Elsa Benitez (born on December 8, 1977) is a Mexican supermodel.
Benitez was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, and she got her
modeling start after winning an international model search, held in
Costa Rica in 1995. With Linda Evangelista as one of her childhood
idols, Benitez decided to follow her dream of modeling. Modeling
opportunities opened up for Benitez soon after, first in Mexico, where
she started out her career, and then in the United States and Europe.
In 1996, she appeared on the cover of Vogue Italy three times in
April, August and September. After signing with Elite Model
Management, she then appeared on the covers of many fashion magazines,
including Vogue, ELLE, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Harper's Bazaar, and
Marie Claire. Benitez has also done advertising campaign work for
Dolce & Gabbana, Macy's, Episode, I-N-C, J.Crew, Iscar de la Renta,
Rena Lange, Nine West, Valentino, and Jones New York, and has modelled
for Victoria's Secret. Benitez appeared in the 1999 Pirelli Calendar
that featured "Women Through the Decades." She was photographed as a
representative of the "groovy '70s."
She also appeared in Enrique Iglesias' music video "Love to See You
Cry" in 2002. Benitez was also selected to be on the cover of the 2001
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She has appeared in the Swimsuit
Edition five times since her debut in the magazine. In the 2004 issue,
Sports Illustrated reported Benitez's story of nearly boarding the
doomed TWA Flight 800-a Boeing 747 that exploded over the Atlantic
soon after takeoff. She was crying on the phone to her husband and
said, "I feel something is going to happen on the flight." Her husband
told her not to worry, but she continued to cry. She changed her
ticket and took off ten minutes after TWA Flight 800. "It made me
appreciate so much that just being alive is a gift."
Benitez plans to enter the film industry and as such has taken acting
lessons. She hopes to work in both Spanish and English language films.
She married former NBA player, Rony Seikaly in September 1999, and
with him she has a son.