Noémie Lenoir (born 19 September 1979 in Les Ulis) is a French model and actress of African and European descent. She is best known for appearing in top magazines such as Elle and Sports Illustrated, and modeling in advertisements for high fashion brands. She is known for her work with Gucci, L'Oreal, Next, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, and Marks and Spencer. She has been featured in a line-up of the world's most successful black models by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Lenoir was born in Les Ulis, Essonne, France. Her mother comes from the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean and has Malagasy ancestry. Her father is a retired French electrician who later divorced her mother. Her family moved first to Gif-sur-Yvette and then to Versailles where she was discovered and started her career in modelling.
Growing up in a banlieue district near Paris, which she describes as a "ghetto", Lenoir was first spotted at the age of 17 in 1997 when she was approached by a Ford booker in a post office. She signed with L'Oréal in 1997, and has since appeared in their advertisements alongside Laetitia Casta and long-term model and actress Andie MacDowell. She has also worked
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