Laura Ellen James (born November 18, 1990) is an American model and actress. In 2012, James won the nineteenth cycle of '' America's Next Top Model'' and was consequentially signed with L.A. Models and New York Model Management. She is the daughter of actor John James.

Early life

James was born in

Cambridge, New York Cambridge is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,152 at the 2000 census. The town of Cambridge contains part of a village, also called Camb ...

to American actor John James and Australian model Denise Coward, second runner-up in

Miss World 1978 Miss World 1978, the 28th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 16 November 1978 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. The winner was Silvana Suárez from Argentina. She was crowned by Miss World 1977, Mary Stävin of Sweden. First ...

. She has a younger brother, Philip James. Before appearing on ''America's Next Top Model'', James studied at

Paul Smith's College Paul Smith's College is a private college in Paul Smiths, New York. Paul Smith's College offers associate and bachelor's degrees. Its 14,000-acre campus is one of the largest college campuses in the world. Approximately 1,000 students attend ...

, studying Hotel Resort Tourism Management.

Career

''America's Next Top Model''

In 2012, James was selected to compete on the nineteenth cycle of '' America's Next Top Model''. In the competition she was one of the front-runners, receiving three first call-outs as well as winning three challenges for her scholarship bank. She appeared in the bottom two three times. In Jamaica, James landed in the bottom two with Nastasia after the Dream Come True photoshoot for their weak photographs but in the end, James had the higher score, leaving James to compete alongside fellow contestants

Leila Goldkuhl Leila Marie Goldkuhl Masterson ( ; born December 30, 1991) is an American fashion model. She is known for competing on ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 19'', becoming the last eliminated overall. Early life and education Goldkuhl was born on D ...

and Kiara Belen in the finale. At the final runway at Rose Hall, James struggled with her runway walk and at panel, James was criticized for her stiff walk, yet praised for her Nine West photo. In the end, James received the highest total average of the three remaining contestants, making her America's Next Top Model. As a result, she was offered modeling contracts with New York Model Management and L.A. Models, she became the face of America's Next Top Model's fragrance Dream Come True, won a spread in Nylon magazine, campaigns with

Nine West Nine West, also known as 9 West, is an American online fashion retailer which is based in White Plains, New York. It was founded in 1983 and closed its brick and mortar stores business in 2018. Its products continue to be sold at other retai ...

and Smashbox Cosmetics, and a $100,000 cash prize as well as the $30,000 she earned from her three challenge wins to be used to pay off her college education.

Post ''America's Next Top Model''

James is signed with New York Model Management and L.A. Models and also had a campaign with

and Smashbox Cosmetics as a part of her prize package. She also became the face of the America's Next Top Model perfume "Dream Come True" and had a cover and a spread in

Nylon magazine ''Nylon'' is an American multimedia brand, publishing company, and lifestyle magazine that focuses on pop culture and fashion. Its coverage includes art, beauty, music, design, celebrities, technology and travel. Originally a print publication, i ...

. On March 28, 2013, she shot a campaign with

Guess A guess (or an act of guessing) is a swift conclusion drawn from data directly at hand, and held as probable or tentative, while the person making the guess (the guesser) admittedly lacks material for a greater degree of certainty. A guess is als ...

along with DJ Tiësto and Meghan Von Wiggins for WMag Event. She also appeared in the final episode from the first Boys & Girls cycle with judge and model Rob Evans. She also appeared in the June 2013 issue of Vogue Italia. She has been an actress in several movies, including '' The Lost Day'', ''

Hello Ladies ''Hello Ladies'' is an American sitcom created by Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky. It stars Merchant as an Englishman looking for love in modern Los Angeles. The series premiered on the American network HBO on September 29, ...

'' and '' Nano'', as well as television shows '' Grandfathered'', ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'', ''

American Woman "American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released January 1970, from the album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with "No Sugar Tonight", and it reached number one for three weeks ...

'', and as Molly Hicks in the series '' S.W.A.T.''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Laura Living people Female models from New York (state) America's Next Top Model winners 1990 births American people of Australian descent People from Cambridge, New York America's Next Top Model contestants Top Model contestants 21st-century American women