Malena Belafonte
Encyclopedia
Malena Belafonte is an international fashion model
.
. She appeared in magazines such as Elle
, Bazaar, Shape
as well as clients such as Manolo Blahnik
and Neiman Marcus
. She did runway shows in New York, Milan
and Paris
and appeared in commercials
as well as small TV roles in television series such as Sunset Beach
with Sam Behrens
, as well as the soap opera
"As the World Turns
". Malena Belafonte has worked for designers such as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Olec Cassini, Christian Dior and Bulgari. She started her career in Paris with famed avant garde photographer, Gunnar Larsen whose magazine GUNNAR featured Malena from her career start to his death. In Paris she appeared on numerous TV shows, in runway shows and did campaigns. She was chosen as one of the first blondes to be featured on the cover of "Fairuz" the Arabian Vogue. Famous French photographer Jean-Francois Jonvelle saw the potential in the sexy blonde and cast her in a big fashion spread alongside Supermodel Tod Gordon. Jonvelle and Malena did many other shoots and he choose her as one of his models for his popular photographer books. World renowned American photographer Art Kane took a similar liking to the Danish model and cast her in his movie project, Paperdolls, Unfortunately Art Kane died before the project was completed. The celebrated jeweler, David Saity, a specialist in American Indian Jewelry, chose her for his campaigns and she worked for years for Calvin Klein Lingerie.
Malena Belafonte did many music videos and appeared as the lead in Carole King's first and only music video "City Streets" which gave Malena a cultish status. She did the cover of Manhattan Bride the year she got married, and the Cover of Stork when she was 8 months pregnant with her second child.
As a child Malena Belafonte appeared with her parents on the Christmas Album, "Christmas in Vellerup". She sang 2 songs solo and appeared on several tracks in the choir. Music was part of her life growing up and Malena Belafonte performed from when she was 3. She did many concerts with her parents and started a band with her brother Marius. The band became known locally and performed in front of 1000 plus crowds. When Malena moved to Paris the band retired.
While modeling in Paris, music played a small part and Malena did background vocals for artists such as Jean Beauvoir, of Plasmatics and Crown of Thorns fame, One plus One, as well as jingles with Cool and the Gang. She was offered a record deal, but declined because the timing didn't seem right. In 1994 she was signed to the American record label Edel as singer in the all girl's group, Wilhelmina. She performed for 3 years with the group in both the US and Germany. While the group toured Germany, they performed on the famous TV Show Fernsehn Garden in front of a live audience of 10.000 people and 22 million viewers. The group performed for full houses in NYC. Malena Belafonte also sang at Cafe Wha and Wilson's in NYC.
She won second place in the Danish Version of Dancing with the Stars
in November 2009. She danced with professional dancer Silas Holst.
Malena Belafonte and her team won 3 place in "Fort Boyard" in 2010, a game show shown in 30 countries, focusing on fear, endurance and mental challenges. Also in 2010 she appeared in a Danish dinner show, 4 Star Dinner, where she was pronounced the winner of her team.
but lives in New York
. Her parents are Irmgard Mathiesen and Aksel H. Mathiesen. Irmgard is a soloist who was a docent
at the Royal Conservatory of Denmark. Aksel was a composer who led the acclaimed orchestra Concentus Musicus of Denmark. Malena Belafonte toured with her parents and was taught to read and write music.
She married David Belafonte in New York in 2000. He is a producer, son of the legendary entertainer Harry Belafonte
. They have two children, a daughter Sarafina (born in 2003) and Amadeus (born in 2007).
According to the New York Times article on October 19, 2009, Malena Belafonte started The Speyer Legacy School with 4 other mothers, a private school
in New York for gifted children. The school opened in September 2009 and is attended by her daughter. The Speyer Legacy School won best New School in 2009 by the Blackboard Awards, and Best Gifted and Talented Program in 2010.
Malena Belafonte was a singer in the all-girl group Wilhelmina and was signed to Edel Records between 1994 and 1996.
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
.
Career
Malena Belafonte was a model with famed Wilhelmina ModelsWilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models is a modeling agency founded in 1967 by the model Wilhelmina Cooper and her husband Bruce Cooper in Manhattan Starting in 2010, Wilhelmina Models started a sub-brand called "Digital Empire Modeling" for new digital-era modeling talents....
. She appeared in magazines such as Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
, Bazaar, Shape
Shape Magazine
Shape Magazine is a monthly English language fitness magazine started by Weider Publications in 1981, founded by Christine MacIntyre and became the #1 women's fitness magazine...
as well as clients such as Manolo Blahnik
Manolo Blahnik
Manuel "Manolo" Blahnik Rodríguez CBE, , is a Spanish fashion designer and founder of the self-named, high-end shoe brand.-Biography:Born to a Czech father and a Spanish mother and born and raised in the Canary Islands , Blahnik graduated from the University of Geneva in 1965 and studied art in Paris...
and Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
. She did runway shows in New York, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and appeared in commercials
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
as well as small TV roles in television series such as Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach (TV series)
Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...
with Sam Behrens
Sam Behrens
Sam Behrens is an actor most notably recognized from his role as Gregory Richards in Aaron Spelling's Sunset Beach. He has been married to Shari Belafonte since December 31, 1989.-Filmography:...
, as well as the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
"As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
". Malena Belafonte has worked for designers such as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Olec Cassini, Christian Dior and Bulgari. She started her career in Paris with famed avant garde photographer, Gunnar Larsen whose magazine GUNNAR featured Malena from her career start to his death. In Paris she appeared on numerous TV shows, in runway shows and did campaigns. She was chosen as one of the first blondes to be featured on the cover of "Fairuz" the Arabian Vogue. Famous French photographer Jean-Francois Jonvelle saw the potential in the sexy blonde and cast her in a big fashion spread alongside Supermodel Tod Gordon. Jonvelle and Malena did many other shoots and he choose her as one of his models for his popular photographer books. World renowned American photographer Art Kane took a similar liking to the Danish model and cast her in his movie project, Paperdolls, Unfortunately Art Kane died before the project was completed. The celebrated jeweler, David Saity, a specialist in American Indian Jewelry, chose her for his campaigns and she worked for years for Calvin Klein Lingerie.
Malena Belafonte did many music videos and appeared as the lead in Carole King's first and only music video "City Streets" which gave Malena a cultish status. She did the cover of Manhattan Bride the year she got married, and the Cover of Stork when she was 8 months pregnant with her second child.
As a child Malena Belafonte appeared with her parents on the Christmas Album, "Christmas in Vellerup". She sang 2 songs solo and appeared on several tracks in the choir. Music was part of her life growing up and Malena Belafonte performed from when she was 3. She did many concerts with her parents and started a band with her brother Marius. The band became known locally and performed in front of 1000 plus crowds. When Malena moved to Paris the band retired.
While modeling in Paris, music played a small part and Malena did background vocals for artists such as Jean Beauvoir, of Plasmatics and Crown of Thorns fame, One plus One, as well as jingles with Cool and the Gang. She was offered a record deal, but declined because the timing didn't seem right. In 1994 she was signed to the American record label Edel as singer in the all girl's group, Wilhelmina. She performed for 3 years with the group in both the US and Germany. While the group toured Germany, they performed on the famous TV Show Fernsehn Garden in front of a live audience of 10.000 people and 22 million viewers. The group performed for full houses in NYC. Malena Belafonte also sang at Cafe Wha and Wilson's in NYC.
She won second place in the Danish Version of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
in November 2009. She danced with professional dancer Silas Holst.
Malena Belafonte and her team won 3 place in "Fort Boyard" in 2010, a game show shown in 30 countries, focusing on fear, endurance and mental challenges. Also in 2010 she appeared in a Danish dinner show, 4 Star Dinner, where she was pronounced the winner of her team.
Life
She was born and raised in DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
but lives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Her parents are Irmgard Mathiesen and Aksel H. Mathiesen. Irmgard is a soloist who was a docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
at the Royal Conservatory of Denmark. Aksel was a composer who led the acclaimed orchestra Concentus Musicus of Denmark. Malena Belafonte toured with her parents and was taught to read and write music.
She married David Belafonte in New York in 2000. He is a producer, son of the legendary entertainer Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
. They have two children, a daughter Sarafina (born in 2003) and Amadeus (born in 2007).
According to the New York Times article on October 19, 2009, Malena Belafonte started The Speyer Legacy School with 4 other mothers, a private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
in New York for gifted children. The school opened in September 2009 and is attended by her daughter. The Speyer Legacy School won best New School in 2009 by the Blackboard Awards, and Best Gifted and Talented Program in 2010.
External links
Malena Belafonte was a singer in the all-girl group Wilhelmina and was signed to Edel Records between 1994 and 1996.