Actor Michelle Williams still has fond memories of the countryside of Montana, where she was born in Kalispell in 1980. She was part of a large family, and was encouraged to read and enjoy the outdoors at an early age by her father. She didn't get too many years to enjoy that view of the great outdoors though - when she was nine, the family upped sticks and moved to California. It was there that she saw a theater performance of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,' and immediately knew what she wanted to do for a living.
Her dedicated family drove her between San Diego and Los Angeles repeatedly so she could attend auditions, and the process soon paid off. At thirteen, she had a small part in 'Baywatch.' In 1994, she starred in the 90s movie remake of 'Lassie,' and finally got her wish of being pulled out of school so she could focus on her burgeoning career. 'Dawson's Creek' came not long after that, and set the stage for her to take on a breakout role in 'Brokeback Mountain.'
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.