Chris Owen (actor)
The all-American girl-next-door whose sunny smile and athletic grace made her one of the first truly ubiquitous and beloved faces in modeling.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American actor·Birthday: September 25·Generation X
Biography
Cheryl Tiegs emerged in the 1960s with a fresh, wholesome appeal that contrasted with the aloof glamour of the era. Her look—tall, athletic, with a radiant smile—felt accessible and real, capturing the spirit of a new, outdoorsy American ideal. She became a fixture on the pages of Glamour and Vogue, but it was her relationship with Sports Illustrated that turned her into a phenomenon. Her 1978 cover, featuring a pink bikini, became one of the most famous in the magazine's history, cementing her status as a mainstream star. Tiegs leveraged that fame with shrewd business sense, launching a successful line of clothing for Sears that brought high-fashion style to middle America. While the term 'supermodel' would later be defined by a different kind of celebrity, Tiegs' widespread recognition and commercial success paved the way, proving a model could be both a cover girl and a household name.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Chris was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times, including the iconic 1978 pink bikini cover.
- Was one of the first models to have a major clothing line with a mass-market retailer, launching the "Cheryl Tiegs" collection for Sears.
- Appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1978, highlighting her influence beyond fashion.
- Became one of the highest-paid models in the world during the peak of her career in the 1970s and 1980s.
Did You Know?
She was discovered at age 17 by a modeling scout while working at a local clothing store in Alhambra, California.
Tiegs is an avid photographer and has had her wildlife and travel photography published in magazines.
She was married to photographer Peter Beard and later to entertainment executive Tony Peck, the son of actor Gregory Peck.
She posed for a famous poster in a fishnet swimsuit that sold over 5 million copies.
“I never thought of myself as a beauty. I thought of myself as a person who looked good in pictures.”
