Suzanne Mizzi
Encyclopedia
Suzanne Mizzi was a glamour model
, singer, interior designer, and artist. She made regular appearances as a Page Three girl in the British newspaper The Sun
during the 1980s and 1990s, before going on to have a career as a catwalk model, as well as being involved in film and music. In her later years, she developed a career as an interior designer and abstract artist.
and grew up in London
.
After leaving school at 15, Mizzi opened a clothes shop in Bethnal Green
, London, where she was discovered by a photographer while working. She made her Page Three debut in 1984 aged 17 and immediately endeared herself to the public, although it took her parents a while to become comfortable with her career choice. In the first six months of her modelling career, Mizzi shot 26 calendars and was in high demand for personal appearances. Her success was helped by Page 3 photographer Beverley Goodway, whose pictures helped to establish her career. She could command fees of over £1,000 for a personal appearance.
In 1988, she quit glamour modeling and made the crossover into catwalk modelling, succeeding where many of her contemporaries of the time had not. She signed with the Storm Model Agency and began doing fashion shoots, something which would eventually lead to her working with Vivienne Westwood
. At the age of 21, she signed a £400,000 contract to front her own lingerie range for high street chain Dorothy Perkins
. A lingerie company once insured her face and body for £11 million.
Mizzi had an interest in music and was a founding member of the group Wildflowers, but her attempts to launch a musical career faltered, something she blamed on her record company. She once said of this: "We had a record deal, but the label wanted me to sing a pop track. I wanted to be an 'artist', not a pop star." According to a BBC report, she was one of a number of celebrities who took out insurance on the assets for which they were famous. She did this in 1989, when she insured her body with Lloyd's of London
for $16 million.
In the 2000s she became an artist and interior designer and was known as Mizzy. She exhibited her work at London's Rainbird Fine Art Gallery and ran an interior and building design consultancy business, which she started after friends saw work she had done on her house and asked her to design rooms for them. She began painting after having difficulty sourcing works of art for her clients. Her abstract paintings sold for up to £10,000 each. An exhibition of her work titled "Timeless" was held at the Artbank Gallery, also in London.
She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
in 2010; she died at St Joseph's Hospice, Hackney
, East London, on 22 May 2011, aged 43.
Glamour photography
Glamour photography is a genre of photography whereby the subjects, usually female, are portrayed in a romantic or sexually alluring way. The subjects may be fully clothed or seminude, but glamour photography stops short of deliberately arousing the viewer and being pornographic photography.Glamour...
, singer, interior designer, and artist. She made regular appearances as a Page Three girl in the British newspaper The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
during the 1980s and 1990s, before going on to have a career as a catwalk model, as well as being involved in film and music. In her later years, she developed a career as an interior designer and abstract artist.
Career
Mizzi was born on the Mediterranean island of MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and grew up in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
After leaving school at 15, Mizzi opened a clothes shop in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, London, where she was discovered by a photographer while working. She made her Page Three debut in 1984 aged 17 and immediately endeared herself to the public, although it took her parents a while to become comfortable with her career choice. In the first six months of her modelling career, Mizzi shot 26 calendars and was in high demand for personal appearances. Her success was helped by Page 3 photographer Beverley Goodway, whose pictures helped to establish her career. She could command fees of over £1,000 for a personal appearance.
In 1988, she quit glamour modeling and made the crossover into catwalk modelling, succeeding where many of her contemporaries of the time had not. She signed with the Storm Model Agency and began doing fashion shoots, something which would eventually lead to her working with Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.-Early life:...
. At the age of 21, she signed a £400,000 contract to front her own lingerie range for high street chain Dorothy Perkins
Dorothy Perkins
Dorothy Perkins, whose trading name was inspired by a rambler rose of the same name, is a large British women's clothing retailer, active mostly in the United Kingdom.- History :...
. A lingerie company once insured her face and body for £11 million.
Mizzi had an interest in music and was a founding member of the group Wildflowers, but her attempts to launch a musical career faltered, something she blamed on her record company. She once said of this: "We had a record deal, but the label wanted me to sing a pop track. I wanted to be an 'artist', not a pop star." According to a BBC report, she was one of a number of celebrities who took out insurance on the assets for which they were famous. She did this in 1989, when she insured her body with Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
for $16 million.
In the 2000s she became an artist and interior designer and was known as Mizzy. She exhibited her work at London's Rainbird Fine Art Gallery and ran an interior and building design consultancy business, which she started after friends saw work she had done on her house and asked her to design rooms for them. She began painting after having difficulty sourcing works of art for her clients. Her abstract paintings sold for up to £10,000 each. An exhibition of her work titled "Timeless" was held at the Artbank Gallery, also in London.
Personal life
Mizzi was married to her childhood sweetheart Frank Camilleri, a property developer, with whom she had a son, Geo, and a daughter, Sienna. Camilleri — who was her manager — is also a Maltese Briton. The family divided their time between homes in London, Spain and Malta.She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
in 2010; she died at St Joseph's Hospice, Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, East London, on 22 May 2011, aged 43.
External links
- Suzanne Mizzi at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...