Elle Mcpherson is an Australian supermodel, actress, and businesswoman. She was born Eleanor Nancy Gow in Cronulla, New South Wales, the daughter of Peter Gow, but grew up in Killara, a suburb of Sydney and attended Killara High School. She is the eldest of four children; the Australian celebrity Mimi Mcpherson is her sister. Her parents divorced when she was fourteen, and her mother later married Neil Mcpherson. Mcpherson then changed her original surname to her stepfather's. She studied law for one year at the University of Sydney.

At age 17, while on holiday in the United States, Mcpherson was discovered by Francis Grill and signed to Click Model Management. She became an international star through her appearances in Elle magazine. She appeared in every issue for six straight years. During this time she married (at age 21) Elle creative manager Gilles Bensimon. Eventually she gained even more exposure through Sports Illustrated magazine’s annual swimsuit issue. She appeared on the cover a record five times, (1986, 1987, 1988, 1994 and 2006). Rising in popularity, her exceptional body measurements (36-25-35) were the reasons for her nickname "The Body"—a tag that was to become her brand. She also released a series of successful calendars and modeled for lingerie giant Victoria's Secret.

By 1986, her popularity had increased sufficiently for Time magazine to run a cover entitled “The Big Elle”. The Australian government offered her a post on the tourist commission as an unofficial ambassador.

On 26 April 2000, the post office of Antigua and Barbuda issued a sheetlet of eight different $1.20 postage stamps with images of Elle Mcpherson — the first time any post office had issued stamps to honour a Super Model.

Mcpherson also graced covers for Time, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Playboy magazines. She walked runways for famous designers such as: Versace, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Prada and many others. She was one of the four owners of the now defunct Fashion Café, along with fellow '90s supermodels Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbelland Claudia Schiffer.

In 2008, Mcpherson has signed up as a global brand spokesperson for cosmetics manufacturer Revlon and has been featured in print and TV advertising campaigns. She is now signed to New York Model Management.

Mcpherson made her movie debut playing an artist's model in the 1994 Sirens, which starred Hugh Grant Sam Neill, Tara Fitzgerald, Kate Fischer and co-starred Portia de Rossi, as another model. Mcpherson gained 9 kilograms (20 lbs.) and her breasts grew to 37D. She surprised fans and critics by appearing unabashedly in numerous nude scenes.

In 1999, Mcpherson appeared in five episodes of the United States sitcom Friends as Joey's roommate and girlfriend, Janine Lecroix. Mcpherson went on to film Batman & Robin with George Clooney Jane Eyre with William Hurt and has also appeared alongside Ben Stiller and Sarah Jessica Parkerin If Lucy Fell. Her most controversial acting to date is the Showtime cable network miniseries A Girl Thing. In it she plays a woman experimenting with bisexuality.

Mcpherson launched her own lingerie line called "Intimates" in 1990. Since then, it became very successful in the United Kingdom and in her native Australia. The lingerie was also modeled by the top twelve in America's Next Top Model Cycle 10.