Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model and occasional film actress. She is the goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme. In the late 1990s, Bündchen became the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find international success. In 1999, Vogue magazine dubbed her "The Return of the Sexy Model" and she was credited with ending the "heroin chic" era of modeling. Bündchen was one of Victoria's Secret Angels from 2000 until mid-2007. Since 2004, she has been the highest-paid model in the world and the sixteenth richest woman in the entertainment industry (as of 2007) with an estimated $150 million fortune.
Just like last year, Bündchen leads the pack with a stunning $45 million in earnings (all estimates from May 1st, 2011 to May 1st, 2012). Even in her early thirties, Bündchen remains an unparalleled force within the fashion world. As the world’s most powerful supermodel, she racks up modeling gigs, spokesperson deals, and independent licensing ventures at every turn. The veritable endorsement queen shills for brands such as Pantene, Esprit, and Versace, and makes a percentage of profits on Ipanema flip-flops and other products bearing her name. While in the United States many know her as the wife of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Bündchen’s effect as a spokesperson, especially in her native Brazil, can make a huge difference.
