Brigitte Nielsen Biography

Brigitte Nielsen (born 15 July 1963) is a Danish actress, model, musician and reality television personality who began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton and several years later acted in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV. She is also known for her marriage to Sylvester Stallone, with whom she starred in the 1986 film Cobra. She played Karla Fry on Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), co-starring Eddie Murphy, and played the Dark Witch in the Italian TV Series Cave of the Golden Rose between 1992-1996. She appeared also in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" and Austrian Rock Star Falco's "Body Next To Body" music videos.

Her exploits were well-covered in the entertainment media in the 1980s, and the world press started referring to her as an "Amazon" because of her tall stature (verified by the Guinness Book of World Records at 6 ft, or 1.82 meters).

She later built a career appearing in B-movies, and in the 2000s, for appearing on reality shows such as Flavor of Love. In 2008, she appeared on the reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which depicted her and several other celebrities dealing with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

She released several albums between 1987-2002 (Every Body Tells a Story, I'm the One... Nobody Else and more singles). Recently, she performed (as Gitte Nielsen) on the song Misery with Spleen United, from the album School of Euphoria (2012).

Early life

Nielsen was born Gitte Nielsen in Rødovre, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, the daughter of Hanne, a librarian, and Svend Nielsen, an engineer. She has a brother, Jan.

Career

At the beginning of the 1980s, Nielsen did some modeling work, and was photographed by Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. In 1985, Nielsen began her acting career in Red Sonja alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the same year, she met and married Sylvester Stallone; the couple acted in two movies together (Rocky IV and Cobra) before divorcing in 1987. Their marriage and divorce were both highly publicized by the tabloid press. She posed for Playboy magazine multiple times, garnering the cover in December 1987. She played also "Karla Fry" in the movie Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), alongside Eddie Murphy. Nielsen started a music career in 1987. She released her debut album Every Body Tells a Story in that year and recorded a duet with Austrian pop star Falco, Giorgio Moroder's penned "Body Next to Body" which went to #22 in Germany and #6 in Austria. In 1990, she recorded a single called "Rockin' Like a Radio". She released a follow-up album, I'm the One... Nobody Else, in 1991. In 2000, she recorded the dance track "No More Turning Back" under the pseudonym of Gitta and reached #1 in Spain and topped several other European dance charts. Other tracks recorded as Gitta were 2001's "Tic Toc" and 2002's "You're No Lady", a collaboration with Ru Paul.

In the late 1980s, Marvel Comics approached Nielsen to pose for photographs dressed as the comic book character She-Hulk. Subsequently, she starred in 976-Evil II, The Double 0 Kid (1992), Chained Heat II (1993), Galaxis (1995), and Snowboard Academy (1996). In 1989, she appeared in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" music video. In 2000, she appeared in heavy metal band Korn's music video for the single "Make Me Bad". She has worked for Italian television, hosting shows such as: Festival (1987), the 1992 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, Retromarsh! (1996"1997), and ..la sai l'ultima? (1999); starring in the TV movie Fantaghirò 2 and its sequels (1992"1996); and guest starring in the Rai Tre's soap opera Un posto al sole (2000). In 1997, she hosted a talk show series called Gittes venner for a Danish TV network and some TV shows for RTSI, the Swiss television in the Italian language. On 28 August 2008, German record label Edel Music re-released her 1991 album I'm the One... Nobody Else and the 1987 Every Body Tells a Story under the title Brigitte Nielsen.

On 27 October 2009, she published her first auto-biography in Scandinavia titled: "Gitte Nielsen " Du har kun ét liv " sådan fandt jeg tilbage til mig selv" (translation: "You only have one life " this is how I found myself again."). The book reached the Top5 of Denmark's bestseller list. The book has been released in the United Kingdom under the title You only get one life in May 2011. In April 2011, she attended the British variety/talent show Sing If You Can, which aired on ITV. In November 2010, she guest starred for one episode in the German TV series SOKO: Stuttgart, aired by ZDF on 28 March 2011. She guest-hosted the British chat show Loose Women on 7 December 2010, and voice acted for the Danish animated comedy film Ronal the Barbarian. She played in horror movie Eldorado (2012), co-starred Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and Kerry Washington. In 2013, she starred in the science-fiction movie Exodus. In April 2013 she's featured in the shortmove The Key alongside Ray Stevenson and directed by Mayk Azzato. The short art film is produced by Jaguar.

Reality TV

Nielsen appeared on the first season of the Italian production of The Mole (2004) and on the third season of the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life (2004). Nielsen also appeared with Flav on VH1's Big in '04 Awards. In 2006, she guest-starred on Flav's other reality show, Flavor of Love. In 2003, Nielsen appeared in the Danish Big Brother VIP. In January 2005, she was a contestant in Britain's Celebrity Big Brother, along with her former mother-in-law, Jackie Stallone. Nielsen came third in the final public vote. In 2006, she appeared in another reality TV series, VH1's The Surreal Life: Fame Games. In March 2007, she starred in a new British mockumentary called Killing Brigitte Nielsen, which aired on Sky Travel. She also appeared in the first season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which chronicled her struggle to overcome her alcoholism at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California.

In May 2008, she revealed on German television that she would "renew" her body by having six plastic surgeries, which would cost "?66,000 altogether. Nielsen was filmed during those surgeries by RTL and she had her own television show "Aus alt mach neu " Brigitte Nielsen in der Promi-Beauty-Klinik"(Make do and mend " Brigitte Nielsen in the celebrity beauty hospital). The same show was broadcast twice in Italy: at first under the title Celebrity Makeover: Brigitte Nielsen on SKY Italia in December 2008 and secondly in 2009 on Italia 1. In 2009, Nielsen appeared as a panel speaker to a new group of addicts at the Pasadena Recovery Center, anticipating the two-year mark of her sobriety that coming July. Her appearance was aired in the third season episode "Triggers", which aired in February 2010.

In January 2010, Nielsen appeared as one of the celebrity contestants of the French reality show TF1's La Ferme Célébrités, the French version of the TV series The Farm. She was eliminated after one week, mainly due to her lack of fluency in French and subsequent difficulties to interact with the other contestants. Nielsen was one of the celebrity contestants of 2010's Let's Dance, the German version of Dancing with the Stars. In 2010, she took part of Celebrity Come Dine With Me in Denmark (Til middag hos... ), and in Germany (Das Perfekte Promi Dinner).

From January 13, 2012, she was one of the celebrity contestans and winner of Ich bin ein Star " Holt mich hier raus!, the German version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, broadcast by RTL Television. On January 28, 2012, she won the show as the Jungle Queen. The German Bildzeitung revealed on January 30, 2012 that Nielsen had received the most calls from TV viewers throughout the entire show, ranking No.1 with 30 - 50% of all call-ins.

In October 2012 she was featured in the Danish version of Maestro broadcast on DR1 in which celebrities competed for the chance to conduct a classical orchestra.

In September 2013 she joins the cast of the German tv show Promi-Hochzeitsplanern (Celebrity Wedding planners) for S[at 1. ]

Personal life

Family and relationships

Nielsen has been married five times and has four sons. She has a son, Julian Winding (born in 1984), with her first husband, Kasper Winding, to whom she was married from 1983-4.

Nielsen married actor Sylvester Stallone, on 15 December 1985 at the Beverly Hills, California, home of producer Irwin Winkler. Stallone and Nielsen's marriage lasted 19 months, with their divorce finalized July 1987. She later confessed an affair with Tony Scott.

Her second child, Killian Marcus Nielsen (born in 1989), she had with ex-fiance Mark Gastineau. Between 1990 and 1992, she was married to director and photographer Sebastian Copeland (Orlando Bloom's cousin). Nielsen has two sons with fourth husband Raoul Meyer, Douglas Aaron (born in 1993) and Raoul, Jr. (born in 1995). In 2005, Nielsen had a highly publicized relationship with rapper Flavor Flav. The relationship was filmed on their reality show Strange Love". Her current husband, Mattia Dessi lived with her in Italy as shown on Strange Love, which was filmed prior to their marriage. They live in Palm Springs.

In the aftermath of Arnold Schwarzenegger's infidelity scandal, Nielsen came forward and confessed that she too had an affair with Schwarzenegger while he was in a relationship with Maria Shriver, saying, "Maybe I wouldn't have got into it if he said 'I'm going to marry Maria' and this is dead serious, but he didn't, and our affair carried on." In January 2012, during an interview on the German Reality TV-Show Ich bin ein Star " Holt mich hier raus!, she confessed once having an one-night stand with Sean Penn in Cannes.

She is also the ex-sister in-law of Drive director, Nicolas Winding Refn.

Alcohol problems

On 9 July 2007, Nielsen checked herself into the Cri-Help rehabilitation facility in North Hollywood following what some reports claim was a family intervention. Her manager, Steven Tempone, confirmed on 19 July 2007 that she had checked into rehabilitation and told the Associated Press "All I know is it's something she did of her own free will and we're proud of her and wish her very well...When she gets out we'll have a big birthday party, and Coca-Cola only".

As of 22 July 2007, Nielsen was out of rehabilitation to attend the Comedy Central roast of Flavor Flav. She told People that she felt "like a new-born person ... I made a choice about a new life. It's not been easy but it was definitely time." While People does not report the date that Nielsen checked into rehabilitation, it states she "had been in treatment for a few weeks". On 10 January 2008, VH1 began airing the reality TV series, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Nielsen appeared on the show for alcoholism. In a January 2010 TV Guide story on her success with sobriety, Celebrity Rehab producer John Irwin stated, "She's sober, and she quit smoking. She's doing crazy good."

Plastic surgery

In mid-2008, Nielsen starred in the reality show Aus alt mach neu, broadcast by the German TV-station RTL. The theme of the show was Nielsen's attempt to look "as young as her husband" by undergoing plastic surgery. The show was aired in Italy as well, on SKY Italia during December 2008 and the following summer on Italia 1.

Other

Besides her native Danish, Nielsen is fluent in Swedish, Norwegian, English, German and Italian, and has some understanding of French.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Red Sonja	Red Sonja
1985	Rocky IV	Ludmilla Vobet Drago
1986	Cobra	Ingrid
1987	Beverly Hills Cop II	Karla Fry
1988	Bye Bye Baby	Lisa
1988	Domino	Domino
1989	Murder by Moonlight	Maggie Bartok
1992	976-Evil II	Agnes
1992	'	Rhonda
1992	Mission of Justice	Dr. Rachel K. Larkin
1992	Fantaghirò 2	Dark witch
1993	Fantaghirò 3	Dark witch
1993	Chained Heat II	Magda Kassar
1994	Fantaghirò 4	Dark witch
1995	Compelling Evidence	Michelle Stone
1995	Body Count	Sybil
1995	Galaxis	Ladera
1996	Fantaghirò 5	Strega Nera
1996	Snowboard Academy	Mimi
1998	Paparazzi	Gitte
1999	She's Too Tall	Veronica Lamar
2000	Hostile Environment	Minna
2000	Doomsdayer	Elizabeth Gast
2008	'	Rich lady
2009	'	Herself
2010	Big Money Rustlas	Wife
2011	Ronal the Barbarian	Amazon Queen	Voice
2012	Eldorado	Angel
2012	GrindHouse 2wo	Angel
2013	Exodus.
2013	The Key		Short film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Counterstrike	Monica Steile	Episode: "Bastille Day Terror"
2000	Un posto al sole	Gitte	2 episodes
2009	Nite Tales: The Series	Mona	Episode: "Black Widow"
2011	SOKO 5113	Gina Wartenberg	Episode: "Stuttgart ist sexy"

Discography

Albums

• 1988 Every Body Tells a Story
• 1992 I'm the One... Nobody Else
• 2000 No More Turning Back
• 2001 Tic-Toc
• 2002 Gitta vs. RuPaul
• 2008 Brigitte Nielsen (re-release of I'm the One... Nobody Else and Every Body Tells a Story)

Singles

• "Body Next to Body" " Falco meets Brigitte Nielsen; 1987; (#6 Austria, #22 Germany, #1 Japan)
• "Every Body Tells a Story"; 1987; (#38 Italy; #15 Germany)
• "Maybe"; 1988
• "Siento"; 1988 (South America only)
• "It's a Strange Love"; 1988
• "Rockin' Like a Radio"; 1990
• "My Girl (My Guy)"; 1991
• "How Could You Let Me Go?"; 1992
• "No More Turning Back" (as Gitta); 2000; released by Jive; (#1 Spain, #1 Eurodance chart; #64 Netherlands)
• "Everybody's Turning Back" (as Gitta vs. Rozalla)
• "Tic Toc" (as Gitta); 2001; released by Blanco y Negro
• "You're No Lady" (as Gitta with Ru Paul); 2002; released by Do it Yourself; (#1 Spain)
• "Misery" (as Gitte Nielsen with Spleen United); 2012