What was Eileen Ford’s Net Worth?
Eileen Ford was an American modeling agency executive who had a net worth of $100 million at the time of her death. With her husband Gerard, Eileen Ford co-founded Ford Models, which became one of the most eminent and successful modeling agencies in the 20th century. Among its plethora of top models were Mary Jane Russell, Dovima, Wilhelmina Cooper, Ann Turkel, Christie Brinkley, Janice Dickinson, and Cindy Crawford.
Early Life and Education
Eileen Ford was born Eileen Otte on March 25, 1922, in New York City as the only daughter of four children of Loretta and Nathaniel. She was raised in suburban Great Neck on Long Island. For her higher education, Ford went to Barnard College, graduating in 1943. During the summers of her freshman and sophomore years, she modeled for Harry Conover’s modeling agency.
Career Beginnings
After her husband, Gerard, was deployed by the US Navy during World War II, Ford became a secretary to photographer Elliot Clark. She then worked as a fashion stylist, copywriter, and fashion reporter for the Tobe Report. Following that, Ford did secretary and administrative support work for a number of models.
Ford Models
In 1946, Ford and her husband, who had just returned from the war, co-founded the Ford Modeling Agency, later renamed Ford Models. They started the business in their Manhattan home before relocating to a third-floor walkup office on Second Avenue. Within a couple of years, the business had become one of the most successful modeling agencies in the United States. The first superstar model at Ford was Jean Patchett, followed by Suzy Parker. One of the eminent models of the 1950s, the freckled, green-eyed Parker helped push the Ford agency to number one in the country. Other top models represented by the agency during the 1940s and ’50s were Mary Jane Russell, Dovima, and Carmen Dell’Orefice. The Fords were meticulous in looking after their star talent, providing them with hairdressers, dermatologists, and regular dietary advice and promoting standardized hours and wages.
By the 1960s, the Fords had expanded their business into Europe, with supermodel Dorian Leigh representing their agency in France. Early in the decade, Ford Models signed Martha Stewart. The agency’s most successful models in the 1960s included Wilhelmina Cooper, Ann Turkel, Jean Shrimpton, Agneta Frieberg, Ali MacGraw, Sondra Peterson, Candice Bergen, and Donna Michelle. In 1968, Ford produced the book “Eileen Ford’s Book of Model Beauty.” The agency continued growing in the 1970s, reportedly becoming the first modeling agency with a computer system. At this time, Ford was booking 70% of modeling jobs in New York City and 30% globally. Its top models during the decade included Christie Brinkley, Jerry Hall, Rene Russo, Janice Dickinson, Lauren Hutton, and Susan Blakely. Ford also expanded by creating men’s and children’s divisions, the latter of which represented Brooke Shields.
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By the end of the 1970s, Ford had major competition from John Casablancas’s agency Elite Model Management, which poached many of its top models. Ford was also competing with such smaller but still-prominent agencies as Wilhelmina and Zoli. As the 1980s approached, several top models struggled with substance abuse and all-night partying, and some died from drug use or AIDS complications. The Fords worked to clean up the industry’s image by creating a modeling competition called Face of the 80s, later rebranded as Supermodel of the World. They brought on such models as Cindy Crawford, Carol Alt, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington, who became huge successes for Ford and were among the highest-earning models in the world. In the mid-1990s, the Fords retired, and their daughter Katie was appointed CEO of their agency. She remained in that position for 12 years.
Personal Life and Death
Ford married her husband, Gerard in 1944 after they met at a drugstore. They had four children and eight grandchildren and remained together until Gerard’s passing in 2008.
On July 9, 2014, Ford died in Morristown, New Jersey at the age of 92.
Real Estate
In 1995, Eileen and Gerard built a 9,500-square-foot mansion in Tewksbury Township, New Jersey. Their estate sold this home in November 2014 for $2.5 million. They also owned a duplex apartment on Park Avenue.
All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. While we work diligently to ensure that our numbers are as accurate as possible, unless otherwise indicated they are only estimates. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below.
