Joel West

Joel West was born in Indianola, Iowa.^[1] His mother, Jan Gipple, is a veterinary technician, and his father is Rob West; the parents divorced in 1989.^[1] He was raised on a 60-acre horse ranch in Indianola and attended Indianola High School.^[1] He attended Buena Vista University.

West began modeling at age 17 and was discovered by a local photographer at the Mall of America.^[2] He became one of the top male supermodels of the 1990s, known for an exclusive contract with Calvin Klein for several seasons.^[3] He has worked for major fashion houses including Versace and Hugo Boss, and was represented by Boss Models, the same agency that represented Marcus Schenkenberg, the first male supermodel.^[1] Notably, he walked in the Versace show in Milan and worked with renowned photographers including Richard Avedon and Herb Ritts.^[4]

He is signed to Nous Model Management in Los Angeles and formerly to Hello Models NYC in New York City.^[5]

West has appeared in numerous television and film productions, including recurring roles in CSI: Miami, Heroes, and Days of Our Lives.^[1]

West has been married to actress Anna Bocci since August 2002 and they have two children.^[1] His younger brother, Jake West, is a brain surgeon in Florida.^[1]