Adriana Francesca Lima was born on June 12, 1981 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. At the tender age of 13, Adriana entered the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest, where her unique beauty, derived from her Native-Brazilian, African-Brazilian, Portuguese, French, and Caribbean heritage, won her second place. Moving to New York at age 16, Adriana joined the Elite Model Management and further pursued her modeling career, landing a campaign for the fashion designer Anna Molinari's clothing line. However, it was her appearance in several Guess? campaigns that gained her the recognition that catapulted her to her status as one of the world's top fashion models. Since then, she has appeared in campaigns for Anna Sui Jeans, Bebe, Gasoline, Mossimo, Victoria's Secret, BCBG, Keds, and XOXO, and has appeared on the covers of magazines such as Vogue and Marie Claire. She consistently appears in the hyped Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows, gaining recognition as one of the Victoria's Secret's Perfect 10. In her spare time, Adriana dedicates her services to help orphans in her native Brazil. She has appeared in the Italian TIM mobile Commercials.
Spokesmodel of Guess?. Spokesmodel of Victoria's Secret. Ranked #57 in Maxim's Hot 100 2003, ahead of Naomi Watts and behind Salma Hayek. Ethnicity is Native-Brazilian, African-Brazilian, Portuguese, French, Japanese and Caribbean. Ranked #1 on Askmen.com's Most Desirable Women (2004). Ranked #33 on Askmen.com's Most Desirable Women (2002). Ranked #75 on Askmen.com's Most Desirable Women (2003). One of the world's top fashion models. A favorite model of photographer Ellen Von Unwerth, she appears prominently in Von Unwerth's 1998 book "Wicked." Chosen as the most desirable woman by AskMen.com, leaving behind such starts as Angelina Jolie (#9), Halle Berry (#10), Monica Bellucci (#2) and Charlize Theron (#3). [2005] Her favorite musician is Lenny Kravitz. She has also appeared in one of his music videos, "Yesterday Is Gone". Measurements are 33-24-34. Ranked #1 on Askmen.com's 99 Most Desirable Women (2005). She has helped financially and worked with orphaned children in Brazil for several years. Ranked and Voted #4 by AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2006 Named #39 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005) Named #27 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006). She's the second best paid Brazilian model. The first is Gisele Bündchen. She was raised by her mother, Maria da Graça Lima (social worker). Her father, Nelson Torres, abandoned his wife and Adriana when she was 6 months old. Ranked #53 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list. Stated that she's of African, Swiss, and Indian ethnicity. She lists "West Side Story" and "Central Station" among her favorite movies.