A native of Ethiopia, Liya Kebede is a supermodel and the first black model to be the face of Estée Lauder cosmetics.

Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kebede's modeling career began when she was spotted by a film director at age 16 while attending the Lycée Français in the Ethiopian capital. She left home for Paris and then settled in New York, and in 2000, at the age of 22, she signed an exclusive contract with Gucci after designer Tom Ford saw her in a show in Milan. In 2003, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer selected her as the first woman of color to serve as a spokesmodel for Estée Lauder, a post Kebede has held for four years. Over the past few years, Kebede has landed coveted campaigns for H&M, Gap, Givenchy, and Lacoste and has appeared on the covers of a slew of magazines including American, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean and Japanese Vogue. Like any model looking for a second act, she's also moved into acting, scoring roles in Lord of War, The Good Shepherd, and In The Woods. Additionally, she runs the Liya Kebede Foundation, which raises money for Ethiopian hospitals and healthcare workers. She also serves as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization.

Kebede married Ethiopian hedge fund manager Kassy Kebede, who is 20 years her senior, in 2000. The couple have two children, Suhul and Raee. [Image via Getty]