# Sean O'Pry
**Sean O'Pry** (born 1989) is an American male model from [Kennesaw, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/kennesaw-georgia), who was discovered through photographs posted on MySpace in 2006 and became one of the most commercially successful men in the fashion industry, holding a Guinness World Record for the highest annual earnings by a male model.[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o) • [2](https://www.vnymodels.com/men/all/55-sean-opry)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Kennesaw, Georgia, United States[3](https://epopli.com/en/archive/people/models/sean-opry/) |
| Discovery | Found on MySpace in 2006 at age 17 from prom photographs; signed with VNY Model Management[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o) • [4](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2013/10/08/art-of-the-deal-sean-opry-million-dollar-model/) |
| Measurements | 6'1" (186 cm), brown hair, blue eyes[2](https://www.vnymodels.com/men/all/55-sean-opry) |
| Earnings | Estimated $1.5 million in 2013, the highest-paid male model per Forbes, against Gisele Bündchen's $42 million among women[5](https://www.out.com/fashion/truman-says/2013/10/11/sean-opry-top-earning-male-model) |
| Record | Guinness World Record for the highest annual earnings by a male model, verified against the Forbes celebrity list between 2013 and 2014[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o) |
| Awards | Models.com 2014 Model of the Year (Men), Readers' Choice[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o) |
| Agencies | VNY Models (New York, mother agency), Success Models (Paris), Unit Model Management Spain (Barcelona)[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o) |
## Discovery and early career
O'Pry grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia, attending North Cobb High School, where he played track and field, basketball, baseball, and football.[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o) • [3](https://epopli.com/en/archive/people/models/sean-opry/) In 2006, when he was seventeen, photographs from his prom posted on MySpace led to his discovery, and a week later he was on a one-way flight to New York.[3](https://epopli.com/en/archive/people/models/sean-opry/) • [6](https://esquire.vn/why-sean-opry-remains-an-icon-of-the-modeling-world/)
The discovery is credited differently by different sources. Models.com's biography says he was discovered on MySpace by Lana Winters, owner of VNY Models, who became his manager; Forbes's 2013 profile attributes the find to Nolé Marin, a fashion stylist and judge on *America's Next Top Model*.[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o) • [4](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2013/10/08/art-of-the-deal-sean-opry-million-dollar-model/) In a 2009 Interview Magazine conversation, O'Pry himself credited his manager Lana Winters Tomczak for his success.[7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/sean-opry)
His runway debut came quickly: in January 2007 he opened the fall Yves Saint Laurent show in Paris, and the following month he walked the fall Diesel, Lacoste, Marc by [Marc Jacobs](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-jacobs), Narciso Rodriguez, and Zegna shows in New York.[8](https://seanopryamericanmalemodel.blogspot.com/2014/01/sean-oprys-career-highlights.html) By fall 2007 he was the face of Calvin Klein Collection, and in 2008 he became the face of Gianfranco Ferré.[8](https://seanopryamericanmalemodel.blogspot.com/2014/01/sean-oprys-career-highlights.html)
## Earnings and industry standing
**Forbes rankings.** In 2009, three years after he began modeling full time, Forbes named him the world's most successful male model.[9](https://www.ohyesiam.com/2012/06/sean-opry-covers-da-man-magazine.html?m=1) In 2013 the magazine estimated his modeling income at $1.5 million for the year, making him the top-earning male model, a figure far below [Gisele Bündchen](https://www.edgepedia.org/gisele-bundchen)'s $42 million as the highest-earning female model; the gap has been cited as evidence of the modeling industry's unusual pay advantage for women.[4](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2013/10/08/art-of-the-deal-sean-opry-million-dollar-model/) • [10](https://time.com/4507541/modeling-industry-gender-pay-gap/) His fragrance work included contracts for "Ultrasense" by Jil Sander and "Spicebomb" by Viktor & Rolf.[5](https://www.out.com/fashion/truman-says/2013/10/11/sean-opry-top-earning-male-model) Guinness World Records lists the highest annual earnings for a male model as achieved by O'Pry, verified against the Forbes celebrity list between 2013 and 2014.[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o)
His runway workload was heavy at its peak: he opened for Versace, Givenchy, and Balmain, and once walked in 18 shows in a single season in Milan.[11](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/karenhua/2016/07/13/top-earning-model-sean-opry-nyfw-taylor-swift-modeling/) He later said runway walking did not come naturally to him, calling his own walk the one thing in his career he did not understand.[12](https://www.independent.ie/style/fashion/fashion-fix/meet-sean-opry-the-worlds-highest-earning-model-and-hes-half-irish/30659653.html)
## Campaigns and clients
O'Pry's campaign roster has run through [Calvin Klein](https://www.edgepedia.org/calvin-klein), Giorgio Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Salvatore Ferragamo, H&M, Zara, Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Lacoste, Diesel, and [Tommy Hilfiger](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-hilfiger), among others.[4](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2013/10/08/art-of-the-deal-sean-opry-million-dollar-model/) • [12](https://www.independent.ie/style/fashion/fashion-fix/meet-sean-opry-the-worlds-highest-earning-model-and-hes-half-irish/30659653.html) • [13](https://maleiconic.com/wiki/sean-opry.html) After about a decade of runway work he shifted toward brand campaigns, which he preferred to catwalk shows.[11](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/karenhua/2016/07/13/top-earning-model-sean-opry-nyfw-taylor-swift-modeling/)
## Music videos and acting
O'Pry reached a broad popular audience through music videos. He appeared in Madonna's video for "Girl Gone Wild" and starred as [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift)'s love interest in "Blank Space" (2014), for which he was chosen directly without a casting call.[14](https://cfda.com/news/nyfwm-ambassador-spotlight-sean-opry/) • [15](https://los40.com/2025/08/31/que-fue-de-sean-opry-el-modelo-que-abandona-a-taylor-swift-en-blank-space-asi-es-su-vida-diez-anos-despues/) He has studied acting, auditioned for the role of Christian Grey in *Fifty Shades of Grey* without being selected, and is listed as starring as Ford Grant in the upcoming Prime Video series *Rose Hill*.[15](https://los40.com/2025/08/31/que-fue-de-sean-opry-el-modelo-que-abandona-a-taylor-swift-en-blank-space-asi-es-su-vida-diez-anos-despues/) • [2](https://www.vnymodels.com/men/all/55-sean-opry)
## Longevity
O'Pry has remained active for nearly two decades. His Models.com profile records 2026 work including the Karl Lagerfeld S/S 2026 campaign, a [Ray-Ban Meta](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-ban-meta) spring 2026 advertisement, [Brunello Cucinelli](https://www.edgepedia.org/brunello-cucinelli) menswear shows and lookbooks, and AnOther Man China covers.[1](https://models.com/models/sean-O) In a January 2026 Esquire Vietnam interview he described emerging at a moment when fashion was shifting from ultra-androgyny toward a more classical, athletic ideal, and credited his team and his Georgia upbringing for his career's length.[6](https://esquire.vn/why-sean-opry-remains-an-icon-of-the-modeling-world/) In 2014 he received the Models.com Readers' Choice Model of the Year (Men) award, and he was also nominated that year for Social Media Star of the Year (Men).[1](https://models.com/models/sean-o)
## References
1. [Sean O'Pry – Model Profile, Models.com](https://models.com/models/sean-o)
2. [Sean O'Pry – VNY Models](https://www.vnymodels.com/men/all/55-sean-opry)
3. [Sean O'Pry – ÉPOPLI](https://epopli.com/en/archive/people/models/sean-opry/)
4. [Art Of The Deal: Sean O'Pry, Million-Dollar Model, Forbes (2013)](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/vannale/2013/10/08/art-of-the-deal-sean-opry-million-dollar-model/)
5. [Sean O'Pry is The Top Earning Male Model, Out.com (2013)](https://www.out.com/fashion/truman-says/2013/10/11/sean-opry-top-earning-male-model)
6. [Why Sean O'Pry remains an icon of the modeling world, Esquire Vietnam (2026)](https://esquire.vn/why-sean-opry-remains-an-icon-of-the-modeling-world/)
7. [Sean O'Pry, Male Model Worthy of Hyperbole, Interview Magazine (2009)](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/sean-opry)
8. [Sean O'Pry's Career Highlights (2014)](https://seanopryamericanmalemodel.blogspot.com/2014/01/sean-oprys-career-highlights.html)
9. [Oh yes I am: Sean O'Pry DA MAN Magazine interview (2012)](https://www.ohyesiam.com/2012/06/sean-opry-covers-da-man-magazine.html?m=1)
10. [This Agent Is Upset That Female Models Make More Than Men, TIME (2016)](https://time.com/4507541/modeling-industry-gender-pay-gap/)
11. [Top-Earning Model Sean O'Pry on Fashion Week and Life After Modeling, Forbes (2016)](https://tollbit.forbes.com/sites/karenhua/2016/07/13/top-earning-model-sean-opry-nyfw-taylor-swift-modeling/)
12. [Meet Sean O'Pry: The world's highest earning model, and he's half Irish, Irish Independent](https://www.independent.ie/style/fashion/fashion-fix/meet-sean-opry-the-worlds-highest-earning-model-and-hes-half-irish/30659653.html)
13. [Sean O'Pry – MaleIconic Wiki](https://maleiconic.com/wiki/sean-opry.html)
14. [#NYFWM Ambassador Spotlight: Sean O'Pry, CFDA (2017)](https://cfda.com/news/nyfwm-ambassador-spotlight-sean-opry/)
15. [Qué fue de Sean O'Pry, LOS40 (2025)](https://los40.com/2025/08/31/que-fue-de-sean-opry-el-modelo-que-abandona-a-taylor-swift-en-blank-space-asi-es-su-vida-diez-anos-despues/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Fashion and commercial models › Fashion and runway models › 2000s and later fashion models › Surnames L to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license