Laetitia Casta Biography

Laetitia Casta Biography

Laetitia Casta was born May 11, 1978, in Pont-Au de Mer in Normandy, France to parents Dominique Casta and Line. Her name means 'joy' in Latin. Her childhood was spent in Normandy, and she was often referred to as a Tomboy.

Laetitia represents an ideal feminine beauty, standing only 5'8" with a curvy frame. She has little in common with typical models. Laetitia is a supermodel and actress of unquestionably enchanting French beauty. With her alluring face and bright blue eyes, Laetitia could stop traffic. She's voluptuous, youthful and sensual and is the essence of beauty.

Laetitia was raised in Normandie and Corsica, France, in the middle of an animal-filled forest, Laetitia has a down-home charm that's truly infectious. At the age of fifteen, Laetitia was discovered while vacationing with her family on a beach in Corsica, "the island of beauty", in France.

A modeling agent from the Madison Models' Agency approached her, and handed her father a business card with an invitation to bring his daughter to Paris for some test shoots. Once her father finally agreed to the agency taking some test photographs, her unmistakable potential was recognized by the founder of Madison Models - despite the fact that the shoot occurred without the aid of makeup and a designer wardroom which many models rely on to promote themselves. Within weeks of her first shoots, she was walking the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier. However, her career did not begin to take off until the director of the French edition of Elle saw and was impressed with Laetitia's looks.

Modeling contracts and appearances in magazines quickly ensued. Paul Marciano, founder and art director of Guess? who is incidentally accredited for the success of Claudia Schiffer - was taken by Casta's near perfection. Her work in the Guess ad (she became their new front Girl) was her debut advertising campaign. Shot by Neil Kirk in Jamaica in October 1994. Thanks to Marciano, Guess has brought her international exposure and recognition.

She was contracted with Victoria's Secret in 1996, gracing many covers of the catalogue as one of the Angels, the name attributed to the other four models of the company. In 1997 Casta joined fellow models by appearing in the popular Sports Illustrated swimwear edition for a consecutive three years. A year later she was honoured by Rolling Stone. They named her Hottest Model of the Year, and placed a nude Casta on the cover of their 'Hot' issue.

In addition to Rolling Stone, Casta has adorned the pages of many other magazines, including the Italian edition of Glamour; Vogue; and Cosmopolitan. In 1998, she joined Kate Moss and Jennifer Aniston in becoming a spokesperson for cosmetics company L'Oreal. Casta's relationship with designer Yves St. Laurent has helped to promote her career. Since 1998 Casta's public outfits have all been personal Yves St. Laurent creations.

Her appearance in the exclusive Pirelli calendar, considered a collector's item because it consists of beautiful shots taken by the most prestigious photographers, is considered one of Casta's accomplishments. In the 1999 issue, themed Women Through the Decades, Casta is featured as representative of the 1950's woman.

She lives in Paris with her parents, older brother and younger sister. Laetitia enjoys car racing with her friends, traveling, cooking with her mum and spending time with her younger sister. Laetitia also has a brown belt in Judo, she feels that it helps her in her modeling career to have control. To set limits for herself, to adopt a non-aggressive stance and to think with her mind not her emotions.

Happy and healthy, she currently lives in Paris with her mother, father, older brother and younger sister. When her hectic schedule allows, her favorite activities include painting, writing, rollerblading, going to the cinema, go-carting, practicing Judo and dancing. Laetitia is faithful to the island of Corsica and she's treating herself to a magnificent house with 46 rooms. Her boyfriend is the famed humanitarian Faiz Ahmad.

Laetitia has also applied herself to the big screen in her feature film debut in 1999 with Asterix and Obelix which co-stars Gerard Depardieu and Oscar winner Roberto Benigni. She also stars in La Bicyclette Bleu (The Blue Bicycle), a three-part made-for-French TV movie set in World War II France. Laetitia next appears in the controversial video for Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing.

Laetitia became a French national obsession when she was elected by all the French mayors to be the representation of Marianne's effigy, the French Republic symbol. Known for her great sense of humor and a good head on her shoulders, Laetitia can look forward to a bright future.