Marcus Schenkenberg

This handsome model, once marked as the sexiest man alive, has continuously grabbed the spotlight for his relationships and romantic stints with many beautiful divas from the entertainment industry. These included his romantic association with models Rosemarie Wetzel, Catherine Hardenborg, and Maureen Gallegher, in the early 1990s.

He is said to have dated divas such Jessica Simpson, Victoria Silvstedt, Nicky Hilton, and Mariah Carey among others. He particularly garnered public attention for his relationship with famous Canadian–American actor and model Pamela Anderson, between 2000 and 2001. Speaking about the affair, in October 2000, he is said to have stated, "She is the most beautiful, famous and sexy woman in the world. We are crazy about each other. ... Yes, marriage and children too, definitely. But I don't want to rush anything. I am a romantic."

He resides in Los Angeles and New York and has an apartment in Stockholm. He backs several charities across the globe and remains an active member and spokesperson of the animal-rights group ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA). He is also a patron of the ‘LR Global Kids Fund’ in Sweden.

He was born Marcus Lodewijk Schenkenberg van Mierop, on August 4, 1968, in Stockholm, Sweden. Not much is known about his family, his childhood, or his academic background, except that he is of mixed Dutch–Indonesian parentage.

He is fluent in Swedish, English, Italian, French, and Dutch languages and can understand the German language too. He holds dual citizenship of both Sweden and the Netherlands.

This world-famous supermodel landed up in the United States in 1987, and after a couple of years, in 1989, he was discovered by professional photographer Barry King from Los Angeles, California, on Venice Beach, when Marcus was enjoying roller-skating. It was King who asked Marcus to foray into modeling, offered him test shoots, and helped him get an agency.

Meanwhile, in the late 1980s, he ventured into the world of acting, with the role of “the big brother” in the 1988 film ‘Meatballs and Maccaroni.’

In 1990, Marcus signed a contract with the modeling agency ‘Boss Models,’ and thus began his new journey as a model.

His real breakthrough as a model came when he posed for ‘Calvin Klein’ jeans, in the early 1990s. His pictures in the commercials were taken by renowned American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker Bruce Weber. He particularly grabbed attention with the ‘Calvin Klein’ commercial that showed him barely holding his ‘Calvin’ jeans while in a shower.

He was the first male model to have adorned the cover of the American women's fashion magazine, ‘Harper’s Bazaar.’ Moving on, he featured on the covers of many more magazines, such as the American fashion and lifestyle magazine ‘Vogue’ and the international lifestyle magazine of French origin ‘Elle.’