Janice Dickinson

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Janice Dickinson
Dickinson in 2014
Born (1955-02-16) February 16, 1955 (age 69)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Model
  • television personality
  • businesswoman
Years active1969–present
Television
Spouses
Ron Levy
​
​
(m. 1977; div. 1979)​
Simon Fields
​
​
(m. 1987; div. 1993)​
Alan B. Gersten
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 1996)​
Rocky Gerner
​
(m. 2016)​
Children2
RelativesDebbie Dickinson (sister)
Modeling information
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Hair colorDark brown[1]
Eye colorBrown[1]

Janice Doreen Dickinson (born February 16, 1955)[2] is an American model, television personality, and businesswoman. Initially notable as a model, Dickinson has been disputably described by herself as the first supermodel. (Lisa Fonssagrives is widely considered to have been the world's first supermodel, with a career that began in the 1930s.)[3] One of the most successful models of the 1970s and 1980s, she also served as a judge on four cycles of the reality series America's Next Top Model (2003–2006). Dickinson opened a modeling agency in 2005 which was documented on the reality series The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (2006–2008).

In 2007, Dickinson was a contestant on the

seventh series of the British television show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! which she finished as runner-up. In 2008, she starred on the reality series Janice & Abbey, alongside British model Abbey Clancy. In 2010, Dickinson appeared on the fourth series of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, and in 2015, she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 16
.

Dickinson has released three autobiographical books: No Lifeguard on Duty (2002), Everything About Me Is Fake… And I'm Perfect (2004), and Check Please! Dating, Mating, and Extricating (2006).

Early life

Dickinson was born in

née Pietrzykowski) and Samuel Ray Dickinson.[5] Her mother was of Polish descent and her father was of Irish descent.[5]

She was raised in Hollywood, Florida with her elder sister, Alexis, who became a real estate agent, and her younger sister, Debbie, who also became a model.[6][7]

Dickinson has been open about the emotional and physical abuse she suffered as a child and teenager,[3][6][8] and how her father used to sexually abuse one of her sisters. Of her childhood with her "rageoholic pedophile" of a father, Dickinson stated, "Because I wouldn't give in and let him have sex with me, I was verbally and physically abused on a daily basis. I was told that I looked like a boy and wouldn't amount to anything."[8]

Modeling career

In the early 1970s, Dickinson moved to New York City to pursue work as a model after winning a national competition called "Miss High Fashion Model."[7][9] At a time when blue-eyed blondes dominated the fashion scene,[10] Dickinson was turned down several times by modeling agents, including Eileen Ford, who informed Dickinson she was "much too ethnic. You'll never work."[9]

She was discovered by the fashion photographer Jacques Silberstein when his girlfriend, actress Lorraine Bracco, mentioned she liked Dickinson's look.[11][12] Wilhelmina Cooper became Dickinson's first agent. Her modeling pursuits led her to Paris, France, where her "exotic looks" secured her reputation within the European fashion industry.[9]

She returned to New York City in 1978, and spent the next several years working steadily, earning $2,000 per day, nearly four times the standard rate.

ad campaign for a new JVC camera.[13] Dickinson, who had not forgotten Ford's initial rejection, was intent on revenge.[13] She soon orchastrated some twenty Ford models to defect to John Casablancas's upstart Elite Model Management.[14]

By the 1980s, Dickinson was considered a

Orbit gum, Max Factor, Virginia Slims, and Cutex.[10][15]

Dickinson looked for ways to sustain her relevance within the fashion industry as she aged, becoming a fashion photographer. In 2008, she launched her own

HSN.[16]

In 2009, Dickinson recorded a song entitled "Crazy", which was written and produced by Craig Taylor.[17]

"First supermodel" claim

Dickinson (right) and Samata at London Fashion Week 2010

While Dickinson claims to have coined the term supermodel in 1979, and to be the first "supermodel",[18][19] the word already was known in the 1940s. The writer Judith Cass used the term in 1942 in her Chicago Tribune article "Super Models are Signed for Fashion Show".[20] In 1943, author Clyde Matthew Dessner used the term in his book So You Want to Be a Model![21]

The Daily Times of Salisbury, Maryland on May 19, 1967, both referred to Twiggy as a supermodel.[22]

In 1968, an article in

Veruschka, Jean Shrimpton, and 15 other models as "supermodels".[23]

Syndicated columnist

Suzy Knickerbocker in 1970 described Penelope Tree as a supermodel.[24]

The April 23, 1971, issue of The Hour headlined one of its articles "Supermodels Reveal Their Beauty Secrets", including an advertisement with the caption "Supermodel Cheryl Tiegs". The article also says, "The fashion/beauty world is dotted with Supermodels" and "Cybill Shepherd a Supermodel who may turn into a Superstar."[25] Jean Shrimpton was described as a supermodel by Time in 1971,[26] as were Margaux Hemingway by Vogue on September 1, 1975,[27] Beverly Johnson by Jet in 1977,[28] and Naomi Sims in the 1978 book Total Beauty Catalog by K.T. Maclay.[29]

Lisa Fonssagrives[30][31][32][33] and Dorian Leigh, whose careers began before Dickinson was born, have been retroactively recognized as the 20th century's first supermodels.[34][35] Gia Carangi has been called the first supermodel[36][37] as well as Jean Shrimpton.[38][39][40][41][42] Lauren Hutton has also been referred to as the first supermodel, due to the fact that she was the first model to get a cosmetics contract. (In 1974 with Revlon.)

Television career

In 2003, Dickinson returned to media attention with her stint as a judge on the reality television series

fashion industry. As a panelist, Dickinson became known for her wit and incisive, brutally honest critiques.[43]

Dickinson frequently quarreled with her fellow judges, particularly Kimora Lee Simmons and Nolé Marin.[44] A recurring source of tension between Dickinson and Banks was the former's dubiety concerning plus-size models.[45]

After four cycles, Banks fired Dickinson, replacing her with

Omarosa Manigault during a publicity photo shoot while Dickinson was posing with a prop knife. After being physically separated by Bronson Pinchot the two continued to feud throughout the series.[6][47][48]

In 2006, Dickinson starred in her own reality show,

Abigail Clancy in Beauty & The Best, a reality series detailing Clancy's attempt to break into the American modeling market. The show debuted in the United Kingdom on Living on May 14, 2007, and premiered in the U.S. on Oxygen on February 19, 2008.[49]

In November 2007, Dickinson became one of the celebrities taking part in the British reality television show

Bushtucker trials, competing ten times in a row. In the finale of the series, it was announced that Dickinson had gained second place in the competition, with Christopher Biggins coming first.[citation needed
]

Dickinson was also a contestant for season two of the American version of

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! which began airing in June 2009.[50] She was eliminated from the show on June 18, 2009.[citation needed
]

In 2009, Dickinson was a guest judge on the

Finnish version of the Top Model franchise. She created controversy after the claimed effects of accidentally mixing a sleeping aid with champagne caused her to fall down a flight of stairs and burst out at the models. Dickinson was taken to a hospital where she was told she had no visible injuries. She later apologized to the models during the show's airing.[51]

Other guest appearances include "Still Charmed and Kicking", an episode of

Page 3 Girl Samantha Fox over her glamour modeling career, and flirted with Calum Best.[52]

Dickinson appeared in the fourth season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which premiered in December 2010.[53] In 2011, she guest-starred in an episode of 90210 (titled "Project Runway").[54]

In August 2015, Dickinson was a housemate on the

sixteenth season of the British reality show, Celebrity Big Brother. She became the seventh celebrity to be evicted from the house, just two days before the final.[citation needed
]

In 2020, Dickinson appeared on season 24 of The Bachelor.

In 2023, she was scheduled to appear on I'm a Celebrity... South Africa, but had to withdraw from the show, after she suffered a head injury, which required her being taken to hospital.[55]

Personal life

Dickinson has been married four times. Her former husbands are Ron Levy,[6][56] Simon Fields,[6] and Alan B. Gersten,[6] also known as Albert Gersten.[4] She has a son, Nathan, and a daughter, Savannah.[6] Dickinson was having an affair with Sylvester Stallone when Savannah was born in 1994, and it was reported that Stallone was the father.[57] Their relationship ended when DNA tests proved he was not the father.[58] In her books and in interviews, she has discussed her numerous sexual relationships with male and female celebrities.[59] In 2012, she announced she was engaged to Dr. Robert Gerner ("Rocky"),[60] a psychiatrist[61] whom she married in December 2016.[62]

In November 2014, Dickinson joined a number of women accusing comedian Bill Cosby of rape, alleging that Cosby raped her in 1982. Dickinson said that she tried to write about this in her 2002 autobiography, but Cosby and his lawyers pressured her and her lawyers to remove the details.[63]

In March 2016, it was revealed that Dickinson had been diagnosed with breast cancer.[64]

Books

Dickinson released a memoir detailing her "wild days" as a supermodel. Titled No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World's First Supermodel (2002), the book was effective in introducing her to a new generation.[7] Her 2004 follow-up memoir was Everything About Me Is Fake… And I'm Perfect,[7][65] in which she describes her life in modeling; her experience with plastic surgery; and her battles with anorexia, bulimia, and alcoholism.[65] Her next memoir, Check Please! Dating, Mating, and Extricating (2006), discusses the men in her life, and prescribes her rules for dating.[66]

Bibliography

  • Dickinson, Janice (2002). No Lifeguard on Duty – The Accidental Life of the World's First Supermodel. New York City:
    ISBN 978-0-06-000946-5

Filmography

As actress
Year Title Role Notes
1983 Exposed Model
1998 Buddy Faro Evelyn Maynard 1 episode
2005 Charmed Paige #2 Episode: "Still Charmed and Kicking"
2005 Wassup Rockers Beverly Hills Actress Cameo appearance
2021 Pink Rehabilitation Dr. Janice
As herself
Year Title Role Notes
2003–2008 America's Next Top Model Judge
2004 Rock Me Baby Herself Episode: "Look Who's Talking"
2005 The Surreal Life Herself Season 5
2005–2006 The Tyra Banks Show Herself 10 episodes
2006 Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Herself 1 episode
2006–2008 The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency Herself
2007 Janice & Abbey Herself Main role
2007 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (UK) Participant
Series 7
, runner-up
2009 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (US) Participant
Season 2
2010
Finland’s Next Top Model
 Guest judge 1 episode
2010 Come Dine with Me Herself Celebrity edition episode
2010 8 Out of 10 Cats Herself 1 episode
2010 Loose Women Herself Guest panellist; 2 episodes
2010–2011 Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew Herself
2011 Celebrity Juice Herself 2 episodes
2011
Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model
 		Guest judge 2 episodes
2012
Sweden's Next Top Model
 		Guest judge
2012 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Guest judge 1 episode
2014, 2016 Botched Herself 2 episodes
2015 Celebrity Big Brother 16 Contestant
Series 16
, 7th place
2015 Couples Therapy Herself 5 episodes
2018 The Face Thailand Guest judge 1 episode
2020 The Bachelor Herself 1 episode
2023 I'm a Celebrity... South Africa Participant

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Janice Dickinson". Fashion Model Directory. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  2. London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Yes, I turned 56 on February 16. NNDB at Janice Dickinson profile gives February 15, 1955, noting, "Although Dickinson has maintained in several interviews and her autobiography No Lifeguard on Duty that she was born in 1955, other sources give it as 1953 or 1954. Most details from her life support 1955. Her birthday is also given variously as February 15 and February 17." Among those giving February 17, 1953, is Fashion Model Directory. The New York Birth Index
    shows a birth date of February 15, 1955. (subscription required).
  3. ^ a b "Behind the Cover Girl: Getting Real with Janice Dickinson". CNN. January 10, 2007. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Janice Dickinson". NNDB.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-06-175084-7. Retrieved November 7, 2012 – via Google Books
    .
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Janice Dickinson". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2011. She has two teenaged children, a son, Nathan, and a daughter, Savannah.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Janice Dickinson profile". AskMen.com. September 18, 2008. Archived from the original on August 9, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Supermodel Janice Dickinson May Have Facilitated Father's Death". Starpulse.com. World Entertainment News Network. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  9. ^ a b c d Phinney, Susan (September 28, 2002). "A Moment with ... Janice Dickinson, Model/Photographer/Author". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  10. ^ a b "Modeling the '80s Look: The Faces and Fees Are Fabulous". Time. February 9, 1981. Archived from the original on July 11, 2007.
  11. ^ Holland, Nicole. "Janice Dickinson: Breaking the Mold" Archived June 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Independent Film Quarterly. Issue 13.
  12. ^ "The Edited Version of a Biography by Janice Dickinson". NYGard Magazine. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on December 10, 2001.
  13. ^ a b Malkin, Marc S. (May 27, 2002) "Janice Dickinson: Her Lips Aren't Sealed", New York; accessed April 7, 2016.
  14. ^ Demarest, Michael; Harbison, Georgia (August 25, 1980). "Come with Me to Casablancas", Time; accessed November 19, 2014.
  15. ^ a b No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of The World's First Supermodel.
  16. ^ "HSN Jewelry". Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  17. ^ Glassman, Sara (June 1, 2009). "In Bed with Janice Dickinson". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  18. ^ Dickinson, Janice (June 1, 2006). "Janice Dickinson". Instinct. Archived from the original on December 7, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  19. ^ She related on E! True Hollywood Story that her manager, concerned that at the peak of her modeling career she was working too much, told her, "You are not Superman." Dickinson said she replied, "I am not Superman, I am a supermodel."
  20. Chicago Daily Tribune
    . p. 21. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  21. ^ Dessner, Clyde Matthew (1944). So You Want to Be a Model!. Halcyon House.
  22. ^ Popik, Barry (July 25, 2004). "Superman; Superstar; Supermodel". BarryPopik.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  23. ISBN 978-1-55862-400-9
    .
  24. ^ Knickerbocker, Suzy (July 8, 1970). "Smart Set". The Gazette. Montreal.
  25. ^ D'Arcy, Jeanne (April 23, 1971). "Supermodels Reveal Their Beauty Secrets". The Hour.
  26. ^ "People". Time. May 17, 1971. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  27. ^ "Vogue cover scan archived from Ebay.co.uk". img.inkfrog.com. September 1, 1975. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  28. ^ "Words of the Week". Jet Magazine. Vol. 53, no. 14. Johnson Publishing Company. December 22, 1977. p. 40.
  29. ISBN 0-698-10835-3
    .
  30. ^ Ranck, Rosemary (February 9, 1997). "The First Supermodel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2006.
  31. ^ Cheesman, Chris (October 19, 2007). "Pictures: Original stills from JFK assassination revealed". Amateur Photographer. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, described as the 'world's first supermodel'
  32. ^ Singh, Anita (November 13, 2008). "Photographs of Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss and Britney Spears for Sale at Christie's". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009. Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn ... described as the original supermodel, gracing the pages of Vogue in the 1940s and 1950s
  33. ^ Johnson, Geoffrey (March 2010). "On the Life and Work of Photographer Beatrice Tonnesen". Chicago. Lisa Fonssagrives, recognized today as the original supermodel...
  34. ISBN 0-06-054163-6
  35. ^ Scott, Walter: "Parade", page 2, June 10, 2007.
    "It's absurd. ...The first American supermodel was Dorian Leigh, who worked the late 1940s and '50s."
  36. ^ Vallely, Paul (September 10, 2005). "Gia: The Tragic Tale of the World's First Supermodel". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 1, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
  37. ^ Carolin, Louise. "Gia – The Tragedy of a Lesbian Supermodel". Diva. Archived from the original on March 25, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
  38. ISBN 0-7407-5118-2
    .
  39. The Advocate
    : 60.
  40. ^ Magee, Antonia (October 28, 2009). "Model Jean Shrimpton Recollects the Stir She Caused on Victoria Derby Day in 1965". Herald Sun.
  41. ISBN 978-1-58542-683-6
    .
  42. ^ "Jean Shrimpton profile". milesago.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  43. ^ Heffernan, Virginia (June 6, 2006). "'The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency': A Top Model on Her Own Beauty Search". The New York Times; retrieved October 30, 2011.
  44. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (December 29, 2005). "Janice Dickinson to Head Modeling Agency", people.com; retrieved October 30, 2011.
  45. ^ Staff (June 26, 2003). "Tyra Banks' Model Catfight; Kevin Costner Engaged; Kelly Osbourne's Bar Room Brawl", sfgate.com; retrieved October 30, 2011.
  46. ^ "Janice Dickinson: "I Was Fired from 'Tyra Banks Show'"". Contactmusic.com. September 20, 2005. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  47. ^ Holmes, Linda (September 22, 2005). "Omarosa Vs. Janice: 'Surreal' Battle of the Divas – Castmates' Attention-Grabbing Tactics Makes for Entertaining Viewing", msnbc.com; retrieved October 30, 2011.
  48. ^ "The 20 Greatest Celebreality Moments", vh1.com, September 22, 2005.
  49. IMDb
    ; accessed April 7, 2016.
  50. ^ "I'm a Celebrity Cast Announced". TVGuide.com. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  51. ^ Odell, Amy (May 29, 2009). "Janice Dickinson Downs Booze, Sleeping Aids on Finland's Next Top Model, Makes Quite the Scene". New York. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  52. ^ "Channel 4, Celebrity Come Dine with Me, Season 20, Episode 2". Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  53. ^ "Jason Wahler, Janice Dickinson Sign On for Celebrity Rehab". Us Weekly. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  54. ^ Hughes, Jason (November 30, 2011). "Janice Dickinson Critiques Holly and Naomi's Designs on '90210' (VIDEO)". AOL TV. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  55. ^ "Janice Dickinson forced to withdraw from IAC". chronicle live. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  56. ^ "Ron Levy was married to Janice Dickinson – Ron Levy Dating History". Zimbio.com. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  57. ^ Schneide, Karen S. (March 2, 1994). "Rocky Ending". People.
  58. ^ Levitt, Shelley (April 24, 1995). "Yo, Angie, Marry Me!". People.
  59. Daily News. New York City. Archived from the original
    on May 28, 2004. Retrieved September 24, 2006.
  60. ^ "Janice Dickinson "Couldn't Be Happier" Over Engagement to Dr. Robert Gerner". Us Weekly. December 16, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  61. ^ Dr. Robert Gerner profile, healthgrades.com; accessed November 19, 2014.
  62. ^ "Janice Dickinson Marries Dr. Robert Gerner in Beverly Hills Ceremony". ET Online. December 10, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  63. ^ Bueno, Antoinette (November 18, 2014). "Exclusive: Janice Dickinson Details Bill Cosby Sexual Assault Accusations: He Raped Me". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  64. ^ Woolf, Nicky (March 28, 2016). "Supermodel Janice Dickinson reveals she has breast cancer". The Guardian.
  65. ^
    ISBN 978-0-06-055469-9
  66. ISBN 978-0-06-076391-6

External links

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