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James King

By SARA TEMPLETON

What does James King have in common with Milla Jovovich and Elle MacPherson?

Beyond having an astonishingly perfect face, and a body that most men - and some women - would lust after, she's a model-turned-actor.

Having been in her fair share of movies and also few television outings, James King is also a keen fan of Britney Spears and The Wu-Tang clan (aren't we all...), but before we go too much further, let us first go back in time.

On the 23rd of April, 1979, Jamie King was born in Omaha, Nebraska. While her childhood years aren't widely documented, her teen years are, both for good and bad reasons.

At the age of 14, Jamie King - who preferred the name James - was whisked off to NYC to begin her career as a model after she was seen by talent scouts at fashion show held by her local modeling school.

At the tender age of 15, James added covers spreads for magazines such as Allure, Mademoiselle and Vogue to her portfolio, followed by mags like Harper's Bazaar at age 16.

She was signing lucrative advertising contracts with the likes of Benetton and the huge American department store franchise Macy's, and had strutted elegantly down runways for the likes of Christian Dior and Chanel.

Following in the footsteps of other top models like Eva Herzigova and Claudia Schiffer, she also signed deals with Guess? and as a budding young actor, she landed work on TV shows like Naomi Conquers Africa, Catwalk and Unzipped.

Reflecting on her past, the the 5'8" tall blue-eyed model once said, "The hardest thing is when you go home and realise that you've grown 10 years in 2 days." Discovered at 14, a supermodel at 15, you'd expect her to have her own airline or oil company at 16.

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What started out as a battle with alcohol quickly turned to drugs, and she was a heroin addict at age 16. Her boyfriend, photographer David Sorrenti, died of a heroin overdose in 1997.

After her well-documented battles with booze and drugs, James King appeared to have matured greatly, doing more and more television and film work than fashion.

Playing herself in Beautopia, she went on to land supporting roles in movies such as Four Faces of God and The Happy Campers.

James King also made numerous appearances with Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as hosts of the MTV fashion show House of Style, and her more recent film credits include playing Johnny Depp's daughter in Blow, and a nurse in Jerry Bruckheimer's bomb, Pearl Harbor.

She has also been in the 2002 production, Slackers, where she starred with "That 70's Show" star Laura Prepon, and she co-starred in the Chow Yun-Fat action-fest, Bulletproof Monk. More recently she appeared in the 2004 comedy called White Chicks, and she'll be appearing in four more movies in 2005, including The 9th Passenger,
The Alibi, For the Money and Sin City.

Though there are strong arguments on the side for those who wouldn't condone a 14 year entering a world obsessed with body image, big spending, tight deadlines, high flying parties and all sorts of salacious characters, but I'm sure if you asked James King her thoughts, she would offer a balanced, experienced opinion on the topic.