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Lara
Look-Alikes Will the Real Lara Croft Please Stand Up? |
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Meet the models who first brought us visions of a real-life Lara as seen through the photographer's lens. Since the very first game, Eidos International and Core Design, makers of the TR games, have hired models to strap on the pistols and don the distinct shades of Ms. Croft for trade shows and press events.
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20 April, 2002 - Eidos Interactive has announced that Dutch model Jill De Jong will be the new face of Lara Croft, replacing two-year Lara veteran Lucy Clarkson. She is the fifth (or sixth if you include Natalie Cooke) model to officially don the ponytail and pistols. Jill is also the second model with a Dutch nationality to be Lara. Holland's Lara Weller was the 1999 Tomb Raider model. At 6 feet tall and measuring 34-26-38, Jill is more than up to the task of representing everone's favorite digital danger girl. |
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15 June, 2001 - Lara goes to the Big Screen. The Tomb Raider movie opened in theaters everywhere across the United States. Angelina Jolie is Lara Croft in Paramount's summer blockbuster movie. Written and directed by Simon West, the Tomb Raider movie, may be the best ever movie based on a video game. |
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Profession: Model The new Millenium introduced us to the newest TR model from the U.K., who at 16, is the youngest to play the Lady Raider. |
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1999 - This model from Holland not only had the Lara-look, but the name as well. |
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1998 - Born
: Britian, November 6, 1975 This Lara model raised quite a few eyebrows as well as an upraor when she posed in a certain off-color girly mag - her ties to the TR games were touted on the front cover. Eidos (the games manufacturer) was not amused. |
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1997 - The London-born singer/actress has hit prime-time Television with appearances in Party of Five and a regular on Gideon's Crossing. Ms. Mitra also co-stars with Kevin Bacon in the 2001 movie Hallow Man. |
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Additionally, there are two lesser known Lara models -
Vanessa Demouy was the 1997 French Lara
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1996-7? - |
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1997 - |
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Why so many Laras? As Core Design explains, "All the models are contracted for one year. At years end, another model is chosen to be Lara."
Lucy Clakson's tenure likely was prolonged by an extra year due to the prominence of Angelina Jolie's movie role. Incidentally, Ms. Jolie plans to reprise her interpretation of Ms. Croft with a sequel currently in the early scriptwriting stage.
More on Lara Models -
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Rhona Mitra, in addition to modeling as Lara, also performed as a lead vocalist for a song dedicated to Lara Croft.