As far as nicknames go, being internationally known as “The Face” isn’t a bad one if you're a model. Carol Alt was also called the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Playboy and the Next Million Dollar Face by LIFE, which aren’t too bad either!

Besides being the face of countless ad campaigns, Carol has graced more than 700 magazine covers. She seems to have always had an unerring instinct about where the industry could go, and she was one of the first to understand the real possibilities of extending modeling beyond the catwalk, fashion magazines, and advertising. Carol was the first model to have her own calendar and posters (which she produced herself when Elite rejected the idea). She made the switch from modeling to acting in 1986 and went on to appear in over 50 movies, TV episodes, and workout videos in America and abroad. Carol recently made a name for herself again as a go-to source for information about her raw-food diet, which she created later in her career after noticing how younger girls had so much more energy than her. Her two books promoting her own raw-food diet plans are USA Today best sellers.  

With her parents Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a fire chief, Carol grew up in Flushing, Queens in New York. She was discovered while waiting tables in East Williston, New York. When Carol was 18, she decided to try modeling as a summer job to save money for college. Her first big break was in 1980, when she was featured on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, but gained real fame in 1982, when she appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition.

Carol has recently returned to her modeling roots and taken on a number of model/spokesperson projects, including serving as a consultant with the Le Mirador skin-care line. After refusing to pose nude her entire career and turning down numerous offers from Playboy, Carol finally appeared on the cover and in a nude pictorial in Playboy’s December 2008 issue.

A contestant on NBC’s 2008 The Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump, Carol competed for her charity, the Tony Alt Memorial Foundation, which raises funds for scholarships to allow young adults to continue their studies. She ended up in third place before being fired, but was brought back for the final task of the show and was chosen by finalist Piers Morgan to help him become the Celebrity Apprentice.

It seems “The Face” is so much more than that.