Amber Valletta

Amber Valletta – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Discover the inspiring story of Amber Valletta — American supermodel turned actress and sustainability advocate. Learn about her early life, modeling success, acting career, personal struggles, activism, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Amber Evangeline Valletta (born February 9, 1974) is an American model, actress, and environmental advocate. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as one of the top supermodels, appearing on dozens of magazine covers, walking major runways, and later transitioning into film and television. Over time, she has also become known for her commitment to sustainability, ocean conservation, and ethical fashion.

Early Life and Family

Amber Valletta was born on February 9, 1974 in Tucson, Arizona. She was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother, Theresa Malaby, worked at the post office. Valletta’s ancestry includes Portuguese (on her father’s side), English, Italian, and Cherokee, and she is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She has a half-brother, Robert Parks-Valletta, who is an actor and producer.

Her parents separated when she was very young, and she was largely raised by her mother.

Youth and Education

When she was about 15 years old, Amber’s mother enrolled her in modeling school at the Linda Layman Agency. This early step helped her begin building connections in the fashion industry.

While details of her formal academic education are less widely documented, her early entry into modeling meant that much of her youth was spent traveling, working on shoots, and establishing herself in fashion hubs.

Modeling Career & Rise to Fame

Breakthrough & Supermodel Era

Valletta’s big breakthrough came when, at around age 18, she landed her first Vogue cover (she would ultimately appear on multiple American Vogue covers). During the 1990s, she reached supermodel status, working as the face of major fashion houses: Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Valentino, Gucci, Versace, and others. She also signed major cosmetics contracts with brands such as Calvin Klein and Elizabeth Arden.

She walked for top fashion designers and brands: Versace, Gucci, Prada, Valentino, Dior, Michael Kors, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, and many more. Her international magazine presence extended beyond Vogue — she appeared in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and other global fashion publications.

Transition & Continuation

Even as she began acting, Valletta continued modeling. In 2017, she closed Versace’s Autumn/Winter show and appeared in campaigns for Chanel, Prada, and other major brands.

In 2021, she was named the first Sustainability Ambassador at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), bridging her fashion career with her advocacy work.

Acting & Media Career

Amber Valletta gradually shifted toward acting and television:

• Her first film work included Drop Back Ten (2000).

• That same year, she appeared in What Lies Beneath, a supernatural thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis.

• Other films include Hitch (2005), Transporter 2 (2005), The Last Time (2006), Dead Silence (2007), Gamer (2009), The Spy Next Door (2010), among others.

• On television, she hosted MTV’s House of Style (1995–1996) alongside Shalom Harlow.

• She appeared in recurring and regular roles: Lydia Davis on Revenge, Legends, Blood & Oil, among others.

Her acting career allowed her to diversify and expand her public identity beyond modeling.

Personal Life & Challenges

Amber Valletta’s personal life has had its share of ups and downs:

• She married Hervé Le Bihan in 1994; they divorced in 1996.

• In 2000, she had a son, Auden, with Olympic volleyball player Chip McCaw, whom she later married in 2003. The marriage ended in divorce around 2015.

• Valletta has been open about her struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, discussing it publicly in 2014.

• Politically, she has publicly endorsed Democratic candidate Barack Obama for reelection in 2012.

Advocacy & Environmental Work

In recent years, Amber Valletta has increasingly focused on environmental activism, sustainability, and marine conservation:

• She contributes to Oceana’s Seafood Contamination Campaign, raising awareness about mercury poisoning in seafood.

• Valletta uses her platform to encourage the fashion and beauty industries to adopt biodegradable, refillable packaging and more environmentally responsible practices.

• As Sustainability Ambassador at FIT, she supports curriculum, student-industry connections, and sustainability initiatives.

• Her personal residence in Los Angeles is itself an eco-friendly sanctuary, featuring materials and design choices aligned with her environmental ethics.

Famous Quotes by Amber Valletta

Here are notable quotes that reflect her values, perspectives, and personality:

“Women can be strong, be smart, be sexy, be mothers, be wives, and be powerful. We don’t need to compromise.”

“It is in the mind and the heart where we meet. It’s not the body—the body will change.”

“We are what we see. We are products of our surroundings.”

“Sometimes it feels like it hurts when you make a big purchase, so I really believe that the more expensive things should be gems that you keep in your closet, not trends.”

“If you can be funny, it means you’re intelligent. Your brain is working fast.”

“I definitely think that being a model makes it more difficult to be taken seriously. And I understand. I don’t take it seriously sometimes.”

“My agent, Didier Fernandez — who’s been my agent since I was 18 — has definitely been a mentor and a protector and a trusted friend.”

These quotes showcase her views on identity, inner life, aesthetics, and resilience.

Lessons from Amber Valletta

1. Reinvention is possible
   Valletta’s shift from supermodel to actress to environmental advocate shows that identity is not fixed.

2. Voice matters
   She uses her celebrity platform to bring attention to environmental, social, and health issues.

3. Balance strength and vulnerability
   She speaks openly about addiction struggles, motherhood, and personal growth while projecting confidence.

4. Integrity in fashion & beauty
   Her call for sustainability demonstrates that aesthetics and ethics can go hand in hand.

5. Sustainability begins at home
   Her personal choices—home, lifestyle, advocacy—reflect her belief that change must be lived, not only spoken.

Conclusion

Amber Valletta is more than a face in fashion; she is a multi-dimensional figure who has navigated success, struggle, reinvention, and purpose. From her early days as a teenage model to her emergence as an outspoken voice in sustainability, her path inspires those who wish to craft meaningful change from personal evolution.