Gia Carangi Birthday & Fun Facts

Gia Carangi Birthday Highlights

Birth Name

Gia Carangi

Place Of Birth

Philadelphia, USA

Age

63 years old

Birth Date

January 29 1960

Gia Carangi Facts

Child Star?

no

Occupation

Model

Education & Qualifications

Net Worth

$10,000

Parents

Kathleen Carangi, Joseph Carangi

Siblings

Joe Carangi, Michael Carangi

Gia Marie Carangi was an American fashion model who rose to fame in a very short amount of time.

Gia Carangi was the favorite face of many famous fashion photographers like Francesco Scavullo, Denis Piel, Von Wangenheim, and Arthur Elgort. Many considered her to be the first woman to be titled a supermodel. 

She had many magazine front covers dominated by her, including many editions of Vogue magazine in countries like Britain, America, Italy, and France, as well as being the cover model of Cosmopolitan many times. Gia Carangi represented many high-end designers, magazines, and brands like Levi Strauss, Perry Ellis, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Vogue Italia, Diane von Fürstenberg, Maybelline, Gianni Versace, and Christian Dior.

Unfortunately, this tremendously talented celebrity's fame and fortune were short-lived, as Gia Carangi died when her career was at its peak in the fashion industry.

Gia Carangi has worked with leading fashion photographers like Joseph Petrellis. The names of her parents are Joseph Carangi and Kathleen Carangi. She grew up with her two older brothers. Her father was a restaurant owner, and her mother was a homemaker.

What was Gia Carangi's net worth?

Gia Carangi had a net worth of $10,000.

How much did Gia Carangi earn per year?

There are no details available about Gia Carangi's income.

How tall was Gia Carangi?

Gia Carangi was 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) tall.

How old was Gia Carangi?

Gia Carangi was 26 years old when she died in Hahnemann University Hospital on November 18, 1986. She was born on January 29, 1960.

Gia Marie Carangi was born on January 29, 1960, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Her father, Joseph Carangi, ran a restaurant, and her mother, Kathleen Carangi, was a stay-at-home mom. She was the youngest among her two older brothers, Joe and Michael Carangi.

Due to her troubled marriage with her husband, Joseph Carangi, Kathleen Carangi, Gia's mother, left the family when she was 11 years old, leaving the young Gia behind. Gia was a bashful and sensitive child who craved attention from her family, particularly a momma's girl who yearned for her mother's love and attention. Many of her close family and acquaintances condemned her fragmented upbringing for her difficulties later in life.

Gia would send flowers to other girls at Abraham Lincoln High School to befriend them, looking for a place of attention and warmth. She also became a member of 'the Bowie kids', a group of passionate David Bowie admirers dressed in Bowie's 'certainly odd, elevated' style. She admired his fashion choices and ambivalent gendered play. Gi and her pals frequented clubs and bars in Philadelphia.

Who was Gia Carangi's partner?

In the autobiography of Gia Carangi titled 'A Thing Of Beauty,' it can be seen that she was constantly smitten with the models she worked with. Her most well-known relationship was with makeup artist Sandy Linter. Many people knew Carangi's affection for Sandy, but their relationship was stormy, and they grew apart.

She also had relationships with Mickey Rourke, Rob Fay, and Chris von Wangenheim.

Best Known For…

Before starting her fashion modeling career, Gia Carangi had been doing odd modeling jobs, such as appearing in Philadelphia newspaper ads. She moved to New York City, where she met Wilhelmina Cooper and joined her modeling agency Wilhelmina Models, just after her 17th birthday. Her career began with tiny offers, but Gia Carangi became a new sensation as time passed, and many renowned designers and photographers wished to collaborate with her.

Her first big image was a nude photoshoot of her standing at the fence by prominent fashion photographer Chris von Wangenheim, with makeup by Sandy Linter. And those photos sparked outrage and constituted a watershed moment in the modeling industry's evolution. Gia appeared on the front cover of Vogue magazine in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France a year later. Carangi was already a well-known fashion model by the end of her first year in New York in 1978.

A year later, she was featured on the cover of the American Cosmopolitan magazine with a breathtaking photograph of herself in a yellow swimsuit, ultimately dubbed one of her masterpieces. Many photographers, including Francesco Scavullo, Von Wangenheim, Denis Piel, Richard Avedon, and Arthur Elgort, favored Gia Carangi. Carangi appeared on the covers of numerous fashion magazines, including the April 1979 issue of Vogue Paris, the August 1980 issue of Vogue Paris, the August 1980 issue of American Vogue, the February 1981 issue of Italian Vogue, and the front cover of Cosmopolitan magazine on numerous occasions between 1979 and 1982. She also appeared in Blondie's 'Atomic' music video during this time.

In the fashion world, she was regarded as the first supermodel. Gia has worked with various brands, including Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, André Laug, Giorgio Armani, Levi's, Vidal Sassoon, Bloomingdale's, Citicorp, Cutex, Lancetti, Maybelline, Perry Ellis, Diane von Fürstenberg, and Gianni Versace, throughout her career.

She left Wilhelmina Models to sign with Ford Models at the decline of her career, but it only lasted a week. She also worked infrequently for a new agency called Legends, primarily in Europe. With Elite Model Management, she attempted a return in late 1981. Scavullo shot her for Cosmopolitan's April 1982 cover, her final cover for an American publication. With photographer Albert Watson, she worked for stores and catalogs. Richard Avedon photographed her for a Gianni Versace advertising campaign.

• Gia's fantastic ability to portray any image, from a rocking girl to a naive simpleton, made her even more appealing to her coworkers.
• When Gia Carangi rose to fame and fortune, she began to accept only those proposals that piqued her attention. She was adamant about not working if she didn't like her attire, makeup, or hairstyle.
• Gia Carangi was best known in modeling circles by her first name at the height of her career.
• A photographer in Philadelphia discovered Gia Carangi on a dance floor and sent her photograph to New York. A fashion model and the first supermodel was born as a result.
• Gia Carangi's ancestors came from Italy, Wales, and Ireland.
• Gia Carangi was known to have worked with impressive names like Christian Dior, Yves Saint, and Levi Strauss.

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