Gordon, Lucy

Lucy Gordon, (born May 22, 1980, Oxford, Eng.—died May 20, 2009, Paris, France), British model and actress best known as a “face” of CoverGirl cosmetics and for her appearance in Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Gordon was raised in Oxford, Eng., and was bilingual in English and French, owing to many childhood summers and holidays spent in France. At age 15, while still a student at Oxford High School, she was spotted by a modeling and talent agent at “Clothes Show Live,” an annual fashion exhibition held in Birmingham. In 1997 she signed a worldwide modeling contract to become the new face of the American cosmetics company CoverGirl and, in pursuit of a modeling career, relocated to New York City, where she, together with fellow British CoverGirl model Sarah Thomas, was influential in ushering in what is known in the industry as the “English rose” look—simply styled and naturally coloured hair paired with pale, often freckled skin, bold rose colour on cheeks and lips but minimal makeup elsewhere on the face.

Gordon was represented by IMG Models in Paris and Select Model Management in London. She appeared in advertising campaigns for many of the world’s top brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Armani Exchange, and she graced the covers of several of the top beauty and fashion magazines, including the American teen magazine Seventeen (June 1997), the Italian edition of Glamour (November 1998), and French Elle (April 2000).

Gordon’s modeling career soon afforded her opportunities for movie roles. She made her debut in the 2001 film Perfume and later appeared in nearly a dozen additional films, including Serendipity (2001), The Four Feathers (2002), and Les Poupées Russes (2005; “The Russian Dolls”). Not until her performance in the 2007 blockbuster film Spider-Man 3, however, did she gain international recognition. In 2009, after winning the role of British singer and actress Jane Birkin in a biopic about the French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, Gordon relocated to Paris. Shortly thereafter, two days before her 29th birthday, she died apparently by her own hand.