Amber Valletta

Amber Valletta (born February 9, 1974) is an American model and actress. She began her career as a fashion model, landing her first of 17 American Vogue covers in February 1993. During the 1990s, Valletta reached the status of supermodel, working as the face of Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Escada, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, Gucci, and Versace, and signing multimillion-dollar cosmetics contracts with Calvin Klein and Elizabeth Arden. From 1995 to 1996, Valletta and her friend and fellow model Shalom Harlow hosted the MTV show House of Style.

In the 2000s, Valletta began to focus on her career as an actress. She had her first major film role as a poltergeist in Robert Zemeckis's supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath (2000). She has since appeared in films such as Hitch (2005), Transporter 2 (2005), Man About Town (2006), Dead Silence (2007), Gamer (2009), and The Spy Next Door (2010). In 2011, she moved to television, appearing in a recurring role as the fallen socialite Lydia Davis on ABC's drama television series Revenge. In 2015, Valletta starred as the scheming Carla Briggs in another ABC soap opera, Blood & Oil.

Early life Amber Valletta was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Washington High School. Her mother, Theresa Malaby, survived breast cancer. Her ancestry includes Portuguese (through her grandmother), English, Italian, and Cherokee. Valletta is a Cherokee Nation citizen. Her half-brother is actor and producer Robert Parks-Valletta.

Career

Modeling Valletta got her start in the fashion industry when her mother enrolled her in modeling school at the age of 15 at the Linda Layman Agency. Valletta, along with the likes of Kate Moss, Eva Herzigová, Tyra Banks, Carolyn Murphy and Shalom Harlow, was one of the most recognizable faces of the generation immediately subsequent to the original supermodels. During the 1990s she appeared 13 times on the cover of American Vogue, second only to Claudia Schiffer's sixteen. Valletta was presented on the November 1999 Millennium cover of American Vogue as one of the "Modern Muses."

During the 1990s, Valletta was part of the generation of models associated with the rise of the “heroin chic” aesthetic, a controversial fashion trend characterized by extremely thin physiques, pale complexions and a deliberately disheveled, grunge-inspired look in editorials and advertising campaigns.

She has appeared on the cover of several international fashion magazines, such as Germany's Cosmopolitan and Glamour; Spain's Elle, Telva and Harper's Bazaar; the UK's Esquire and Love; and the US's V, Porter, Interview, Ocean Drive, Shape, Allure, Marie Claire and i-D. Valletta has walked in fashion shows for Versace, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Gucci, Valentino, Prada, Michael Kors, Alberta Ferretti, Claude Montana, Dolce & Gabbana, Pierre Balmain, Sonia Rykiel, Versus, Yohji Yamamoto, Anna Molinari, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior and Tom Ford. She was the face of NARS Cosmetics' Spring 2010 Collection.

One of the most memorable moments of Amber Valletta's runway career occurred when she presented the tropical green dress by Versace, later known as the “jungle dress”. The piece, created by Donatella Versace, was part of the brand's spring/summer 2000 collection and was worn by Valletta during the fashion house's runway show.

The dress became globally famous a few months later when it was worn by Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammy Awards, in one of the most talked-about appearances in the event’s history. The enormous interest generated by images of the singer wearing the dress led Google to create the service Google Images, due to the large number of searches related to the outfit.

Valletta also continued to work with photographer Steven Meisel. Not only was she selected by Steven Meisel for the 2014 50th Anniversary Cover of Italian Vogue but one of her prior Italian Vogue editorials with super model Tracy James and photographed by Meisel was selected as one of Italian Vogues most Iconic photos.

Valletta continues to work as a fashion model, closing the Versace Autumn/Winter 2017 fashion show. She was also model for Marks and Spencer. In 2018, Valletta appeared in advertisements for Mango, Blumarine, Escada, Chanel Watches, Prada and David Yurman. She also had a role in Transporter 2, playing the mother of the kidnapped child. She played the female lead in the 2006 independent film The Last Time, co-starring alongside Michael Keaton and Brendan Fraser. In 2007, she had supporting roles in the horror film Dead Silence, as Ella Ashen, and as Claire in Premonition, starring Sandra Bullock. Also in 2007, Valletta played the leading role in the independent coming-of-age film My Sexiest Year. In 2011, she appeared in the ensemble comedy film Girl Walks into a Bar.

In 2011, Valletta was cast in the recurring role as the socialite Lydia Davis on the ABC television prime time soap opera Revenge. In 2014, she was a regular cast member in the TNT crime drama series Legends, playing Sean Bean's character's ex-wife. In 2015, Valletta starred in the short-lived ABC prime-time soap opera Blood & Oil. She played Carla Briggs, the glamorous business partner and new wife of oil tycoon Hap Briggs (Don Johnson).

In 2016, Valletta starred in the video for Keith Urban's song "Blue Ain't Your Color," directed by Carter Smith. She also starred in the video for Fergie's song "M.I.L.F. $."

Other projects Valletta serves as the spokesperson for Oceana's Seafood Contamination Campaign, to raise awareness of the dangers of mercury poisoning in various kinds of seafood. The decision to join Oceana's campaign was prompted by the mercury-poisoning experience of a friend and the fact that she is a mother.

In 2025, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a role in which she uses her public profile to draw attention to issues such as climate change and sustainable practices within the fashion industry.

Personal life

Valletta married Hervé Le Bihan in 1994, divorcing in 1996. In 2000, Valletta had a son with Olympic volleyball player Chip McCaw; the pair wed in September 2003 and divorced in 2014.

Valletta endorsed incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012.

In July 2014, Valletta spoke out about her battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1995 Unzipped Herself Documentary film 2000 Drop Back Ten Mindy Deal 2000 What Lies Beneath Madison Elizabeth Frank 2000 The Family Man Paula 2001 Perfume Blair 2001 Hysteria – The Def Leppard Story Lorelei Shellist Television film 2001 Max Keeble's Big Move Ms. Dingman 2003 Duplex Celine 2004 Raising Helen Martina 2005 Hitch Allegra Cole 2005 Transporter 2 Audrey Billings 2006 Man About Town Brynn Lilly 2006 The Last Time Belisa 2007 Dead Silence Ella Ashen 2007 Premonition Claire Francis 2007 My Sexiest Year Marina 2008 Days of Wrath Jane Summers 2009 Gamer Angie "Nika" Roth Tilman 2010 The Spy Next Door Gillian 2011 Girl Walks into a Bar Camilla 2017 Walking Herself / model Documentary film 2017 Kevyn Aucoin Beauty & the Beast in Me Herself 2017 A Film for Planned Parenthood of New York City Herself 2017 Double Dutchess: Seeing Double Herself Segment "M.I.L.F. $" TBA Filming

Television Year Title Role Notes 1995–1996 House of Style Herself Host 2003 Lucky Sarah Episode: "Something for Everyone" 2005 Punk'd Herself Episode: "Episode #6.4" 2009 State of the Union Herself Episode: "Episode #2.2" 2011–2014 Revenge Lydia Davis Recurring role, 14 episodes 2014 Legends Sonya Odum Series regular, 10 episodes 2015 Hot in Cleveland Ashley Episode: "Scandalous" 2015 Blood & Oil Carla Briggs Series regular, 10 episodes 2018 Movie Night With Karlie Kloss Herself Episode: "Hitch" 2019 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself / Guest Judge Episode: "From Farm to Runway"

Music videos Year Artist Song Notes 2008 Will.i.am "Yes We Can"2014Keith Urban"Cop Car" 2016 Fergie "M.I.L.F. $" 2016 Keith Urban "Blue Ain't Your Color"