Kimila Ann Basinger (pronounced [ˈbeɪ.sɪŋ.r̩]) (born December 8, 1953 in Athens, Georgia) is an Academy Award-winning American film actress and former fashion model. Basinger is of German, Irish, Swedish and one-eighth Cherokee descent. When Kim Basinger was 16 years old, she started her modelling career by entering and winning the Athens Junior Miss contest. She followed that up by winning the title of