Lara Croft, the all-action archaeologist and star of the Tomb Raider series has made it to the record books as the most successful video game heroine. Here's a look at Angelina Jolie and other beauties who have made Lara sizzle on screen and at promotional events.
Lara Croft, the all-action archaeologist and star of the Tomb Raider series has made it to the record books as the most successful video game heroine. Here's a look at Angelina Jolie and other beauties who have made Lara sizzle on screen and at promotional events.
Jolie brought the gaming super babe to life in the 2001 film Tomb Raider. The film followed Lara's race through Angkor Wat and Siberia to find the Triangle of Light, said to give its owner the power of God. For the film, Jolie performed all her own stunts.
Jolie reprised the role in The Cradle of Life (2003), in which MI6 hires Lara to find Pandora's Box. She releases Terry Sheridan, a friend imprisoned in Kazakhstan, who provides a romantic interest rare in the series. The film implies that Lara had served with the Royal Marines, a detail hinted at in the first film, which shows her at the centre of a small military unit. (Text: Wikipedia)
Lara Croft first appeared in the 1996 video game Tomb Raider, introduced in the manual as Lord Henshingly Croft's disinherited daughter, who has survived a Himalayan plane crash. The game follows Lara's search for the 'Atlantean Scion' artefact, and her encounter with an ancient ruler of Atlantis. But she has since transcended the boundary of the video game to become a recognisable figure in mainstream society, making her the 'Most Successful Video Game Heroine,' 'Most Recognisable Female Character in a Video Game' and 'Most Detailed Video Game Character' in the brand new edition of Guinness World Records 2010 Gamer's Edition, published on Thursday, January 21, 2010. The Tomb Raider set new records as 'Highest Grossing Computer Game Spin Off', 'Most Successful Live-Action Transfer' and 'Most Official Real Life Stand-Ins in a Video Game'. Several models have been hired to portray Lara Croft at various publicity events and promotions, including Nathalie Cook, Rhona Mitra, Nell McAndrew and Alison Carroll.
2008-Present: In August 2008 English gymnast, model, and actresss Alison Carroll was announced as the new Lara Croft model for the latest game, Tomb Raider: Underworld. At the time, she was working as a receptionist at a golf club. Carroll replaced Karima Adebibe, who retired from the role earlier in the year.
This is what the official press release had to say about Carroll's selection as the new Lara: "Featuring the essential characteristics at the core of Lara Croft's personality - brawn, brains and beauty - Alison Carroll particularly complements this iteration of Ms. Croft...Sharing Lara's strength and grace, Alison is an experienced competitive gymnast who has performed and competed across the globe. Her more than 12 years of gymnastics training align perfectly with the game's enhanced movement set."
In preparation for her role, Carroll embarked on a regime that included survival, combat and semi-automatic weapons training, as well as world archeology coursework.
"This is a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to embracing Lara's world. It's unbelievable how realistic her movements are in Tomb Raider Underworld and it's so gratifying to be able to use my years of gymnastic training to portray such a beloved character," Carroll was quoted as saying.
2006-2008: Formerly a secretary, Karima Adebibe was selected on February 14, 2006 (both her birthday and that of Lara Croft) to be the seventh model for Lara Croft.
The role involved promoting the game series 'in-character' on television and radio, so Adebibe underwent training in Lara Croft's trademark skills, from martial arts to elocution.
In an interview, Karima identified Lara as "the epitome of British class, beauty and strength. She's an independent and ambitious female version of Indiana Jones. Her fearlessness and adventurous nature takes her on all kinds of journeys across the globe. She is proficient in many languages and is highly educated. Lara has been created to fulfill the ultimate fantasy character for both men and women. Lara's got it all."
Karima, a self confessed tomboy and Top Shop sales assistant, admitted it was tough getting picked for Lara's role: "It's probably been the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. I pinch myself and I still can't believe it! I remember the last day of auditions and leaving the Eidos offices with feelings of uncertainty. The competition was high and I knew the final decision would be difficult. I was so anxious when I received the call and almost couldn't believe what I was hearing when they told me I was going to be the new face of Lara Croft. I'm so glad I made it, I'm so glad to be here!"
"This is an incredible opportunity for me and one which I plan to grasp with both hands. It's a huge challenge to follow in the footsteps of people like Nell McAndrew and Angelina Jolie, but life is all about challenges and this is perhaps the biggest one for a model and actress," Karima was quoted as saying.
2002-2004: Eidos Interactive, the publishers of Tomb Raider and Core Design, appointed Dutch model Jill De Jong as the new face of computer game heroine Lara Croft, replacing Lucy Clarkson following her two year tenure. At 6ft tall and measuring 34-26-38, Jill was a perfect incarnation of the world's number one cyber-babe.
Jong began her career as a model at the age of fifteen after winning a modeling contest in the Netherlands. She became a respected and successful top model, shooting TV and print campaigns for big brand names such as, Ralph Lauren, Escada, Redken, Izod, St. Yves, Fa shower gel and L'Oréal in Europe and the United States. (Text: Wikipedia)
Her career has taken Jong to some of the most beautiful places in the world including Cuba, Bahamas, Morocco, Jamaica and Cape Town, not to mention Paris, New York, Miami and Barcelona. "Like Lara I love travelling but my favourite place in the whole world is being anywhere with the people I love. I can be in the most beautiful place in the world but nothing competes with spending time with my family," she was quoted as saying in an interview.
On her appointment as the face of Lara Croft, Jong said "I was so happy when Eidos told me I had the position, I couldn't stop smiling for days. Friends say I'm made for the role as I love adventure and traveling. It's a real honour to represent someone who has such great self-confidence and a strong personality. Lara is a fantastic role model for people of all ages."
2000-2002: English model Lucy Clarkson is best known as being the fourth official Lara Croft model from the Tomb Raider series of video games, a role she took on in May 2000, at the age of 17, and held for two and a half years until 2002 when Jill de Jong took over.
It was Lucy Clarkson's father who first sensed the possibilities. "You'd make a great Lara Croft" he said to his daughter as he took in yet another media appearance by the world's number one cyber icon. A year later it was Eidos Interactive's turn to recognise that the model from Rotherham in Yorkshire had the requisite attitude, looks and physical dimensions to fill the star of the Tomb Raider series' famous boots.
According to Clarkson, Lara is a great role model for women, not just a curvy fantasy for gamers: "I think she's a fantastic role model because she is not only curvy and sexy, she's independent, very bright and knows what she wants in life."
1999-2000: At 5ft 8' and measuring 34c-24-34, Lara Weller's vital statistics certainly reflected those of her digital counterpart. Her natural dark brown hair and brown eyes took her a step closer to matching Croft's physical appearance. With four years experience as a lingerie and swimwear model plus interests in sport, travel and adventure, Lara Weller was an ideal body-double. When asked how she felt about landing the role as the gaming industry's most famous and desirable icon, Weller commented: "It's taken a while to sink in that I will actually represent Lara Croft, but the more I think about it, the more excited I get about the whole idea. It's actually quite amazing since in the past people have mentioned that I remind them of the Tomb Raider girl!"
1998-1999: Nell McAndrew started her modelling career as a catalogue and magazine model and as Marilyn Monroe look-a-like. She shot to fame as the official Lara Croft model between 1998 and 1999.
Considered by many as the most successful and popular model to fill the boots of Lara Croft, McAndrew was immediately fired from her stint in 1999 after posing nude for the cover of Playboy, the first British woman to do so. This was partly due to the fact Playboy printed references to Lara Croft and Tomb Raider on the cover, which were quickly removed when Eidos, the maker of the game, threatened with a lawsuit.
1997-1998: Rhona Mitra, whose father is of Bengali Indian and English descent, and mother is Irish, became the first official real-life Lara Croft in 1997. During her tenure as Lara, Rhona did several photo shoots, public appearances, interviews, and even cut a pop single entitled 'Getting Naked'. She was also widely considered the obvious choice for the role of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movie. But then quite suddenly, for no apparent reason, Rhona was fired by Eidos Interactive.
In order to help portray the amply-endowed character of Lara Coft, Rhona had her breasts enlarged from a size 34A to a more Lara-sized 34DD. Her silicon upgrade was performed by none-other than her own father Dr Anthony Mitra. Her vital statistics are 34d-24-35.
2000: Actress and model Ellen Rocche played a Brazilian version of Lara Croft, to promote the movie Tomb Raider in her home country. Appreciated mainly for her physical attributes, Rocche gained national exposure when she joined the cast of a reality show based loosely on the Dutch Big Brother, dubbed Casa dos Artistas, in which famous people were locked together in a house and then gradually voted out.
1997: Vanessa Demouy began modeling at the age of seventeen and later crossed over into film and television. In 1997 she was hired by French video game magazine VSD for a cover shoot as Lara Croft, but these photographs remained unofficial work and were never used for any promotion of the Tomb Raider game.
1996-1997: The honour of being the first official Lara Croft model belongs to Rhona Mitra, but Nathalie Cook was one of the four real-life Laras models originally hired by Eidos for the launch of Tomb Raider at the European Computer Trade Show in 1996. It was assumed gun-toting girls would help Tomb Raider grab eyeballs and that is exactly what happened.
Cook was later singled out by British games magazine PC Zone to appear on its December 1996 cover. However her tryst with fame was short-lived and very little is known about her life once Cook's association with Lara Croft ended.
To honour Lara Croft's 10th anniversary in 2007, all the past and present Tomb Raider models gathered in London for a sensational photoshoot wearing black body latex suits. (Photo Courtesy: Eidos)
The photo shoot included Karima Adebibe (2006-2008), plus Nell McAndrew (1998-1999), Lara Weller (1999-2000), Lucy Clarkson (2000-2002) and Jill De Jong (2002-2004).(Photo Courtesy: Eidos)
The only one missing from this stunning lineup was the very first Lara Croft model Rhona Mitra who has gone on to a very successful TV and movie acting career.(Photo Courtesy: Eidos)
The Lara Croft 10th Anniversary photoshoot. (Photo Courtesy: Eidos)
The Lara Croft 10th Anniversary photoshoot. (Photo Courtesy: Eidos)
The Lara Croft 10th Anniversary photoshoot (Photo Courtesy: Eidos)
