dated for about a year and a half in 2000 and 2001; father of her son
• Companion: Ted Forstmann. reportedly dated in 2000

Education

• London Studio Centre, London, England

Add Your Link / Exchange Links