A woman with an eye for beauty, world-renowned model agency executive Eileen Ford was born Eileen Otte (1922–2014) in New York City. She discovered some of the world’s most iconic women—Sharon Stone, Lauren Hutton, Christy Turlington, Brooke Shields, Jane Fonda, Jean Shrimpton, and many more.

“There are two words in the modeling industry,” she explained. “Bones and body, body and bones.” Ford traditionally looked for models with straight noses, wide-set eyes, and long necks.

“The most important thing is to express a keen and genuine interest in the people you’re speaking with,” she once said. “I’m crazy about fashion, that’s all. My soul is devoted to it. I love to see changes in makeup and hair. Fashion changes all the time.”

Along with her husband Jerry, she founded the Ford Modeling Agency in 1946. Together, they set high standards for their models and were the first to take a 20% commission for each assignment—10% from the model, 10% from the client.

“Eileen was the first to start everything that was helpful to models and their agents,” said industry insider Nina Blanchard. “That was really groundbreaking. People sat back and waited to see. If she did it, you’d almost go ahead with it.”

Thousands still dream of joining Ford’s prestigious agency. “A girl who doesn’t see herself with the potential of being beautiful can’t be a model,” Ford once said. “The true basis of the successful model is that she believes.”