The Complete Evolution Of Barbara Palvin

Barbara Palvin is known as many things: one of the world's most famous supermodels, the first-ever Hungarian Victoria's Secret Angel, a Sports Illustrated Swimwear Rookie of the Year, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's former co-star, and Dylan Sprouse's wife, to name a few. With tens of millions of Instagram followers and a net worth nearly as high, Palvin is a bona fide It-girl — and after her nuptials to the "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" alum, even more people are falling into her irresistible orbit. 

From her happenstance discovery to her rapid rise to superstardom as a teenager, Palvin has celebrated quite the modeling career. With a laundry list of runway appearances, brand campaigns, magazine covers, and beauty ambassadorships, the supermodel has earned a reputation as one of the most successful models of her generation. To get to know Barbara Palvin's complete evolution from her childhood in Hungary to her history-making achievement as a Victoria's Secret Angel, read on.

Similar to the origin story of "Euphoria's" Angus Cloud, Barbara Palvin was unexpectedly scouted while going about her day. "I was walking on the street with my mother in Budapest, near where I live, when Balazs, who's now my manager, saw me," the young model told W Magazine. She explained, "He asked me if I could go to their office and took some test photos. Then I started modeling." It was 2006, and Palvin was just 13 years old.

That same year, Palvin shot her first cover with Spur magazine. Shortly after this debut, she gained popularity in Japan, which prompted her first international move to Asia to better facilitate her pursuit of a full-time modeling career. Three years later, Palvin joined IMG Models and returned to Europe to infiltrate the continent's market. Soon after this, the teenager would achieve worldwide fame as a model in the fashion and beauty industries.

According to her profile in the Fashion Model Directory, Barbara Palvin has made nearly 140 solo magazine cover appearances for some of the most prestigious publications across the globe. Her extraordinary CV includes appearances for Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, GQ, Allure, Maxim, Tatler, Grazia, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Glamour, L'Officiel, WWD, InStyle, Wonderland, and more. Not only has Palvin shot covers for all of these world-renowned magazines, but she's also shot multiple covers for most of them, proving just how much people in the industry love working with her. 

The supermodel revealed the conscious effort she puts into being a joy to work with during a 2019 interview with Fashion Street. "Personality is always the most significant factor: The career of a model is undoubtedly a team effort, but it is you who stands alone during photo shoots or events, not the manager, therefore it is important to communicate in a way so, at the end of the day, people like working with you," Palvin explained. She added, "People say that I still remain myself, real. I have not been swept up by the fashion world."

In 2012, 18-year-old Barbara Palvin scored her first beauty brand ambassadorship with L'Oréal Paris. Of the partnership, Palvin told WWD, "I'm very excited about the prospect of joining the L'Oréal Paris family alongside huge, iconic celebrities such as Gwen Stefani and Claudia Schiffer." She added, "I have a very personal vision of beauty, which is very closely aligned with [L'Oréal Paris'] modern approach." Six years later, in 2018, Palvin was named among five new ambassadors for Armani Beauty. She joined Cate Blanchett (who had already been named an ambassador earlier that year), Elaine Zhong, Madisin Rian, Sara Sampaio, and Greta Ferro as the faces of the brand.

In 2022, Armani Beauty hosted the supermodel at the Venice Film Festival, during which she wore a stunning black sequined gown by Armani Privé to the "White Noise" premiere. The floor-length, short-sleeved number featured a red and silver pendant design down the center of the bust. Palvin's makeup included a fierce cat eye, and all products used for her gorgeous glam were presumably from Armani's collection. As of early 2023, the accomplished model was still starring in campaigns for the brand's beauty division.

In 2014, Barbara Palvin tried her hand at acting with a minor role in "Hercules," which starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Palvin played Antimache, Queen of Mycenae and wife of Eurystheus. Two years after the film premiered, Palvin told Harper's Bazaar she was interested in taking on additional film projects. "I love acting and would love to do it more," she said before adding, "It's harder to go into acting as a model now than it ever was because so many models are doing the same thing. I want to do anything that's challenging and not within my comfort zone," she said, listing potential roles as "a Bond girl, a Marvel character, a psycho, or a loser who doesn't work hard," as interesting to her because they're personas that are different from who she is in real life. 

Since her debut role in "Hercules," the supermodel has gone on to appear in 2019's "Tyger Tyger" and the 2023 short film "Serpentine."

In 2018, Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse went public with their relationship. In a joint interview for W Magazine in 2019, the couple shared that they'd met at a party, but it took them six months to connect again after being introduced. The "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" alum explained that the supermodel had followed him on Instagram, so he did what any other guy would do in our day and age. "She followed me, so I was like, I guess I'll give her something. And I slid into her DMs," Sprouse said, "I was like, 'Hey, I don't know if you're in New York for very long, but we should hang out if you want to. Here's my number.' And she didn't message me for six months," he deadpanned.

While Palvin said that she "wasn't in a good mindset at the time," she did eventually circle back to reconnect with the actor. After months of communicating via phone, the supermodel flew to China to visit Sprouse while he was filming a project, and they got along just as well in person. In fact, Palvin told People that she knew she wanted to be Sprouse's girlfriend "the first minute we met" when they got together in Asia — and the rest is history.

A few months after the 2018 runway show, Barbara Palvin officially earned her wings as a Victoria's Secret Angel, making history as the first Hungarian model to do so. Announcing the news with a video compilation of her work with the brand, Palvin captioned in an Instagram post, "I don't know where to begin but I'll try: I never thought it would happen and it has exceeded all my expectations. I'm very excited to announce that I'm officially a @victoriassecret ANGEL! Thank you for believing in me," she gushed. "There were times where I let my own thoughts hold me back and it was a hard climb away from those but my family, my team, Ed, and everyone at VS they were always there to support me and uplift me," Palvin wrote. She added, "I am proud to represent Hungary, and most importantly, all of you in this new chapter of my life! Thank you all so much again ♥️♥️♥️."

After five years of dating, Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse wed during a countryside ceremony in Hungary on July 15, 2023. The blushing bride shared a video of the romantic day on Instagram, captioning the post, "So thankful to everyone who has supported us over the years. We will never forget the memories we made on this day 🤍." Palvin was a vision in an elegant yet sexy silk wedding gown by Vivienne Westwood, which featured a figure-hugging corset bodice, a low scoop neckline, and an A-line skirt. Sprouse was dapper as ever in a classic black tuxedo by Giorgio Armani.

The supermodel described their wedding day to Vogue, saying, "All the people we love and care for were there. We all cried a little. The weather was perfect with a little cool breeze. It was a beautiful moment that we will never forget," she concluded. The pair had quietly gotten engaged in September 2022, which they kept secret from the world until June 2023.