Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American fashion model, actor and producer. She was born in DeKalb, Illinois, USA. Her brother died of leukaemia when she was 10 years old. At age 16 she was scouted by a photographer and entered a "Look of the Year" contest put on by Elite Model Management. She was a runner-up and the agency agreed to represent her. She graduated from DeKalb High School as valedictorian and received a scholarship to Northwestern University. She later dropped out to pursue her modelling career.