Marisa Miller (born August 6, 1978
) is an American
model known for her consecutive appearances in the
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues beginning in 2002 and the
Victoria's Secret catalogs beginning in 2001. She is the
cover model for the 2008
SI Swimsuit Issue and a
Victoria's Secret Angel,
[SI.com - 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Photo Gallery] as well as #1 on
Maxim magazine's 2008 "Hot 100" list and an ambassador for the
American Cancer Society.
Early life and career start
Born
Marisa Bertetta in
Santa Cruz,
California, she was first "discovered" at age 16 walking through a
San Francisco café by two Italian modeling agents.
After talking to her mother Krista Bertetta, she was on a plane to Italy with her mom a few months later. Miller says the most valuable thing her mom has ever told her was: "You can always go back to school, but you can't always model."
Miller took her mom's advice and soon gained attention when she appeared in a 1997 issue of
Perfect 10 magazine. Although she came in third behind
Ashley Degenford and Monica Hansen in
Perfect 10 magazine's first annual model search,
she was repeatedly showcased in following issues, including the covers of the Winter 1998, Aug/Sept 1999, and Fall 2004 editions.
