Biography for
Brigitte Nielsen More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

15 July 1963, Rødovre, Denmark

Birth Name

Gitte Nielsen

Nickname

Gitte
The Great Dane
Gitta

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Brigitte Nielsen was born Gitte Nielsen in Rødovre, Denmark, on July 15, 1963. In 1979 she moved to France, then Italy, where she began her modeling career. In 1984 Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis hired her for the lead in Red Sonja (1985) with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The following year she met Sylvester Stallone and, in December 1985, married him. Meanwhile, she shot three other films: Rocky IV (1985), Cobra (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), directed by Tony Scott, with Eddie Murphy, Paul Reiser and Chris Rock. In July 1987 Nielsen and Stallone divorced, and she recorded an LP called "Everybody Tells a Story" and sang "Body Next to Body" with Falco. In the 1990s she made quite a few films, including 976-Evil II (1992), Fantaghirò 2 (1992) (TV) and its sequels, The Double 0 Kid (1992) (V), Chained Heat II (1993), Galaxis (1995) with Sam Raimi, Compelling Evidence (1995), She's Too Tall (1998) with Corey Feldman and George Hamilton, and Doomsdayer (2000). In recent years she has become interested in the music world, doing a duet with drag-queen RuPaul, "You're No Lady" (2002). She has four children: Julian (b. 1984), Killian (b. 1989), Douglas (b. 1993) and Raoul Jr. (b. 1995). She divides her residences between Italy and the US.

IMDb Mini Biography By: antonello

Mini Biography

Actress, model, presenter, and singer Brigitte Nielsen was born in Rødovre, a little place near Copenhagen in Denmark. At the end of High school when she was 16, Gitte (her given name) left her family to begin her modeling career. She worked for top fashion designers like Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, and Gianfranco Ferré and divided her time between New York, Paris, Milan, and Berlin. In 1983, she married Danish musician Kasper Winding and the year after her first son Julian was born, but in the same period acted in Red Sonja (1985) and left her husband and son for an acting career. The film with Arnold Schwarzenegger was successful and in 1985 she also acted in Rocky IV (1985) with her future husband, Sylvester Stallone. Stallone met Nielsen in the summer of 1985 during Red Sonja (1985)'s promo and after six months they married in Malibu. After 19 months, another film together Cobra (1986) and many scandals Gitte and Sly divorced. In 1987 Brigitte acted in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and went to Italy where she worked in a big Italian TV show called "Festival" (1987), recorded a dance album, "Every Body Tells A Story" and a pop music single "Body Next To Body" with Austrian singer Falco.

In January 1988, she met football player Mark Gastineau in an LA gym and soon she was in love with him. In December 1989 her second son Killian was born but the relationship with Gastineau finished. In 1990, Nielsen married the photographer/director Sebastian Copeland (Orlando Bloom's cousin) in Las Vegas and recorded another album called "I'm the One...Nobody Else". In 1992 when her third marriage was finished Brigitte met Swiss/Italian Raoul Meyer and married him in December 1993. The same year her third son Douglas Aaron was born and Gitte also acted in some films such as: The Double 0 Kid (1992) (V) with Seth Green and Wallace Shawn, Fantaghirò 2 (1992) (TV), and in the erotic thriller Chained Heat II (1993). Meanwhile, she also worked in European television and in 1995 her last son Raoul Jr. Ayrton (in memory of her friend Ayrton Senna) was born.

Since them, Brigitte left her 4th husband and lives in Milan, Italy and in the USA. She continues to act in many films such as: Codename: Silencer (1995), Snowboard Academy (1996), Hostile Environment (1998), and Doomsdayer (2000). She has also recorded some dance music singles: "No More Turning Back" and "You're No Lady". In 2004 she participated in two reality show, the Italian "La talpa" (2004) (Celebrity Mole) and the American "The Surreal Life" (2003) and "Strange Love" (2005).

IMDb Mini Biography By: antonellomautone@yahoo.it

Spouse

Mattia Dessi	(8 July 2006 - present)
Raoul Meyer	(17 December 1993 - 2005) (divorced) 2 children
Sebastian Copeland	(29 September 1990 - May 1992) (divorced)
Sylvester Stallone	(15 December 1985 - 13 July 1987) (divorced)
Kasper Winding	(1983 - October 1984) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Her real name, Gitte is pronounced Ghee-Te.

Dropped out of school at age 16 with her parents' permission to model in Paris.

She speaks four languages: Danish, Italian, English and German.

She was rumored to have turned down $ 1M for spending a night with an Arab prince. (July 1997)

The now bankrupt New World Studios hired her to pose for promotional photos highlighting the Marvel Comics character She-Hulk in 1989 to distribute as a possible movie. Though the pictures garnered much fan interest, they failed to produce interest in financial backers.

Released some dance music singles (titled "No more turning back" in 2000, "Tic Toc" in 2001, You're no lady" featuring the drag-queen RuPaul in summer 2002), but she used her real name Gitta.

Measurements: Reported to be 36B-24 1/2-36 1/2 at the time of her wedding to Sylvester Stallone. Enhancement surgery resulted in a 41DD-23 1/2-37 figure in 1989. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Her manager was the American dancer David Buonantony.

Son by Mark Gastineau, Marcus (b. 1990). Gastineau announced his retirement from the NFL on 20 October 1988 citing that Nielsen, whom he left Lisa Gastineau for, was suffering from cancer. Much later, he admitted he had twice tested for steroids and was afraid of the bad publicity from a third positive test.

Son Julian born in Copenhagen on April 1984 by her first husband, Danish musician Kasper Winding, studies music like his father and lives in Denmark. Son Killian, by footballer Mark Gastineau, lives with her and 4th husband Raoul Meyer together with the other two sons from her marriage to Meyer, Douglas Aaron, born on April 19, 1993 and Raoul Jr., born on May 21, 1995.

Brother Jan was born in 1965.

Was engaged to New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau from January 1988 to April 1990.

Swam for many years when she was young.

Dad Svend (died in 1999) was an engineer. Mom, Hanne, was a librarian.

Her favorite movies are A Beautiful Mind (2001) and I Am Sam (2001).

Her favorite city is Paris.

Her favorite writers are Wilbur Smith and Ken Follett.

Her favorite book is "A Place Called Freedom" by Ken Follett.

Her first son Julian (b. 1984) married Sine Thybeak Hansen on April 19, 2004 in Copenhagen in the same day and at the same age of his mother when she married Julian's father, the musician Kasper Winding.

Her first apartment in Los Angeles belonged to actor Armand Assante.

Engaged to Sylvester Stallone from April 1985 to December 1985, the month in which the two married.

Her third husband, the photographer/director Sebastian Copeland is Orlando Bloom's cousin.

She was briefly considered for these roles: Jane Porter in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Maria Sofia of Austria in 'O re (1989), Gayle in BattleQueen 2020 (2001) & Fran in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). In order, the roles went to Andie MacDowell, Ornella Muti, Julie Strain & Missi Pyle.

While she acted in Domino (1988), she was pregnant, a pregnancy that she lost during the shooting of the film. The film was shut down for two weeks while she recovered.

Her natural hair colour is light brown and she has green/brown eyes.

Escaped death after canceling a flight on the plane which crashed at Milan's Linate airport. (October 2001).

On Howard Stern's show, she said that she had a relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger during the shooting of Red Sonja (1985).

Was engaged to Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1985.

She spoke to her former mother-in-law Jackie Stallone for the first time since 1987 after they both appeared as contestants on "Celebrity Big Brother" (2001) in January 2005.

She left her first husband and child in Denmark to find fame in America (1985).

Ex-husband Sylvester Stallone was so "obsessed" with her appearance, he had her image carved into their furniture.

She is engaged to Italian bartender Mattia Dessì since April 2004. They met in a restaurant in Lugano on April 12, 2004. Mattia is 15 years younger than Brigitte.

She remains good friends with Flavor Flav.

When she was 10-years old she got up every morning at 4:30 to deliver bread from the local bakery before she went to school.

Met her 3rd husband Raoul Meyer three times before they married: the first time in 1980 but she was engaged to Luca Rossi, a famous Italian top-models boss, the second time in 1987 when she was divorced but Raoul was engaged, and the last time in May 1992, in their friend's villa on the lake of Como in Lombardia, Italy.

In February 2005, she credited Flavor Flav with saving her life, when he dialed 911 as she suffered a severe morning asthma attack.

Ivana Trump was her maid of honor at her second marriage to Mattia Dessi.

Married Mattia Dessi for a second time on the Mediterranean island of Malta.

According to the Guiness Book of World Records, she is the tallest living actress, 6' 1", in a leading role, along with Mariel Hemingway (Tamara Dobson was 6' 2", but she passed away in 2006).

Ex-wife of Sylvester Stallone. Former mother-in-law to Sage Stallone and Seargeoh Stallone. Former sister-in-law of Frank Stallone Jr. Former daughter-in-law of Jackie Stallone and Frank Stallone Sr.

Mother of Julian Winding.

Her 2nd son Killian, by footballer Mark Gastineau, was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA on December 15, 1989.

Appeared in "Flavor of Love" (2006), the highest rated show in VH1's history.

Ex-sister-in-law of Danish directer Nicolas Winding Refn.

Lives in Palm Desert, California (2008).

Her 1st son Julian (b. 1984) lives by himself in Copenaghen, her other 3 sons, Killian (b. 1989), Douglas (b. 1993) and Raoulino (b. 1995) live in Milan, Italy with her 4th husband Raoul Meyer and his wife Amel Cotì and their daughter Rachel (b. 2005).

She is terrified by crabs.

In summer 2007 she finally left Italy to live in the US.

Nielsen married for the fifth time in March 2005 to bartender Mattia Dessi, who appeared briefly on Strange Love. The marriage was not official, because her divorce from her previous husband was not finalized. On July 8, 2006 they married legally, following her divorce from her previous husband.

On July 9, 2007, Nielsen checked herself into the Cri-Help rehabilitation facility in North Hollywood following what some reports claim was a family intervention.

Received $6 million for her two-year marriage to actor Sylvester Stallone.

Her second son Killian Marcus with former footballer Marc Gastineau never met his father.

Personal Quotes

I do expose my body, but only because I think people should have something nice to look at.

When you makes movies, you usually make good money. But it is also a very tough job. Once you enter the public's eye, you have to be aware that you give up a huge part of your own life. And it is never a job from nine to five.

I'm European and we do that kind of thing (walking naked). It shocked the rest of the world but they got used to do it.

"I like to have men look at me from the bottom to the top." (referring to her height: 6'1")

Nothing in life can ever be too big. At least, that's what I've always told all my boyfriends - and I'm not just talking about diamond rings.

I'm not a beautiful person and I never have been. My ex Sylvester Stallone was obsessed with my looks. He got my profile carved into the place settings of our crystal dining table. And he commissioned a bronze statue of the two of us in our underwear for his garden. It was so embarrassing. But I never understood his fascination.

People think I'm strong as hard as I look. But I've a very sensitive side and need to be loved by everyone.

Men ask me to dance, but when I stand up they start to back off, saying: 'Maybe some other time'. That's when I grab 'em and say: 'There's no time like here and now, fella'. - Referring to her height (6' 1").

Where Are They Now

(June 2003) She is in England, where she participates in the Game-Show "Stars in Their Eyes" (1990).

(February 2004) She is in Yucatan, Mexico where she participates in the Italian reality show "La talpa" (2004) (Celebrity Mole: Yucatan).

(April 2004) Currently in Italy where she's participating in many TV shows.

(June 2004) Currently in Los Angeles, where she's shooting the American reality show, "The Surreal Life" (2003).

(July 2004) She is in Brazil, where she's participating in a Humanity mission.

(August 2004) She's participating in some TV shows in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

(September 2004) She's in America, where she's promoting "The Surreal Life" (2003).

(October 2004) In Italy, Los Angeles and Las Vegas to shoot her new reality show "Strange Love" (2005) with rapper Flavor Flav.

(January 2005) In UK, participating in "Celebrity Big Brother" (2001).

(June 2005) In Italy.

(November 2005) In Los Angeles to shoot the reality-fiction "Flavor of Love" (2006).

(April 2006) In Las Vegas, to shoot the reality-television "The Surreal Life: Fame Games" (2007).

(July 2006) In the Isle of Malta to marry for the 5th time on July 8.

(October 2006) In USA participating in many TV-show to promote the reality-game "The Surreal Life: Fame Games" (2007).

(March 2007) In UK promoting the reality-movie Voyage: Killing Brigitte Nielsen (2007) (TV).

(June 2008) She's in Germany where she's getting a complete renewal to show in a special 4-part documentary called "From old to new: Brigitte Nielsen in the Beauty-Clinic"

(September 2006) In Greece shooting "Voyage: Killing Brigitte Nielsen" with actor Alki David.

(August 2008) In Germany to record a new Music-Album called "Brigitte Nielsen" published by Edel Records (Germany).

(May 2007) Lives in Studio City, Los Angeles, California

(January 2008) Lives in Palm Desert, Los Angeles, California

(September 2007) She's in Sacramento, California, shooting a comedy movie called "The Hustle" with Charlie Murphy and Bai Ling.

(November 2008) She's in Kansas City, Missouri, shooting a new movie called "Last Will" with Tom Berenger and James Brolin.

(March 2009) In Los Angeles to shoot a comedy called "Big Money Rustlas"

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