Portrait of Paulina Porizkova

Birthday profile

Paulina Porizkova

Paulina Porizkova, Czech-born Swedish-American model and actress

Born
April 9, 1965
Age in 2026
61
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1965

About Paulina Porizkova

Paulina Porizkova (Czech: Pavlína Pořízková [ˈpavliːna ˈpor̝iːskovaː]; born 9 April 1965) is a fashion model, author and actress. In 1984, she became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Born in Prostějov, Czechoslovakia, Porizkova immigrated to Sweden as a child and began modelling in Paris at the age of 15. After immigrating to the United States, she made her film debut in the comedy drama Anna (1987). == Early life == Porizkova was born to anti-Soviet dissidents Anna Pořízková and Jiří Pořízka on 9 April 1965 in Prostějov, a city then part of Czechoslovakia and now part of the Czech Republic. After the couple fled to Sweden to escape the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion, she was left in the care of her maternal grandmother. Czechoslovakia's communist government would not allow the couple to reclaim Porizkova, and the ensuing battle was widely publicized in the Swedish press, making her a cause célèbre. When Porizkova was seven years old, a pregnant Anna returned to Czechoslovakia with a fake passport in a failed attempt to rescue her, after which the latter was briefly detained by the national police and then was placed under house arrest with her family. In 1973, international political pressure led by Swedish prime minister Olof Palme caused the Czechoslovak authorities to allow the Pořízka family to be reunited. Anna and Jiří divorced after the latter had an affair.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Paulina Porizkova timeline

  1. She appeared as a model in Sports Illustrated in 1983, and in 1984, at 18 years old, she became the first woman from Central Europe to be on the cover of the swimsuit issue.
  2. In 1984, Porizkova became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
  3. In 1988, Porizkova won what was then the highest-paying modeling contract: a $6,000,000 contract with Estée Lauder, replacing Willow Bay.

The world when Paulina Porizkova was born

Paulina Porizkova was born in 1965. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1965

  • #1 song"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" – The Rolling Stones
  • Top movieThe Sound of Music
  • Top TV showBonanza
  • Best-selling bookDune – Frank Herbert

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMuhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston with "phantom punch"
  • Top headlineUS sends combat troops to Vietnam
  • Technology milestoneFirst spacewalk (Alexei Leonov) and Gemini missions
  • Defining fadGo-go boots and miniskirts
  • Notable inventionAstroturf
  • World population3.34 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderLyndon B. Johnson
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population194.3M

1965 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Paulina Porizkova's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19652026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$13,600$435,000
Average income$8,900$67,500
Minimum wage$1.25$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.01$11.95
Postage stamp$0.05$0.73
Population194.3M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.