Get to Know Sean O’Pry, the World’s Top-Earning Male Model
24-year-old Sean O’Pry tops this year’s Forbes list of the most successful male models, beating out David Gandy, who comes in at No. 2. Male models make nowhere near as much money as their female counterparts, but he’s still doing all right, having earned about $1.5 million over the past twelve months from major contracts with big brands like Jil Sander, Armani, Viktor & Rolf, Coach, and Kenzo. Here’s what you need to know about him.
Born: July 5, 1989, in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Principal Residence: New York.
Education: North Cobb High School.
Breakout Moment: At age 17, his prom pictures were discovered on MySpace by Nolé Marin, then a judge on America’s Next Top Model. (O’Pry’s mother watched the show, and encouraged her son to return Marin’s messages.) Within a few weeks, O’Pry was signed by Lana Winters Tomczak, owner of VNY Models, who has remained his agent ever since.
Cutest Quote: “When I first came to New York, I thought Fendi was a food. My agent asked me, ‘What do you want to go eat?’ and I was like, ‘That Fendi sounds pretty good.’” [NYT]
Known For: Blue eyes, puffy lips.
Hang-ups: “When I was in middle school I wouldn’t turn profile to people, because I thought my nose was so bad that people would just stare at it. I’m still — the appeal escapes me still.” [Interview]
Future Plans: Would like to attend college. [NYT]
Physical regimen: A former football player, O’Pry had to quit sports after he got mono, and lost a lot of weight. Now he enjoys golf. [Forbes]
Major Campaigns: Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Versace, Kenzo, Viktor & Rolf, Uniqlo, Zara.
Major Magazine Covers: GQ Style (spring 2007, fall 2008), Details (March 2011), Vogue Hommes International (spring 2012), Vogue Hombre (fall 2012).
Click through his biggest (i.e., highest-paying) campaigns in our slideshow.
Sources
ForbesSources
NYTSources
Interview
