There have been a handful of models who portrayed Lara Croft in shows at one time or another but I will only showcase the official spokeswoman for the site for each year:
Birthplace: Rotherham, Yorkshire, UK
Birthdate: July 6, 1983
Height: 5' 11
Weight:140 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
It was Lucy Clarkson's father who first sensed the possibilities. "You'd make a great Lara Croft" he said to his daughter as he took in yet another media appearance by the world's number one cyber icon.
A year later it was Eidos Interactive's turn to realize the girl could fill the star of the Tomb Raider series' famous boots.
As Lara Croft, she will travel the world and be feted wherever she goes. She'll also become an instant cover girl - something most models never achieve. But, perhaps best of all for Lucy is the fact that, as Lara, she can be as curvy as nature intended. Another rarity in the stick-thin world of modelling.
Not that Lucy, a no-nonsense Northern girl, ever had much truck with this kind of body fascism. "I'd been in South Africa on a modelling job and they'd told me to lose weight. I didn't fancy that so I was on my way home. And that was when I got the call telling me I was the new Lara. It was such fantastic news. It's such a high profile job - and one of the few that lets you keep your boobs and bum."
Lucy's modelling career began when her mum entered her in an Elite Model Agency competition hosted by a national newspaper and a toothpaste manufacturer. With no prior experience at all, Lucy was named one of the 12 winners out of 16,000 wannabes.
It didn't take long for the work to pour in. As a tall, shapely girl Lucy became a favourite of maverick British designer Vivienne Westwood. She was also kept busy with lingerie and swimwear shoots. Lucy finds them preferable to fashion work for one very good reason. "They pay the best money!" she says.
For Lucy, the cash and the travel are the best facets of a modelling career. Yet... "Without doubt, other models. They can be unbelievably *itchy. In all the time I've been working I've made friends with two of them. Mostly I prefer the men," she says.
In fact, one male model is now Lucy's boyfriend and also a huge fan of Tomb Raider. "He's obsessed with games and loves Lara. Well, now he's got a Lara of his own!" she says.
Fav Food: Japanese and Italian Fav Drink: Milk, Red Bull and red wine
The 24 year old professional model made her first appearance as Lara Croft at the Electronic Entertainment Exhibition (E3) in Los Angeles. When asked how she feels about landing the role as the industry's most famous and desirable icon: "It's taken a while to sink in that I will actually represent Lara Croft, but the more I think about it, the more excited I get about the whole idea. It's actually quite amazing since in the past people have mentioned that I remind them of the Tomb Raider girl!"
At 5ft 8' and measuring 34c-24-34, Lara Weller's vital statistics certainly reflect those of her digital counterpart. Her natural dark brown hair and brown eyes take her a step closer to matching Miss Croft's physical appearance. With four years experience as a lingerie and swimwear model plus interests in sport, travel and adventure, Lara Weller is an ideal body-double.
The original Lara, is a digital character, unable to leave the confines of the electronic world. So to involve her even more with her fans and expose her to the world in the flesh a human stand-in was needed.There have been several models who all did a great job at playing and looking the part, but this latest beauty is the cream of the crop. Her tall, busty figure, athletic build and European accent make her the perfect 'real-life Lara'.
Rhona Mitra was the first official real-life Lara Croft. Acting has been part of Rhona's career for several years now. She's played many parts in theater productions, as well as several television appearances, including guest staring roles in The Bill, The Ghostbusters Of East Finchley, and The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous.
In order to help portray the amply-endowed character of Lara Coft, Rhona had her breasts enlarged from a size 34A to a more Lara-sized 34DD. Her silicon upgrade was performed by none-other than her own father Dr Anthony Mitra. Reportedly, she was thrilled with the results, and enjoyed the tight-fitting Lara Croft costume. She has also taken special media courses in order to emulate Lara's confidence when doing interviews with the press.
Her public appearances at E3 and ECTS quickly gained her much popularity with fans of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft. During her tenure as Lara, Rhona did several photo shoots, public appearances, interviews, and even cut a pop single entitled Getting Naked. She was also widely considered the obvious choice for the role of Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider movie.
Then unfortunately, Rhona was fired by Eidos Interactive, shocking many Tomb Raider fans, and was replaced by Nell McAndrew. The reason for her termination was left to speculation, as neither Eidos nor Rhona Mitra have given any reasons publicly as far as we know.
