• Cheryl Rae Tiegs was born on 25 September 1947 in Breckenridge, Minnesota, USA
• She is a fashion designer and model, credited as the first American supermodel
• She had a successful career, leading to her net worth of over $24 million as of early 2020
• She received her high school education at Alhambra High School in California, and enrolled in California State University, Los Angeles for an English degree, though she left in her junior year to pursue a career in modelling
• She has been married four times, has three children, and is a philanthropist, spokesperson, and ambassador for various organizations

 

Who is Cheryl Tiegs?

Cheryl Rae Tiegs was born on 25 September 1947, in Breckenridge, Minnesota, USA, and is a fashion designer as well as a model, best known for being credited as the first American supermodel. She appeared in numerous popular magazines during the peak of her career, including “Sports Illustrated” and “TIME”.

The Net Worth of Cheryl Tiegs

How rich is Cheryl Tiegs? As of early 2020, sources estimate a net worth that is over $24 million, earned through a successful career as a (super)model.

She became an icon of 1970s pop culture thanks to her “Pink Bikini” poster, but all of her achievements throughout her career have helped put her in the position she’s in today.

Early Life and Education

Tiegs grew up in Breckenridge, the daughter of a funeral director who previously worked as an auto-assembly lineman. Her family later moved to Alhambra, California where she would take up her high school education at Alhambra High School.

It was established in 1898, and is known for administering one of the most extensive high school educational programs in California, offering hundreds of courses, helping it gain the California Distinguished School award.

During her senior year, she posed for a Cole of California ad, which appeared in the magazine “Seventeen” making it her first swimsuit modelling endeavor. This launched her career, though she decided to pursue her education further by enrolling for an English degree at California State University, Los Angeles.

The university offers numerous degrees in various fields, and has an enrollment of over 27,000 students. The campus is located on a hilltop, and is also the home of various national institutions. She did not complete her education, however, leaving in her junior year to fully pursue a career in modelling.

Modelling Beginnings and Rise to Fame

After her ad appeared in “Seventeen”, Tiegs was contacted by the editorial staff at “Glamour”, and bypassed the traditional meeting, leading her to become contracted by the company for a cover shoot.

She later made the covers of “Elle”, “Harper’s Bazaar” and “Vogue”, among many others, and becoming the first model to appear twice on the cover of the swimsuit issue of “Sports Illustrated”. She also made the cover of “People” magazine four times, and “TIME” magazine three times.

In 1979, she signed a $1.5 million two-year contract with Cover Girl cosmetics, marking the biggest contract a model had to that date. The following year, she launched her own signature line of clothing and accessories for the department store Sears, which was the first retail venture by a supermodel.

Cheryl Tiegs

Her collection neared $1 billion in sales over the next decade, the main reason for the chain’s success in what was a decade of turmoil. In 1990, a doll in her likeness was created, and five years later she started her own line of sportswear too – sold through QVC – while she also designed a line of wigs for Revlon.

Latter Career and Other Projects

In 2001 at the age of 54, Cheryl appeared in a bikini on the cover of the magazine “More”, which gained her a lot of praise as she broke age barriers when it came to beauty, fashion, and fitness. During the latter part of her career, she mainly did acting work and made television appearances.

She was a contestant in “Celebrity Apprentice”, with her participation benefitting the Farrah Fawcett Foundation. Other projects she worked on included “Just Shoot Me”, “Oxygen’s Girls”, and “Family Guy” in which she had a recurring role. She also hosted a travel adventure series entitled “Pathfinders: Exotic Journeys” for the Travel Channel.

She was a regular guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” during its run, while also frequenting other similar programs, including “Extra”, “The Today Show”, and “Access Hollywood”.

She also did film work, with some of her projects including “The Brown Bunny” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” in which she appeared alongside John C. Reilley. She also became the spokeswoman for “Renewal: A Time for You”, a project which aims to help women transition to a healthier lifestyle. She is a spokesperson for the company Cambria, too.

Personal Life

For her personal life, it is known that Tiegs has been married four times – the first and longest was to film director Stan Dragoti, staying together for nine years before divorcing in 1979.

Two years later, she married artist and photographer Peter Hill Beard, but that lasted for only two years. Her third marriage would be in 1990 to Anthony Peck, and they stayed together for five years. Her so far last marriage was to yoga and meditation advocate Rod Stryker, and they were together from 1998 to 2001. She has three children, one with Peck and twins with Stryker, who were delivered via surrogacy.

Cheryl’s residence is in Bel Air, California, in a home which was placed on the market for $15 million.

She now spends a lot of her free time doing philanthropic work, and has served on the Board of Directors of COACH for Kids as well as for the Earth Conservation Corps. She is also a spokesperson for City of Hope, and supports the Macula Vision Research Foundation. She is an ambassador for the International Planned Parenthood Foundation too. She’s visited the Arctic to explore the effects of global warming, and has participated in other environmental programs – she’s promoted environmentally conscious living throughout her life.

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