Elisabetta Canalis

An Italian model and TV personality, Elisabetta Canalis suddenly became the envy of women everywhere as a one-time girlfriend of George Clooney, one of Hollywood's most notorious and eligible bachelors. She was born on Sept. 12, 1978 in Sardinia, Italy to Cesare Canalis, a radiologist, and Bruna Canalis, who was an Italian literature teacher. Canalis attended high school in Sassari in Sardinia and then moved to Milan to study foreign languages at Università Statale. In 1999, Canalis launched her acting career as a "velina" (showgirl) on the Italian comedy show "Striscia la notizia" (Canale 5, 1988-2009). She went on to guest star on a handful of other shows such as "Popstar" (Italia 1, 2001), a reality singing competition, and had a cameo in the American feature film comedy "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" (2005). Canalis also pursued a modeling career, appearing in ads for the high-end Swiss watch manufacturer Tissot and for Italian designer Roberto Cavalli's underwear line.