Twiggy

This article is about the English supermodel. For other uses of the name, see Twiggy (disambiguation).

Twiggy (born Lesley Hornby on September 19, 1949) is an English supermodel, actress, and singer, now also known by her married name of Twiggy Lawson.

Twiggy was born in the London suburb of Neasden to William Norman (a master carpenter) and Helen Hornby (a counter girl at Woolworth's). Twiggy became famous at the age of 16, under the influence of her boyfriend and manager, Justin de Villeneuve. Soon she was regarded as the face of 1960s Swinging London, along with other models such as Celia Hammond. She gained her nickname from her big-eyed, stick thin pubescent figure. She was known for the high fashion mod look that she created.

As she matured, she left Villeneuve and broadened her horizons, appearing as an actress and singer, notably in Ken Russell's 1971 film version of Sandy Wilson's musical, The Boy Friend, for which she won two Golden Globe Awards. Since then she has played a variety of roles on stage and screen, including My One and Only and as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, opposite Robert Powell, in a 1981 television production.

Her first marriage, to the American actor, Michael Witney, ended with his sudden death from a heart attack. In 1988, she met Leigh Lawson on the film Madame Sousatzka, and then married him.

Comedian Fran Drescher went on a cruise with friend Twiggy and Twiggy's family. The culture shock Drescher experienced inspired her to create her hit sitcom The Nanny.

In 2005, as well as joining as one of America's Next Top Model's four permanent judges in Cycle 5 6, and 7, Twiggy returned to modelling, fronting a major new TV, press and billboard campaign for Marks & Spencer, the UK department store chain. In 2006, she got the chance to play herself as a nineteen year-old in the radio play Elevenses with Twiggy for BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play series.

Filmography

• The Boy Friend (1971)
• W (1974)
• There Goes The Bride (1979)
• The Blues Brothers (1980)
• Pygmalion (1981)
• The Doctor And The Devils (1985)
• Club Paradise (1986)
• The Little Match Girl (1986)
• Madame Sousatzka (1988)
• The Diamond Trap (1988)
• Sun Child (1988)
• Young Charlie Chaplin (1989)
• Istanbul (Keep Your Eyes Open) (1990)
• Body Bags (1993)
• Something Borrowed, Something Blue (1997)
• Edge of Seventeen (1998)
• Woundings (1998)
• The Taming of the Shrew (2005)

TV work

• Twiggs (1974)
• Twiggy (1975)
• The Muppet Show (1976) (1 episode)
• Victorian Scandals (1976)
• The Donna Summer Special (1980)
• A Gift of Music (1981)
• Princesses (1991) (2 episodes)
• Tales from the Crypt (1992) (1 episode)
• The Nanny (1994) (1 episode)
• Heartbeat (1994) (1 episode)
• Absolutely Fabulous (2000-2001)
• This Morning (presenter in 2001)
• America's Next Top Model (judge, Cycle 5-) (2005-)

Recordings

• The Boy Friend (1971)
• Twiggy And The Girlfriends (1972)
• Cole Porter In Paris (1973)
• Twiggy (1976)
• Please Get My Name Right (1977)
• Captain Beaky And His Band (1977)
• Pieces Of April (1978)
• My One And Only (1983)
• The Doctor And The Devils (1985)
• The Boy Friend & Highlights From Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1990)
• Twiggy And The Silver Screen Syncopaters (1995)
• A Hollywood Christmas (1996)
• London Pride - Songs From The London Stage (1996)
• Beautiful Dreams (1997)
• Dead Man On Campus (1998)
• The Best Of Twiggy (1998)
• If Love Were All (1999)
• Peter Pan (2000)
• Midnight Blue (2003)
• Twiggy (2004)
• Twiggy & Linda Thorson - A Snapshot Of Swinging London (2005)

External links

• Official site
• Twiggy at IMDb
• Template:Tvtome person