Yasmin Parvaneh Le Bon was born on October 29, 1964, in Oxford, England, to Iradj and Patricia Parvaneh. Discovered by a local modeling agency while working a part-time sales job in 1981, Yasmin's first gigs had her competing in local beauty contests, appearing in fashion shows, and doing a lot of hand modeling; she later decided to model full-time at the encouragement of family and friends.
 
Simon Le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran, spotted a photo of Yasmin in photographer Mike Owen's portfolio in 1984 and got her number through a mutual friend. Thinking that it was a joke, she initially hung up on him ("I replied, 'Thank you, but I'd prefer to go out with Rod Stewart'"); but he persisted. She finally relented and agreed to go out for a first date, not realizing that it was the film premiere of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. "I thought we were just going to go out to the movies," she said. Some first date! The two fell in love and were later wed on December 27, 1985.

In 1985, Yasmin scored a major coup by appearing on the covers of the first issues of both American and British Elle. Elle was one of the first and few magazines in the '80s to feature a range of ethnic models. Her Iranian look helped her land 10 French Elle covers and she was featured on the cover of American Elle's 21st-birthday supplement. She even edited the 10th-anniversary edition of British Elle. Yasmin earned her place in the fashion pantheon at a time when her slender, straight-haired, subtle Middle Eastern look wasn't very popular. Yet by the '90s, Yasmin had become one of the most sought-after and highest paid models in the world, paving the way for other models looking to break fashion molds.
 
In August 1989, Yasmin gave birth to her first daughter, Amber, and was back on the catwalks within weeks. In September 1991 her second daughter, Saffron, was born, and then Tallulah three years later. Although she retired after the birth of each of her children, Yasmin couldn't stay away too long as she truly loves what she does. "They'll have to bury me before I give up," she insists, and it's clear that Yasmin will continue to push boundaries in fashion.

Yasmin's looks, enthusiasm, and professionalism keep her in demand today as a working model. She snagged six international fashion magazine covers in 2007, sharing the July 2007 British Vogue cover with five other British models, and she was also photographed in a major fashion editorial for Vogue India. She continues to use her celebrity to call attention to important causes; she holds those benefiting breast cancer research especially close to her heart as her mother, Patricia, fell victim to it.