Naomi Campbell's Real Name: Naomi Campbell

Quick answer: The model is known professionally as Naomi Campbell. Britannica records the fuller name Naomi Elaine Campbell and places the birth on May 22, 1970, in London, England. Vogue independently says she was born in South London in 1970, without giving a calendar day or the middle name.

Real name and early life

Britannica lists her in full as Naomi Elaine Campbell, born May 22, 1970, in London, England, and says she studied dance and theatre while growing up in London and Rome. Vogue independently places the birth in South London in 1970 and says she attended stage school from the age of three and trained as a ballerina. Both accounts say that as a child she appeared in videos with Bob Marley and Culture Club. Vogue also names an appearance on the British television series Grange Hill, and says Beth Boldt of the London agency Synchro scouted her at 15.

Career highlights

Britannica says that the year after she signed with Synchro she landed a major modeling assignment for the British edition of Elle, and that within the next few years she became the first Black model featured on the cover of several prominent magazines, including the British and French editions of Vogue, in December 1987 and August 1988, and Time, in September 1991. The same page says she became known as one of the supermodels of the late 1980s and 1990s, appeared in George Michael's "Freedom! '90" video in 1990, Vogue independently describes her as one of the original supermodels of that period and recalls a 1993 tumble on Vivienne Westwood's Paris catwalk. Britannica says she founded the charity Fashion for Relief in 2005, was named a contributing editor for British Vogue in 2017, and received Fashion Icon awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2018 and the British Fashion Council in 2019. It also lists later acting work on Empire, which Vogue independently mentions.

Legal matters

Britannica says she won a 2004 privacy lawsuit against the British tabloid The Mirror after photographs of her leaving a meeting were published. The same page says that in 2008 she was accused of assaulting two police officers on a flight and was subsequently ordered to perform community service.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Naomi Campbell or Naomi Elaine Campbell are looking for the same model, including the later supermodel work most often associated with her name. Search traffic often uses the professional name Naomi Campbell.