Unusual appearance and relatively small growth did not prevent the girl from becoming a supermodel in the 90s and starring in several American blockbusters. Devon Aoki owes its peculiar face to a mixture of various European and Asian bloods. She was a favorite model of many famous designers and photographers. The most famous film with her participation is Sin City by the famous director Robert Rodriguez.
early years
Devon Edenna Aoki was born on August 10, 1982 in New York, in the family of the owner of a chain of popular Japanese restaurants Benihana and a jewelry designer. Father, Rocky Aoki Hiroaki - a thoroughbred Japanese, a famous wrestler who came to the United States in 1960 as part of the Japanese Olympic team in wrestling. He decided to stay in America to go into the restaurant business. By the time the future famous model was born, he was already a wealthy businessman and the father of three sons.
Devon Aoki was born from his second wife. Her mother, Pamela Hilburger, has German and English roots. Until nine years old, they lived in New York, and later moved to the fashionable California city of Malibu, which was associated with the work of his father. When the girl was fourteen, her parents divorced. Children with their mother left for her homeland in London. Devon never lost touch with her father and still loved him.
Good case
From childhood, Devon Aoki stood out not only for her exotic appearance, but also for her lively character. At school, she studied very well without much effort and at the same time was not a “cracker” and was always ready for adventure. The fate of the girl was determined thanks to a coincidence. Thirteen-year-old fan of the popular punk band Rancid managed not only to get through without a ticket to the concert of her musical idols, but also to get behind the scenes.
A daring teenager accidentally noticed a scout of the famous American company Calvin Klein, which was looking for new faces for the brand. Non-standard appearance Devon Aoki was extremely interested in him. However, when asked if she wants to become a model, the girl replied that for a start she needed to get to know the photographer.
She prepared well for her first photo shoot by gluing large false eyelashes and dyeing her eyebrows in yellow. The famous American photographer and stylist Mark Bortwick demanded that everything be returned to its natural state. To which the future supermodel replied with a categorical refusal.
I was lucky to meet you too
A significant event in her ascent to the top of the modeling business was her acquaintance with the popular English model Kate Moss, who also had an unusual appearance. Her grandmother spoke closely with Kate. Girls, despite the eight-year age difference, became friends.
Soon, the first Devon Aoki photo appeared on the cover of Interview Magazine. True, this was made possible thanks to the famous girlfriend. Kate Moss also helped her young ward conclude the first professional contract with the prestigious modeling agency Storm Model Management. The newly made model was then only fourteen years old.
Short stature (168 cm), a serious, heart-shaped face showered with freckles did not portend a stellar career. However, the atypical appearance attracted the attention of many famous photographers, designers and producers. The stake, first of all, was placed on a teenage audience. In the professional environment, she was given the nickname "punk nympho", and soon she became a superstar of the show business of the nineties.
At the peak of a modeling career
In 1998, Devon Aoki replaced the black panther Naomi Campbell as the face of the Versace fashion house. This opened the girl a direct path to the model catwalks of the leading capitals of the world. Such workload began to seriously harm her studies, and she decided that show business and travel would give her more than studying. Her parents supported her choice.
At the age of seventeen, the rising star showed the spring collection of the Chanel house, which put it on a par with the most popular models of those years. This was followed by shooting for other leading model houses in the world. Photos of the new supermodel graced the covers of almost all fashion magazines, including Vogue, Numero, Elle.
Devon Aoki never participated in candid filming, because, as she said, her father, whom she respected and loved, would really not like. When Rocky Aoki died, the girl went to hospital.
Movie career
Such an extraordinary star of international catwalks could not help but notice the Hollywood directors. If in the modeling business, small growth has become an insurmountable obstacle for many beautiful girls, then in the cinema there are no such restrictions. The debut of actress Devon Aoki took place in 2003 in the popular youth franchise "Double Fast and the Furious." Her character, Suki, turned out to be quite interesting and was welcomed by the audience and critics. Interestingly, on the set of this film, she learned to drive a car.
Next, a series of invitations to box office movies followed. The next year, Devon Aoki starred in the film "Spies" (the role of Dominic). Then she received an invitation from the famous director Robert Rodriguez, and she starred in two parts of Sin City in 2005 and 2013. She got the role of a dumb prostitute, a female ninja, a killing trader. In 2006, she played Princess Kasumi in the film adaptation of the computer game DOA: Alive or Dead. In 2007, she starred in the film "War" (Kaira), the next year - in the "Chronicle of Mutants" (Valeria Duval).
Personal life
At one time, her modeling career was greatly helped by a stormy romance with the American singer Lenny Kravitz, who was considered a kind of musical sex symbol of the time. The yellow press wrote a lot about the upcoming celebrity wedding. Now Devon Aoki does not like to recall these relationships. Since 2010, the girl has been engaged to James Bailey, a restaurant and finance business. They have three children: a son and two daughters.
Of her large family, only Devon Aoki and Steve Aoki (paternal brother) made a successful career in show business. Steve is a famous DJ and owner of a recording studio.
Now she lives in Los Angeles, sometimes starred (the last work in 2016 in the clip Fergie - MILF), writes poetry. For pleasure, the girl plays percussion instruments and holds two hand snakes.