Padma Lakshmi Biography
Padma Parvati Lakshmi is an Indian American author, television host activist, and model. In addition, she has hosted the cooking competition program Top Chef on Bravo continuously since season 2. For her work, the talented author received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Host in 2009 and 2020.
Padma Lakshmi Age|Birthday
Lakshmi was born on September 1, 1970. Therefore, she is 51 years old as of 2022 and celebrates her birthday on 1st September every year.
Padma Lakshmi Height|Weight
Lakshmi’s height is 5 feet 9 inches (approximately 175 centimeters). Moreover, she weighs 55 kilograms.
Padma Lakshmi Family
Lakshmi was born in Madras (now Chennai) India, to her parents Vijaya (mother) and Vaidyanathan (father). Moreover, her mother is a retired oncology nurse. However, the writer’s parents divorced when she was two years old.
The author immigrated to the United States at age four and was raised in New York City before moving to La Puente, California with her mother and stepfather.
Padma Lakshmi Husband
In April 2004, after living together for five years, the author married novelist Salman Rushdie. However, the couple filed for divorce in July 2007. Until billionaire Theodore J. Forstmann’s death in 2011, she was in a relationship with him. In addition, during a break in her relationship with Forstmann, the television personality had a daughter, Krishna (born in 2010) with businessman Adam Dell.
Padma Lakshmi Education
The author graduated from William Workman High School in City of Industry, California in 1988. Moreover, she attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Furthermore, Lakshmi began her modeling career while an exchange student in Madrid, Spain. Additionally, in 1992, the author graduated with a degree in theater arts and American literature.
Padma Lakshmi Career
Modeling
The author’s modeling career began at age 21. While studying abroad in Madrid, Lakshmi was discovered by a modeling agent. Moreover, the model has modeled for designers such as Emmanuel Ungaro, Giorgio Armani, Giani Versace, Ralph Lauren, and Alberta Ferretti. Additionally, she has appeared in ad campaigns for Roberto Cavalli and Versus. In addition, she was photographer Helmut Newton’s favorite model whose photographs of her often highlighted the large scar on her right arm.
Moreover, the model has appeared on the covers of Vogue India, Redbook, FHM, Cosmopolitan, L’Official India, Marie Claire (India Edition) Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, and Newsweek.
Furthermore, Lakshmi has done shoots for photographers Mario Testino and Helmut Newton.
Film, Television, and hosting
The television personality is the current host and one of the judges on the television show Top Chef. Moreover, Lakshmi also serves as an executive producer of the show. Additionally, the author is also a creator, host, and executive producer of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi which premiered on Hulu on June 18, 2020.
Previously, she first served as a host of Domenica In, Italy’s top-rated television show in 1997. Also, the television personality hosted the Food Network series Padma’s Passport. Moreover, she was also an official contributor for season 19 of The View from 2015 to 2016.
Lakshmi’s first film roles were in the Italian pirate movies The Son of Sandoka and Caraibi (Pirates: Blood Brothers). Additionally, the author had a comical supporting part as the lip-synching disco singer Sylk in the 2001 American movie Glitter, starring Mariah Carey.
Moreover, the author starred in the 2003 Bollywood film Boom as one of the three supermodels who are accused of stealing diamonds. Furthermore, the actress played the role of Geeta in Paul Mayeda Berge’s 2005 film The Mistress of Spices. Moreover, she made a guest appearance on the NBC series 30 Rock in 2009 and appeared on Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 2014.
Books and writing
1999 – Easy Exotic
2007 – Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet
2016 – Love. Loss, and What We Ate, The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs
2021 – Tomatoes for Neela
Selected Filmography
1995 – Unzipped
1997 – Domenica In
1998 – II Figlio di Sandokan
1999 – Caraibi – Pirates: Blood Brothers
2000 – Linda e il brigadiere ep: “ll fratello di Linda”
2001 – Glitter Melting Pot: Padma’s Passport
2002 – Star Trek: Enterprise
2003 – Boom
2005 – The Mistress of Spices
2006 – The Ten Commandments, Sharpe
2006 to Present – Top Chef
2009 – 30 Rock
2014 – Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Exclusion
2015-2016 – The View
2017 – Drop the Mic
2018 – RuPaul’s Drag Race
2019 – Butterbean’s Cafe
2020 to present – Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi
2022 – Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness
Padma Lakshmi Net Worth
Lakshmi’s net worth is $40 million. In addition, the talented author’s salary is $50,000 per episode.
