Trivia

Is sometimes credited as "The first supermodel", "The nation's first supermodel" or "America's first supermodel".

The first model to receive $100 an hour.

Turned down marriage proposals from Clark Gable and James Stewart.

She was hired by David O. Selznick in the 1940s to school his contract actresses in matters of beauty, poise and publicity. She was especially influential in grooming Jennifer Jones for stardom.

Daughter of famous cartoonist and "Betty Boop" artist Daniel Francis "Bud" Counihan (January 10, 1887-January 5, 1972) and Margaret Anne McCarthy (July 1, 1890-January 4, 1965).

After leaving her acting career, she joined the staff of "Harper's Bazaar" to do editorial, promotional and advertising work but quit after a successful three years. She was called back to Hollywood for a cameo appearance and promotion job on the film Las modelos (1944), which resulted in six offers from Hollywood and working with David O. Selznick.

For years she was considered the nation's #1 cover girl. Quentin Reynolds named her "The Face" when she smiled from 300 magazines in one year.

Went to Hollywood as an actress. Later became the first woman executive in the motion picture industry.

Harry Conover, head of the nationally known Conover Model Agency, named Anita as the "most beautiful woman in America" and "one of the most intelligent".

At age 56 she married for the first time to Palen Flagler, a wealthy and successful businessman. He was the corporate vice president of J.P. Stevens, which had an annual volume of $50 billion (circa 1970s).

Aside from her beauty, she was also recognized as being very intelligent, as she had top executive and advisory jobs in Hollywood. Examples of newspaper reports refer to her intelligence: Time magazine wrote "The Face has a brain to match" on the front cover (01/08/45); The Milwaukee Journal (05/12/46) called her "Hollywood's blond and beautiful brain"; The Deseret News (02/17/47) nicknamed her "The Brain".

As an actress she had leading roles and reportedly made more money than young starlets Lucille Ball and Betty Grable, who were earning $35 a week.

Inventor of a chair that is convertible into an inclined bed (U.S. patent #2690209, Issued September 28, 1954).

According to the Pittsburgh Press (03/26/1946), her face appeared on 50,000 billboards and more than 1500 magazine covers.

By August 1957 her best-seller "Anita Colby's Beauty Book" (1952) had been translated into ten foreign languages, sold 100,000 copies and syndicated in 100 American cities. In the 1960s-1970s, her beauty book was known to be "the Bible of cosmeticians and beauty editors".

In 1947 she was executive assistant to Henry Ginsberg at Paramount Pictures. She was the first woman to occupy this executive position.

In 1937 she was on the cover of 32 magazines in one month, making $1,500 a week.

In the 1950s she headed a newspaper syndicate, Women's News Service.

Started career as America's highest paid model and magazine cover girl.

During her modeling career, she was credited as having been on more magazine covers than any other girl in America.

Famous Hollywood fashion beauty consultant.

Was a writer for fashion, beauty and modeling advice in newspaper columns.

Appeared on the covers of 15 magazines in a single month [1936].

Considered the most successful of all the Conover Agency models.

Nine months after her start as a cover girl, Manhattan's illustrators named her their most popular model.

Her younger sister Francine Counihan was also a top model.

In 1935 she was the highest paid cover girl in America.

She modeled for numerous products such as cosmetics, toothpastes, cigarettes, etc.

Ex-fiancée of Wall Street broker Gerald (Jerry) Gordon. A wedding was planned in 1962.

In March 1939 she revealed her engagement to Charles "Chuck" Hornburg, Jr., an advertising executive of "Good Housekeeping" magazine.

At age 19, she was making $1,000 a week modeling.

Had hazel eyes.

She was a student at St. Agnes Seminary (New York), Pratt Institute (New York), and Madeira (Virginia).

Several sources from 1935 and 1936 (including Time magazine 4/27/1936 and The Literary Digest 1936) said she was "New York's most popular model" under her birth name Anita Counihan.

Already a popular model by 1935, she was famous under her birth name Anita Counihan. She changed her surname to Colby in 1936 when a movie contract for RKO Pictures came along, but some publications continued to print her surname Counihan until 1938.

New York News Photographers in 1935 selected her as the "most outstanding artist model" (under her name Anita Counihan).

She was signed by Arthur Willi, head of RKO Pictures' talent department. (1936)