Brigitte Nielsen

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Brigitte Nielsen

Nielsen in 1985, at age 22
Born Gitte Nielsen
July 15, 1963 (1963-07-15) (age 45)
Rødovre, Denmark
Spouse(s) Kasper Winding (1983-1984)
Sylvester Stallone (1985-1987)
Sebastian Copeland (1990-1992)
Raoul Meyer (1993-2005)
Mattia Dessi (2006-)

Brigitte Nielsen (born July 15, 1963) is a Danish actress who became known for appearing in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV and then marrying Rocky's star, Sylvester Stallone. She subsequently appeared with him in the 1986 film Cobra, and was noted for her widely publicized breakup with Stallone in 1987, and her extramarital relationship with New York Jets great Mark Gastineau in 1988.

She later built a career appearing in B-movies, and in the 2000s, for appearing on reality shows such as The Surreal Life, on which she met and began a relationship with rapper Flavor Flav. In 2008 she appeared on the reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which depicted her and several other celebrities dealing with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early career

At the beginning of the '80s she became famous as model, working for top designers such as Armani, Valentino, Ferrè and was photographed by Helmut Newton and Francesco Scavullo. Nielsen began her acting career in 1985, in Red Sonja alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the same year she met and married Sylvester Stallone; the couple acted in two movies together Rocky IV and Cobra before divorcing in 1987.

Nielsen started a music career shortly after her divorce from Stallone in 1987. She released her debut album Every Body Tells A Story in that year and recorded a duet with Austrian pop star Falco called "Body Next To Body" which went to #22 in Germany and #6 in Austria. In 1990 she recorded a single called "Rockin' like a radio" . She released a follow-up album, "I'm the one..nobody else", in 1992, although it was also not a success. In 2000 she made a musical comeback by recording the dance track "No more turning back" under the pseudonym of Gitta and reached #1 in Spain and topped several other European dance charts. Other tracks recorded as Gitta were 2001's "Tic Toc" and 2002's "You're No Lady", a collaboration with Ru Paul.

Nielsen as She-Hulk
Nielsen as She-Hulk

In the late 1980s, Marvel Comics approached Nielsen to pose for photographs dressed as the comic book character She-Hulk.[1] She had previously impressed the company with her prior portrayal of their character Red Sonja, and they hoped she would prove just as successful in a new movie venture. The photos did not produce a large amount of investors in the potential film and Marvel was forced to scrap the project. Subsequently she starred in Beverly Hills Cop II, Galaxys and The Double 0 Kid and some European movies.

In the 1990s, she hosted an English language talk show that was broadcast across Europe, to much acclaim.

She has worked for Italian television hosting hit shows such as the 1992 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival; Retromarsh! (1996-1997), and ..la sai l'ultima? (1999); starring in the TV movie Fantaghirò 2 and its sequels (1992-1996); and guest starring in the Rai Tre's soap opera Un posto al sole (2000).

[edit] Reality TV appearances

She appeared on the first season of the Italian version of The Mole (2004) and on the third season of the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life (2004). In the show, Nielsen was seen flirting with Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav and it was confirmed that they were a couple, even though she was still legally married to Raoul Meyer. The show was such a success that VH1 produced a spin-off reality show called Strange Love, which began airing on the channel on January 9, 2005. Nielsen also appeared with Flav on VH1's Big in '04 Awards. In 2006, she guest-starred on Flav's other reality show, Flavor of Love.

In 2004, Nielsen appeared in the Danish Big Brother VIP, one year later in January 2005 she was also a contestant in the British equivalent Celebrity Big Brother along with her former mother-in-law Jackie Stallone and the writer Germaine Greer, Nielsen eventually coming third in the final public vote. In 2006 she appeared in another reality TV series, VH1's The Surreal Life: Fame Game. In March 2007, she starred in a new British documentary called Killing Brigitte Nielsen aired on Sky Travel. Her most recent excursion into the world of reality tv, Celebrity Rehab, began airing in January 2008 on VH1.

In May 2008 she revealed on German television that she would "renew" her body this year by having six plastic surgeries (which will cost 60.000 Euro altogether). Nielsen will be filmed during those surgeries by RTL and will have her own television show "Aus alt mach neu - Brigitte Nielsen in der Promi-Beauty-Klinik."

[edit] Personal life

Nielsen was born Gitte Nielsen in Rødovre, Denmark, the daughter of Hanne, a librarian, and Svend Nielsen, an engineer.[2] She has a brother, Jan.

Nielsen is fluent in Danish, English, Italian and speaks some German.

Nielsen's first marriage was to Danish musician Kasper Winding, with whom she has a son, Julian (born in 1984). She was then married to actor Sylvester Stallone, her co-star in Cobra. She later became engaged (but not married) to American football player Mark Gastineau, with whom she has a son, Killian (born in 1989). She then married Swiss racecar driver Raoul Meyer from December 17, 1993 to 2005, and they have two sons: Douglas Aaron and Raoul Jr. Ayrton (named after her friend Ayrton Senna). It is often claimed that she married photographer/director Sebastian Copeland, but she says that it was not a legal marriage.

Nielsen married for the fifth time in March 2005 to bartender Mattia Dessi, who appeared briefly on Strange Love. The marriage was not official, because her divorce from her previous husband was not finalized. On July 8, 2006 they married legally, following her divorce from her previous husband. Her maid of honor was Ivanka Trump.

On July 9, 2007, Nielsen checked herself into the Cri-Help rehabilitation facility in North Hollywood following what some reports claim was a family intervention.[3] Her manager, Steven Tempone, confirmed on July 19, 2007 that she had checked into rehab and told the Associated Press "All I know is it's something she did of her own free will and we're proud of her and wish her very well... When she gets out we'll have a big birthday party, and Coca-Cola only".[4]

As of July 22, 2007, Nielsen was out of rehab to attend the Comedy Central roast of Flavor Flav. She told People that she felt "like a new-born person... I made a choice about a new life. It's not been easy but it was definitely time." While People does not report the date that Nielsen checked into rehab, they state that she "had been in treatment for a few weeks".[5] On January 10, 2008, VH1 began airing the reality TV series, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Nielsen appeared on the show for addiction to alcohol.[6] In mid-2008, Nielsen starred in the reality-show "Aus alt mach neu", broadcasted by the German tv-station RTL. Theme of the show was Nielsen's attempt to look "as young as her husband" by undergoing plastic surgery.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

[edit] References

  1. ^ Picture of Nielsen as She-Hulk
  2. ^ Brigitte Nielsen Biography (1963-)
  3. ^ Sylvester Stallone - Nielsen In Rehab
  4. ^ Brigitte Nielsen Checks Into Rehab
  5. ^ Brigitte Nielsen: I Feel Reborn After Rehab - Brigitte Nielsen : People.com
  6. ^ Celebrity Rehab Official site at VH1.com

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Surreal Life
Cast
Spinoffs
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Nielsen"
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