Born in Athens, Georgia, on December 8, 1953, Kim Basinger pictured herself as extremely shy and lonely child. Studying ballet at age 3, she began developing self confidence in her mid-teens and successfully auditioned for her school cheerleading team. By the time she was 16 years old, she began modeling and won several modeling competitions, as a result of which was offered a contract as Ford Modeling Agency model. She initially turned down the offer to pursue singing and acting career, but changed her mind soon thereafter and went to New York for a career as a model.

After appearances in hundred of ads and numerous cover girl gigs, Basinger relocated to Los Angeles to act. She initially landed minor parts on TV features and films, like "McMillan & Wife", "Charlie's Angels", "Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold", "From Here to Eternity", "Hard Country", and "Mother Lode". Her big break approached through her portrayal of Bond girl Domino Petachi in the 1983 "Never Say Never Again". Posing nude for Playboy as an attempt to promote the film, she was offered bigger parts in future projects, naming two most famous were "The Natural", for which she earned a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe nomination, and "9� Weeks".

Basinger, who was born Kimila Ann Basinger, continued appearing in "Nadine", "The Man Who Loved Women", "Blind Date", "Fool for Love", and "Pr�t-�-Porter" before being billed to portray photojournalist Vicki Vale in the 1989 blockbuster movie "Batman". Following a three-year hiatus, she made a comeback as the femme fatale in "L.A. Confidential", which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, also the Golden Globe, and Screen Actor's Guild Award. Her other film works included "8 Mile", "The Door in the Floor", "Cellular", "The Sentinel", "The Informers", "The Burning Plain", and "Grudge Match".

As of her personal life, Basinger has been married twice. The first one was to makeup artist Ron Snyder-Britton from October 12, 1980 to 1989. She then married actor Alec Baldwin on August 19, 1993 and gave birth to daughter Ireland Eliesse Baldwin in 1995. The couple legally divorced on February 3, 2002.