Alt was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the daughter of Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a battalion chief from the 18th Battalion (South Bronx) of the New York City Fire Department.[5] She was noticed waiting tables in East Williston, Long Island, and decided at age 18 to give modeling a try as a summer job to save money for college.[citation needed] She is the third of four children. She has an older brother, Anthony Jr. (1955–2005), an older sister Karen and a younger sister, Christine.[6] Alt's maternal grandparents were German immigrants, while her paternal grandmother was Irish.
Alt's first big break in modeling was in 1979, when she was featured on the cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine, but garnered publicity in 1982 when she was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. During the 1980s, she appeared on over 500 magazine covers, becoming one of the most famous models of her era, attaining supermodel status. Alt graced the covers of Vogue, Vogue Paris, Vogue Italia, Vogue UK, Mademoiselle, Elle and Cosmopolitan. She was referred to as The Face by Life Magazine. During the height of her popularity, she was the face of ad campaigns for Diet Pepsi, General Motors, Cover Girl Cosmetics, Noxzema, Hanes, Givenchy, Versace, Armani and numerous others. She was the first model to produce her own posters and calendars.[7]
Since 1986, she has appeared in a variety of films, many of which were Italian productions. She played the character of Kelly LaRue in the TV series "Thunder in Paradise" in 1994. She played Agent Monica McBride in a 1997 action film The Protector, opposite Matt McColm, and Karen Oldham in the television adaptation of Peter Benchley's Amazon (1999). She also had a few minor television roles, including one episode of Wings, and a voice role in an episode of King of the Hill. In 2004 she had a starring role in Snakehead Terror, a Canadian film. She starred in the Italian TV series Caterina e le sue figlie 2 and in the TV movie Piper; both were aired on Canale5 in 2007. In 2009 she was one of the contestants of the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars (Rai Uno). Piper — The series, a spinoff of the successful TV movie of the same title was broadcast on Canale5 that same year.
She took on a number of model/spokesman projects, including becoming a consultant with the Le Mirador skin-care line and appearing on late night TV infomercials. Alt has written two books, promoting her own raw food diet plans. She was the cover girl for travelgirl magazine (in 2004 and 2008). She appeared on the cover and in a nude pictorial in Playboy's December 2008 issue.[8] She placed #5 on askmen.com's list of Top 10 Models of All Time.[9]
In 2006, Alt was honored as Grand Marshal at the German-American Steuben Parade in New York City, the largest celebration of German–American Friendship in the United States. She was greeted by thousands of fans alongside Fifth Avenue. She was a contestant on NBC's 2008 The Celebrity Apprentice, with Donald Trump, competing for her charity, the Tony Alt Memorial Foundation (named for Alt's father), which raises funds for scholarships for young adults to continue their studies. She ended up in third place before being fired, but was brought back for the final task of the show and was chosen by finalist Piers Morgan to help him to become the Celebrity Apprentice. Alt raised a total of $40,000 for her charity.[10] In 2008 she also founded Raw Essentials, a skin-care and beauty products line with her partners (Philip Masiello and Steven Krane).[11]
In 2001, Alt appeared on the U.S. version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, playing for charity.
Carol Alt (front center) as a Grand Marshal at the New York City Steuben Day Parade (2006)
In September 2013, Alt joined the Fox News team with her own half-hour Saturday afternoon TV show, A Healthy You & Carol Alt, which covers her own experience and knowledge about wellness and longevity. Each installment ends with a segment called Ask Carol, in which she answers questions she receives on Facebook and Twitter.[12][13] In October 2013, Alt was inducted into the Ride of Fame. A double decker New York City tour bus was dedicated to her and her career.[14]
Alt, Carol (2007). The Raw 50: 10 Amazing Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Drinks for Your Raw Food Lifestyle. Clarkson Potter. ISBN978-0307351746.
