Biography
Who is Andreja Pejić?
Early life and migration
Andreja Pejić was born in Tuzla, Yugoslavia. During the Bosnian War, she fled with her family to Serbia and lived in a refugee camp near Belgrade before settling in a village. In 2000, she moved with her mother and brother to Melbourne, Australia, as political refugees. While attending University High School in Melbourne, she was noted for her academic performance.
Fashion industry success
Before turning seventeen, she was discovered while working at a local McDonald's, though she later recounted being scouted at a swimming pool. She quickly became famous for walking both men's and women's shows for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs during the 2011 Paris fashion shows. A magazine cover for Dossier Journal caused controversy when US bookstores obscured the image, fearing customers would mistake her for a topless woman.
She ranked 18th on the Models.com Top 50 list in 2011 and appeared in editorials for publications like Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.
Transition and public profile
Since identifying as a trans woman in 2013, she has become a prominent figure in the fashion industry. She underwent sex reassignment surgery in late 2013. In 2015, she became the first transgender model profiled by Vogue and the first trans woman to sign a cosmetics contract.
GQ Portugal named her Best International Female Model in 2016, and she later appeared on the cover of GQ. She has also worked on a personal documentary about her life, which she has spent years filming and directing herself to ensure her story is told accurately.
Acting career
She pivoted to acting in 2013, appearing in the music video for David Bowie's single The Stars (Are Out Tonight). Her first television role was playing Radu the Beautiful in the Turkish series Fatih. She made her major film debut in the 2018 crime thriller The Girl in the Spider's Web.
Her other film credits include the 2022 movie The Other Me, where she played a supporting role, and the biographical film Dalíland, where she portrayed Amanda Lear.
Life beyond modeling
She is known for grounding herself with ordinary work. After filming The Other Me, she spent six months as a waitress at a restaurant called El Nido in Santa Fe to experience a normal lifestyle away from the fashion world. She also previously dated the reality television cast member Remy Duran.
Birthday and age
Andreja Pejić was born on August 28, 1991, which makes Andreja 35 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Andreja shares the date with 35 other famous people.
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