Beverly Johnson
Beverly Johnson (born October 13, 1952, Buffalo, New York, U.S.) is an American model who in the 1970s was the first Black woman to appear on the cover of numerous fashion magazines, including American Vogue and French Elle. She also acted in films and television shows and built her own luxury brand of fashion and beauty products.
In high school Johnson was a competitive swimmer and came close to qualifying for the 1968 Olympics. She originally planned to become a lawyer and attended Northeastern University, Boston, on a full academic scholarship to study criminal justice. After her freshman year, however, Johnson followed the advice of friends to try modeling. Although she was rejected by a number of agencies, she was hired on the spot for an assignment with Glamour magazine. Her success convinced her to leave school in 1971 and move to New York City to pursue a career in modeling. She was soon represented by Ford Models, cofounded by Eileen Ford, and then by Wilhelmina Models.
In 1974 Johnson made history when she was featured on the cover of the August issue of Vogue. It marked the first time in the magazine’s 80-year history that a Black model appeared on the cover. A year later she was the first Black model to grace the cover of Elle. Throughout her modeling career, Johnson appeared on more than 500 fashion magazine covers. She was also a runway model for Halston and Calvin Klein, among other designers.
Johnson began acting in the 1970s but was cast with more frequency in the 1990s. Her film credits include The Meteor Man (1993), How to Be a Player (1997), Crossroads (2002), and Good Deeds (2012). Johnson also had roles in such television shows as Law & Order, Martin, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. In the 1980s she appeared in the music videos for Michael Jackson’s “Liberian Girl” and Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” (both 1989). Johnson later served as a judge on the reality competition She’s Got the Look (2008–10), in which women over age 35 vied for a modeling contract. Beverly’s Full House was a family-themed reality show that was executive produced by Johnson and aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network in 2012.
In addition to modeling and acting, Johnson also published several self-care books, including Beverly Johnson’s Guide to a Life of Health and Beauty (1981) and True Beauty: Secrets of Radiant Beauty for Women of Every Age and Color (1994). Her memoir, The Face That Changed It All (2015), covered some of the challenges she weathered throughout her career, including her experiences with bulimia and anorexia. Johnson also spoke publicly about uterine health issues, early menopause, racism, and the lack of diversity in runway modeling and haute couture. In 2014 Johnson joined dozens of women in accusing comedian Bill Cosby of drugging and attempted assault. Cosby sued Johnson for defamation in 2015 but dropped the suit the following year.
Johnson became an entrepreneur in the 1990s when she partnered with Sears to market an eyewear line. This was followed by a collaboration with wigmaker Amekor Industries to create a collection of products for Black women. In 2012 she launched the Beverly Johnson Luxurious Lifestyle Brand of hair and skin care products, which were sold at Target stores. By 2012 she had established Beverly Johnson Enterprises, which aimed to curate products and services for “a global audience of diverse ethnicities of women.” In 2022 she received a Model Pioneer Award at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Summit at the United Nations.
Johnson’s advocacy included serving as an international ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She continued to model in her 60s and 70s, walking the runway in 2019 for Zendaya’s collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger and during New York Fashion Week for designers Sergio Hudson and Bibhu Mohapatra (2022) and Dennis Basso (2023).