Barbara Meier (born 25 July 1986) is a German fashion model and actress. She is best known as the winner of the second season of ''

Germany's Next Topmodel ''Germany's Next Topmodel'' (often abbreviated as ''GNTM'') is a German reality television series, based on a concept introduced by Tyra Banks with ''America's Next Top Model''. The competition is hosted by Heidi Klum who also serves as the le ...

''.

Early life

Born in the small

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n town of

Amberg Amberg () is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. In 2020, over 42,000 people lived in the town. History The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under t ...

, Meier did not originally aspire to a career in modelling. Instead, after graduating from school, she enrolled at the

Fachhochschule A ''Fachhochschule'' (; plural ''Fachhochschulen''), abbreviated FH, is a university of applied sciences (UAS), in other words a German tertiary education institution that provides professional education in many applied sciences and applied arts ...

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

in order to study

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Career

''Germany's Next Topmodel''

During her studies, Meier was approached by a model scout in a shopping center in Regensburg who invited her to the

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejected ...

of the TV show ''Germany's Next Topmodel''. In the course of the show, she had to face a series of challenges in order to outrival her contestants. Even before the end of the show, one of these minor competitions had her win a leading role alongside

Heidi Klum Heidi Klum (; born 1 June 1973) is a German-American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 1998 and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secre ...

in a nationwide TV commercial for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

. Meier did not have any modeling experience before that but she was able to prevail against 16,421 competitors and became the winner of the season on 24 May 2007. The prize included a contract with the modelling agency

IMG Models IMG Models is an international modeling agency headquartered in New York City and with additional offices in London, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris, and Sydney. It is a subsidiary of the talent management company International Management Group. The comp ...

in Paris, an appearance on the cover of the German edition of ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' in August 2007, and a contract as the face of the next

advertising campaign An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ideas, beliefs, and conc ...

for the clothing company C&A.

Magazines / Editorials / Cover

Meier was featured in editorials of many international magazines such as ''Vogue Taiwan'', ''

Grazia ''Grazia'' (; Italian for ''Grace'') is a weekly women's magazine that originated in Italy with international editions printed in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Colombia, France, Germany. Greece, Indonesia, I ...

'', ''InStyle'', ''Elle'', ''

Madame Figaro ''Madame Figaro'' is a French magazine supplement to the Saturday edition of the daily newspaper ''Le Figaro'', focusing on and catering to women. History and profile The first edition was published in 1980. ''Madame Figaro'' was spearheaded by ...

'', ''

L'Officiel ''L'Officiel'' () is a French fashion magazine with a USA edition. It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged from 25 to 49. In 2006, it had a circulation of 101,719. A men's edition of ''L'Officiel'', ' ...

'', etc. and appeared on the cover of over 15 German and international magazines such as ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Icon'', ''Style International'', ''Tango'', ''She'', etc.

Advertising

She was the face of many advertising campaigns for the brands

Pantene Pantene () is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient. It was purchased by Procter ...

, C&A,

Disneyland Resort Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...

, Yogurette, Müller Milk and McDonald's and also internationally for Maybelline, Fabi, Borsalino, Save the Queen, Colin's Jeans, C'est comme Ca, Charactere, Miss Poem and many more. Since January 2016, she has been promoting the cosmetics manufacturer Schaebens. She is also the German advertising face of the American shoe brand

Skechers Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, it was founded in 1992 and is now the third largest footwear brand in the United States. History Skechers was founded in 1992 by Ro ...

and the pulse watch manufacturer

Polar Polar may refer to: Geography Polar may refer to: * Geographical pole, either of two fixed points on the surface of a rotating body or planet, at 90 degrees from the equator, based on the axis around which a body rotates * Polar climate, the c ...

Catwalk

Since the beginning of her career, Meier has been on the catwalk for national as well as international brands. At the beginning of 2011 she ran for the fifth time for various designers at Fashion Week Berlin. In addition to shows in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Bangkok Meier participated in the Fashion Week Paris in the spring of 2010, where she was booked by the designer Wolfgang Joop for the prêt-à-porter show of his brand Wunderkind.

Acting

In 2010, Meier was invited to a film casting for the ProSieben mystery thriller ''Schreie der Vergessenen''. She had no acting experience at that time yet and got the role of the deaf medium Morgana. After the broadcast of the film in autumn 2011, she was taken under contract by the Berlin acting agency Fitz & Skoglund. In summer of 2011, Meier completed a basic education at the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former film, t ...

and since then she has taken private acting lessons with various coaches in Germany and the United States. In addition to small roles in TV films, Meier played in main roles of various ZDF crime series, short films, working with Christiane Hörbiger. In 2012, she played one of the leading roles in the short film ''Wiegenlied'' (Director: Selcuk Cara, Germany, 2012), which had its premiere in 2012 under the international title ''Lullaby'' in the Student Etudes Panorama section at the film festival Plus Camerimage in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Barbara Meier Filmball Vienna 2015 a

In August 2017, Meier shot her first movie, ''The Aspern Papers'', a period drama directed by

Julien Landais Pierre-Alexandre Thomas Julien Landais (born August 6, 1981) is a film director, actor, producer and model, best known for ''The Aspern Papers'', his feature film adaptation of Henry James' novel starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Vanessa Redgrave a ...

and based on Henry James's novel. She played alongside

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe; 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor, model and musician. He is known for his roles in the films ''Michael Collins (film), Michael Collins'' (1996), ''Velvet Goldmine'' (1998), ''Titus (f ...

Morgane Polanski Morgane Polanski (born 20 January 1993) is a French-Polish actress, best known for portraying Princess Gisla in the History Channel series ''Vikings''. Early life and education Polanski is the daughter of Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski and F ...

, and

Poppy Delevingne Poppy Angela Delevingne (born 3 May 1986)Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 3028 is an English model, socialite and blogger. Family and personal life Delevingne wa ...

Book author

In December 2015, Meier's book ''Dein Weg zum Glücksgewicht'' was published by Dorling Kindersley. She describes the work as an "anti-diet book" and above all wants to motivate women and make them feel better in their bodies.

Charity

In 2008, she was an ambassador for the Year of Mathematics, to which she was appointed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In 2012, she was one of the advertising ambassadors of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. She is the ambassador of the campaign "Inform" of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, which is promoting exercise and healthy nutrition of the population. Since 2015, she has been an ambassador of the WWF for the project "

ghost nets Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded in the ocean. These nets, often nearly invisible in the dim light, can be left tangled on a rocky reef or marine debris, drifting in the open sea. They can Plasti ...

", which informs the public about the environmental impact and dangers of the fishing nets floating in the sea. Since 2017, Barbara Meier has been the ambassador for the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development for fair and environmentally friendly fashion. Meier is committed to bringing sustainable textiles from the niche to a broader market.

Personal life

Meier married Austrian entrepreneur and investor

Klemens Hallmann Klemens Hallmann (born 1976) is an Austrian entrepreneur and investor. He is founder and sole owner of Hallmann Corporate Group, one of the larger Austrian group of companies, specialized in sales, renovation and development of real estate proje ...

in 2019. They had a daughter in 2020.

Agencies

* 301 Model Management, Istanbul * Fashion Cult Model Management, Athens * Major Model Management, Munich * Major Model Management, New York * Major Model Management, Paris * Major Model Management, MilanMajor Models Milan
* Yuli Models,

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Filmography

* 2010: (Ver-)Passt (TV trailer) * 2011: ''Gute Reise'' (short) * 2011: ''Schreie der Vergessenen'' (TV film) * 2012: München schaut hin (Socialspot) * 2012: ''Der Staatsanwalt – Schlangengrube'' (TV series) * 2012: ''Der Alte'' – Blinder Hass (TV series) * 2012: ''Wiegenlied'' (short) * 2013: ''

Notruf Hafenkante ''Notruf Hafenkante'' is a German television series broadcast on ZDF. It is set in Hamburg and is about the members of the police department PK 21 and the doctors of the fictional hospital Elbkrankenhaus. The show's premise is modelled on th ...

'' – Das Geheimnis der Braut (TV series) * 2013: ''Hattinger und die kalte Hand – Ein Chimseekrimi'' (TV film) * 2013: ''Küstenwache'' – Die Hand des Teufels (TV series) * 2013: ''Schon wieder Henriette'' (TV film) * 2013: ''

Christine. Perfekt war gestern! ''Christine. Perfekt war gestern!'' is a German television sitcom first aired on 22 August 2013 on RTL Television, RTL. It is an adaptation of the American series ''The New Adventures of Old Christine''. Premise Christine is a thirty-something, ...

'' – Ein Ex zum Knutschen (TV series) * 2013: ''Apothekerin'' (short) * 2014: ''Strangers'' (short) * 2014: ''Sechs auf einen Streich'' – Siebenschön (TV film) * 2015: ''

Stuttgart Homicide ''SOKO Stuttgart'' (English title: ''Stuttgart Homicide'') is a German police procedural television series that premiered on 12 November 2009 on ZDF. It is the eighth offshoot of ''SOKO München'', launched in 1978 under the name ''SOKO 5113''. ...

'' – Tödliche Tage (TV series) * 2015: ''Schwägereltern'' (TV film) * 2015: ''Rico, Oskar und das Herzgebreche'' * 2015: ''Heiraten ist nichts für Feiglinge'' (TV film) * 2015: ''

SOKO München ''SOKO München'' (until 2015: ''SOKO 5113'') is a German police procedural television series that first aired on 2 January 1978 on ZDF. "SOKO" is an abbreviation of the German word ''Sonderkommission'', which means "special investigative team ...

'' (TV series) * 2016: ''

SOKO Wismar ''SOKO Wismar'' is a German police procedural television series that premiered on 6 October 2004 on ZDF. It is the fifth offshoot of ''SOKO München'', launched in 1978 under the name ''SOKO 5113''. "SOKO" is an abbreviation of the German word ...

'' (TV series) * 2017: '' Mord in bester Gesellschaft'' (TV series) * 2018: ''Oskar — Gehen, wenns am schönsten ist'' * 2018: ''The Aspern Papers'' * 2019: ''Reiterhof Wildenstein'' – Die Pferdeflüsterin (TV Film) * 2020: ''Endless'' * 2021: ''

Army of Thieves ''Army of Thieves'' is a 2021 heist comedy film directed by Matthias Schweighöfer from a screenplay by Shay Hatten, based on a story he wrote with Zack Snyder. A prequel to ''Army of the Dead'' (2021), it is the second installment in the '' ...

'' * 2022: ''Wolke unterm Dach'' * 2022: ''Der Onkel - The Hawk'' * 2022: ''Schächten'' (''post production'')

References

External links

*
Barbara Meier
at

Barbara Meier
at Major Model Management * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meier, Barbara Living people 1986 births German female models People from Amberg Germany's Next Topmodel winners