A striking international fashion model whose career skyrocketed in the late 1970s and eventually led to offbeat character roles in features, Iman was born and raised in Somalia and began following in her diplomat father's footsteps while studying political science at the University of Nairobi. Photographer and adventurer Peter Beard, though, was instantly taken with her sharp, clean bone structure, large, dark eyes and elegant carriage, and encouraged a move to New York and a career in modeling. Not long thereafter, Iman appeared in Vogue and enjoyed a breakthrough when she became one of the first black models signed to a major cosmetics campaign, in this case Revlon's. Occasional appearances in films came soon thereafter, but Iman's roles in "The Human Factor" (1979), the Merchant-Ivory "Jane Austen in Manhattan" (1980) and a non-speaking role in "Out of Africa" (1985) gave her little to work with. Subsequent roles tended to use her accent and her fierce, proud expression of hauteur to typecast her as exotic decoration or nasty temptresses and villains. Iman's modest range and experience only justified this to a partial extent; her guest stint as an expectant mother on TV's "The Cosby Show" was appealing and suggested potential. Her best screen roles to date have included a golddigging seductress in "House Party 2" and a vicious, shape-changing alien in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (both 1991). Other films, such as "Exit to Eden" (1994), dispensed with dignity entirely and only called upon Iman to frown and snarl. In contrast, director John Singleton well utilized her regal beauty by casting her as a queen opposite Eddie Murphy's king in the amiably Afrocentric "Remember the Time" music video wherein she was wooed by a magical Michael Jackson.
Profession(s):
Actor, model
Sometimes Credited As:
Iman Abudul Majid
Family
daughter:Alexandria Zahra Jones (born on August 15, 2000; father, David Bowie)
daughter:Zulekha Haywood (born c. 1988; father Spencer Haywood)
husband:David Bowie (Bowie proposed November 1991; married on June 6, 1992)
husband:Spencer Haywood (divorced)
2000 Introduced cosmetics line I-IMAN
1992 Starred with Michael Jackson, Eddie Murphy, and Magic Johnson in John Singleton's "Remember the Time" music video for Jackson
1992 Made the documentary "A Journey Home, Somalia"
1991 First TV-movie, "Lies of the Twins", made for the USA Network
1985 Earliest TV acting work included a guest stint on an episode of the popular crime drama series, "Miami Vice", directed by series star Don Johnson; episode titled "Back to the World"
1979 Signed to be part of a major ad campaign for Revlon cosmetics
1979 Made feature film debut in "The Human Factor"
1978 Moved to New York City; photos of Iman noticed by a modeling agent at an art gallery exhibition of Beard's work; signed to a contract by the Elite Modeling Agency in Manhattan (date approximate)
1977 Discovered by photographer Peter Beard while she was still a student at the University of Nairobi; did some posing for the artist and was encouraged to move to New York
Sent to live with grandmother in Ethiopia as a child
After receiving death threats, her family relocated from Somalia to Kenya; much later family moved to Virginia in the USA
