Lisa Marie

Lisa Marie Smith is an American model and actress, who uses simply Lisa Marie as her professional name. Lisa Marie was born in Piscataway, New Jersey, where she was raised by her father and grandparents. She studied ballet for eight years at the New Jersey Ballet, and learned classical piano. She moved to New York City at age 15 to study theater, dance and music. Marie was a model for Robert Mapplethorpe and was featured in photographer Bruce Weber's ad campaign for designer Calvin Klein's Obsession perfume. Marie went on to appear briefly in Let's Get Lost, Weber's documentary on the life of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, and had a small role in Woody Allen's film Alice. In 1989 she appeared on Malcolm McLaren's song "Something's Jumpin' in Your Shirt" from his 1989 album Waltz Darling. Marie met film director Tim Burton at Starbucks in New York on New Year's Eve in 1992 when she had just quit modeling for Calvin Klein and he was having difficulty in his four-year marriage to his wife. According to a Boston Herald article they claimed to have bonded over mutually witnessing two UFO sightings in California. She was engaged to him from Valentine's Day 1993 to 2001 and appeared in small roles in most of his productions made during this time. Burton abruptly ended their relationship following the premiere of 2001's Planet of the Apes, which he directed. Marie had a small role in the film, while Burton's new girlfriend Helena Bonham Carter was one of its lead actors. Marie has appeared in numerous magazines including Maxim and Esquire. She’s also had her own photographs exhibited and published in magazines; Vanity Fair ran photos side by side that Marie and Burton each took.