Padma Lakshmi is one of the most well-known cookbook authors in the world, as well as a talented actor and television personality. She is an author, actor, model, TV personality, and executive producer from the United States. Padma made her debut with the cookbook Easy Exotic, which won her the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards’ “Best First Book” award in 1999. She has been the presenter of the American reality television show Top Chef since season two in 2006, and she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program for her work on the show. In 2010, she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.

Padma Lakshmi’s Net Worth And Salary:

Padma Lakshmi was paid $50,000 per episode for her services. Her current net worth is $30 million, demonstrating her accomplishment in the profession. Her career has brought her a large sum of money.

Famous For:

• An American author, actress, model, TV host, and executive producer.
• Winner of Emmy Award and Gourmand World Cookbook Award.

Early Life, Childhood, Education, and Family:

Padma Lakshmi was born in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India. Her given name is Padma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidyanathan. Her father, Vaidyanathan, was a pharmaceutical executive at Pfizer, and her mother, Vijaya Lakshmi, was a medical attendant with some experience in oncology. Lakshmi’s parents divorced when she was two years old. Both of her parents later remarried, and she has a younger half-brother and half-sister on her father’s side.

Lakshmi was raised in two households: that of her grandparents in Chennai and that of her mother in New York. She is fluent in English, Hindi, Italian, and Spanish. Tamil is her native tongue. She is of Tamil Indian ancestry and a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Padma Lakshmi received her education at Workman High School in the City of Industry, California. She graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts with Distinction from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1992.

Padma Lakshmi’s Career:

• Padma Lakshmi began her modeling career at the age of 21 when she was studying in Spain. An agent had discovered her when she was sitting in a café.
• She modeled for top designers like Giorgio Armani, Emanuel Ungaro, Gianni Versace, Alberta Ferretti, and Ralph Lauren. She also did ad campaigns for Roberto Cavalli and Versus.
• While some designers hired her to model their winter lines, which hid her scar in layers, she also worked with top photographer Helmut Newton, who highlighted the scar on her arm. It planted an important message that beauty comes in all colors, shapes, and forms. After Newton’s endorsement, other major photographers and designers began hiring her.
• She became interested in acting in 1999. Her first role was in ‘Figlio di Sandokan, an Italian pirate movie. Next, she did a role in ‘Caraibi’ (Pirates: Blood Brothers), a drama about 17th-century pirates. She also hosted Italy’s top-rated television show ‘Domenica In.’ In 2001, she did a comical supporting role as a disco singer in ‘Glitter’, an American movie.
• In 2002, she starred in ‘Precious Cargo,’ an episode of the science TV series ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’. She portrayed Sean Bean’s nemesis Madhuvanthi in the 2004–05 TV series ‘Sharpe’s Challenge’.

Filmy Career:

• In 2003, she appeared in the film ‘Boom’ as Shiela Bardez, a supermodel accused of stealing diamonds. She portrayed the role of Geeta in Paul Mayeda Berges’ film ‘The Mistress of Spices’ in 2005. She also made a guest appearance on the NBC series ‘30 Rock’ in 2009, and starred in ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ in 2014.
• In 2006, she appeared in ABC’s TV series ‘The Ten Commandments’. She also hosts the popular television show ‘Top Chef’, which she joined in 2006. She also serves as an executive producer of the show.
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• In 2009, she starred in Eels music video for the song ‘That Look You Give That Guy,’ where she played the love interest of Mark Oliver Everett.
• Besides modeling and acting, she also writes cookbooks—the first one was ‘Easy Exotic’, a compilation of recipes from different countries. The book made her popular, and she was called to host a Food Network series called ‘Padma’s Passport’.
• She also hosted ‘Planet Food’, a British culinary tourism show aired on the Food Network in the US and internationally on the Discovery Channels. It was an hour-long special on South India and Spain.
• She released her second cookbook, ‘Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet’, on October 2, 2007. Her debut memoir, ‘Love, Loss and What We Ate,’ was released on the International’s Women’s Day on March 8, 2016. She also released the ‘Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs’ in October 2016.
• Padma used to write a syndicated column in ‘The New York Times’, and has also written several articles on style for the American edition of ‘Vogue’ magazine. She wrote a column on style for ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ as well.

Padma Lakshmi Awards and Achievements:

• Padma Lakshmi has appeared on the covers of many magazines including ‘Vogue India,’ ‘L’Officiel India,’ ‘Cosmopolitan,’ ‘Asian Woman,’ ‘Avenue,’ ‘Industry Magazine,’ ‘Marie Claire India,’ ‘Harper’s Bazaar,’ and ‘Newsweek.’
• Her cookbook ‘Easy Exotic’ was awarded Best First Book at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
• In 2007, ‘Top Chef’, the program she hosted, was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. In 2009, she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program for the same program ‘Top Chef’.

Personal Life of Padma Lakshmi:

In terms of her personal life, she was dating Salman Rushdie prior to the couple deciding to marry in 2004. The couple was doing well until their relationship began to experience significant difficulties. After only three years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2007.

She was then connected to financial speculator Adam Dell. The couple’s only child, Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell, is a young girl named Krishna Thea Lakshmi-Dell. According to DNA tests, Adam Dell is the father of her daughter. Teddy Forstmann, IMG’s former administrator and CEO, was also one of her romantic interests. In 2014, she was involved in a romance with Richard Gere, a fictional American actor. Their relationship will eventually come to an end. She is currently single and enjoys a happy life with her daughter.

Padma Lakshmi Body Measurements:

In terms of physical stature, she is an ideal 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighs approximately 68 kg. Her body measurements are 38-27-40 and she wears a 36B bra. Her hourglass figure is accentuated by her black hair and brown eyes.