September 19: English model, actress and singer Twiggy is 64-years-old today.

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Lesley Lawson (née Hornby) was born 19 September 1949, and brought up in the northwest London suburb of Neasden. In the mid-1960s she became a prominent British teenage model of swinging sixties London with others such as Penelope Tree.

Twiggy was known for her large eyes, long eyelashes, and short hair. At feet, 4 inches tall, and weighing 91 pounds, she looked childlike and asexual. In 1966, she was named "The Face of 1966" by the Daily Express and voted British Woman of the Year. By 1967, Twiggy had modelled in France, Japan, and the U.S., and landed on the covers of Vogue and The Tatler. and was recognized all over the world.

After four years of modelling, Twiggy retired in 1970, stating "You can't be a clothes hanger for your entire life!" Twiggy then embarked on an acting and singing career, starring in a variety of roles on stage and screen, and recording albums.

 In 1971, she made her film debut as an extra in Ken Russell's The Devils. The same year, she had her first leading role  as Polly Browne in Ken Russell's adaptation of the 1920s hit musicals The Boy Friend. She won two Golden Globe Awards in 1972 (New Star of the Year – Actress and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy).

In 1974, she made her West End stage debut in Cinderella; made a second feature, the thriller W (co-starring with her future husband Michael Witney); and hosted her own British television series, Twiggs (later renamed Twiggy).

A year earlier, in 1973, she appeared with David Bowie on the cover of his seventh album, Pin Ups. which entered the UK chart on 3 November 1973 peaking at No. 1.

In October 1975, she sang at the live performance of Roger Glover's The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast album at the Royal Albert Hall. The concert was filmed and released to cinemas in 1976. Also in 1976, Twiggy signed with Mercury Records and released the albums Twiggy and Please Get My Name Right, which featured pop and country tunes. Twiggy sold very well, peaking on the UK charts at No. 33, and earned Twiggy a silver disc. The album contains Twiggy's top-twenty hit single, "Here I Go Again.”

"Please Get My Name Right" made it to No. 35 in 1977. A single "A Woman in Love" failed to chart for Twiggy in 1977, but was a hit for the Three Degrees in 1978.

In 1980 Twiggy made a cameo appearance in The Blues Brothers. In 2003, she released another album, Midnight Blue. Seventeen of the CD's 20 tracks had previously unreleased material from 1982–1990,

On 21 November 2011 Twiggy released Romantically Yours, her first album in 12 years, through EMI. A collection of pop and easy listening standards spanning several generations, The album includes a guest vocal appearance by Twiggy's daughter Carly Lawson on Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart."

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