French fashion model Laetitia Casta was born May 11, 1978, in Port-Audemere in Normandy. The 5'7" model was "discovered" at age 15 when she was building sandcastles with her sister at a beach in Corsica. A photographer urged her to go to Paris for some test shots, and a few weeks later Casta was walking the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier. By the time she was 16, she had appeared on the covers of three magazines.
In 1993 the model started posing for Guess?, and Sports Illustrated featured her in their 1997, 1998, and 1999 swimsuit issues. She was musician Chris Isaak's love interest in his controversial video "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing." And in 1998 Rolling Stone magazine selected her for the cover of its "Hot" issue. In 2000, Casta was chosen as the new "Marianne," a woman to represent the ideals of the French republic. This position has formerly been held by celebrities such as Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuvre.
In addition to modeling, Casta has also appeared in several French films. In 2001 she gave birth to her daughter Sahteene, and she currently divides her time between homes in London and New York.
