Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English model and former actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s.People — guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2007. Born in Basingstoke, Hurley was a struggling actress in 1987, when she met Grant while working on a Spanish production called Remando Al Viento. In 1994, Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral.Farndale, Nigel. Movie Connections: Four Weddings and a Funeral. The Sunday Telegraph, page 39. 16 September 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007. Hurley accompanied him to the film's London premiere and was noted for wearing a plunging black Versace dress held together with gold safety pins. Liz Hurley expecting baby — bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2007. According to The Guardian, Hurley was "then known as 'Hugh Grant's girlfriend,' now known as 'Hugh Grant's former girlfriend,'" due to their high-profile romantic relationship that ended in 2000.Ferla, Ruth. Elizabeth Hurley: The Swimsuit Issue — nytimes.com. 4 October 2005. Retrieved 9 November 2007.

The highlight of Hurley's professional life has been her association with the cosmetics company Estée Lauder. The company gave Hurley her first modeling job at the age of 29Estée Lauder Lauds Elizabeth Hurley — Fashion Week Daily. Retrieved 15 June 2008. and has used her as a model for its products, especially perfumes such as Sensuous, Intuition, and Pleasures, since 1995.Murphy sidelines Hurley at Lauder — CNN. Retrieved 15 June 2008. Her best known cinematic work was as Vanessa Kensington in Mike Myers' hit spy comedies, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). Liz Hurley: Life in the spotlight — bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2007. Hurley currently models and designs an eponymous beachwear line. She became the mother of a son in 2002.

Early life

Hurley was born as a middle child in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, the daughter of Angela and Roy Hurley. Her Irish father was a major in the British Army, while her Anglican mother was a teacher at Kempshott Infant School. Elizabeth Hurley — thebiographychannel.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2007. She has an older sister Katie and a younger brother Michael. Hurley was educated at local schools including Kempshott Infant School, Kempshott Junior School, and the Harriet Costello School. Aspiring to be a dancer as a young girl, she took ballet classes and later briefly studied dance and theater at the London Studio Centre. Allmovie: Elizabeth Hurley — Allmovie. Retrieved 14 June 2008. While in her teens, she became involved with punk fashion, dying her hair pink and piercing her nose. Liz Hurley: Life in the spotlight — bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2007. "When I was 16 - this was about 1981,82 - the thing to be in Basingstoke, the suburb I grew up in, was punk," she explained. When Sell-outs reach their sell-by date — herald.ie. Retrieved 4 August 2008. She also reportedly associated with the New Age Travellers in her youth.