Lara Croft
From TheConsoler
Lara Croft
| |
| |
| Game Series: | Tomb Raider |
| First Game: | Tomb Raider |
| Last Game: | Tomb Raider: Anniversary |
| Designer: | Toby Gard |
| Famous for: | Exploring |
Contents |
[edit] The Facts
Name: Lara Croft
Title: Countess of Abingdon (in Legend)
Birthdate: February 14, 1978
Relations: Lord Richard Croft, 10th Earl of Abingdon (father); Amelia Croft, Countess of Abingdon (mother)
Nationality: British
Birth: February 14 in Wimbledon Surrey Parkside Hospital, Wimbledon, London, England
Education: Cambridge University (Source)
Net Worth: $1 billion (Source)
Astrological Sign: Aquarius
Current Residence: Croft Manor, Buckinghamshire, England
Marital Status: Single
Blood Type: AB
Height: 5 ft 11 in (175 cm)
Weight: 126 lbs (52 kg)
Bust: 39C (originally 36D before Legend).
Waist: 22
Hips: 31
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Dress size: 8
Shoe size: 6 (UK) / 7.5 (US) / 41 (EUR)
[edit] Firearms used
Tomb Raider: Dual Browning 9 mm pistols
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation: .357 Desert Eagles
Tomb Raider: Legend: .45 Heckler & Koch USPs
Tomb Raider: Anniversary: Colt M1911 .45 ACP
[edit] The Life
[edit] The Beginning
Lady Lara Croft is an 11th generation Countess. The Croft family was granted the title and rights to Abbingdon, Surrey by King Edward VI in 1547. The Croft Estates are comprised of three separate manor houses, two of which are maintained by the National Trust, and the third is home to Lady Croft.
Lady Croft herself has suffered several personal tragedies, including the deaths of both parents on separate occasions before she came of age. Reputably an accredited genius and Olympic-standard gymnast, Lady Croft is the focus of wild speculation and intense debate in both the scientific and political communities in addition to the popular press. Idealized and vilified in equal measure, she is perhaps one of the most fascinating and enigmatic figures of our time.
Lara Croft was born in Surrey's Parkside hospital to Lady Amelia Croft and the notorious archeologist Lord Richard Croft, the late Earl of Abbingdon. Between the ages of three and six, she attended the Abbingdon Girls School, where it quickly became clear that she was an exceptionally gifted child.
[edit] The First Adventure
At the age of nine she survived a plane crash in the Himalayas that took the life of her mother. In perhaps the first story of her prodigious indomitability, she somehow survived a solo ten-day trek across the Himalayan mountains, one of the most hostile environments on the planet. The story goes that when she arrived in Katmandu she went to the nearest bar and made a polite telephone call to her father asking if it would be convenient for him to come and pick her up.
For six years following the plane crash, Lara rarely left her father's side, traveling around the world from one archeological dig site to another. During this period she was ostensibly given a standard education from private tutors, but it would probably be more accurate to say she was her father's full time apprentice.
When Lara was fifteen, her father went missing in Cambodia. Extensive searches by the authorities and Lara herself turned up human remains that could not definitively be identified. Since Lord Croft's body was not officially recovered, Lara could not directly inherit the Croft title and Lara was thrust into a bitter family feud over control of the Abbingdon estates with her uncle Lord Errol Croft. Lara eventually won the legal battle, and took possession of her inheritance but at the cost of a deep rift in the Croft family that left her estranged from her living relatives.
[edit] The Adult Lara
Lady Lara Croft has already eclipsed her father's career; as of this writing she is credited with the discovery of some fifteen archeological sites of international significance. These sites are still yielding new and exciting insights to the past on an ongoing basis. No one can deny Lady Croft's incredible contribution to the field of archeology, however she is not without her detractors.
Lara's methods have been frequently called into question by government officials and other practicing archeologists. She has been described variously as anything from cavalier to downright irresponsible. Some scholars have suggested that her notorious lack of documentation and brute force methodology have contaminated countless sites and done more harm than good. There have even been (unsubstantiated) allegations that Lara actually takes items from these sites before informing the international community of their locations, and that she is nothing more than a glorified treasure hunter.
Despite the tabloid press's infatuation with her, Lara Croft guards her privacy with complete determination. She has never granted an interview nor made any personal comment to any of the rumors associated with her, preferring to express herself through brief formal statements given by the family solicitors, Hardgraves and Moore.
Predictably there have been a number of unofficial biographies printed about the young Countess, that attribute wild and fantastic feats to her exploits, ranging from the discovery of living dinosaurs in the Congo to infiltrating the infamous Area 51 in Nevada. The official line from the Croft Estate to these works is simply that "...these books are utter rot: disgraceful, trashy works of total fiction."
Nevertheless if you even make a cursory search on the Internet for the Unexplained, the Mysterious and the Downright Unbelievable, time and again you will find Lara Croft's name appearing. She appears to be a hero to conspiracy theorists and alternate history aficionados alike.
It seems the further you dig into Lady Croft's life, the more bewildering and mysterious she becomes. Perhaps like the archeological sites she discovers, we have only scratched the surface of this incredible woman and the complex and inscrutable secrets buried deep within her.
[edit] The Discovered artifacts
[edit] In order of appearance throughout series
- Atlantean Scion (Tomb Raider & Tomb Raider: Anniversary)
- Dagger of Xian (Tomb Raider II)
- The Golden Mask (Tomb Raider II Gold)
- Meteorite Artifacts (Tomb Raider III)
- The Hand of Rathmoore (Tomb Raider III: The Lost Artifact)
- Iris (along with Werner Von Croy) (Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation)
- Amulet and Armor of Horus (Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation)
- Philosopher's Stone (Tomb Raider: Chronicles)
- Spear of Destiny (Tomb Raider: Chronicles)
- Periapt Shards and Obscura Paintings (Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness)
- Excalibur (Tomb Raider: Legend)
[edit] The Evolution
[edit] The Model
Before taking on the task of portraying Lady Lara Croft, the models must embark on a grueling training program which includes an SAS survival, combat and semi automatic weapon firing course in Eastern Europe and a crash course in world archeology, deportment, elocution and etiquette lessons.
Karima Adebibe (2006 - Present)
"This is an incredible opportunity for me and one which I plan to grasp with both hands" said Karima. "It's a huge challenge to follow in the footsteps of people like Nell McAndrew and Angelina Jolie, but life is all about challenges and this is perhaps the biggest one for a model and actress."
Jill De Jong (2002 - 2004)
At 6ft tall and measuring 34-26-38, Jill is a perfect incarnation of the worlds number one cyber-babe. Jeremy Heath-Smith, managing director of Core Design, says "When Jill first entered the room we were all enamored with her personality and her looks. This year is a very special year for Lara Croft. We have a brand new Tomb Raider game that looks and plays like nothing you've seen before. We believe Jill has what it takes to push Lara to a new generation."
On her appointment as the face of Lara Croft, Jill de Jong says "I was so happy when Eidos told me I had the position, I couldn't stop smiling for days. Friends say I'm made for the role as I love adventure and traveling. It's a real honour to represent someone who has such great self-confidence and a strong personality. Lara is a fantastic role model for people of all ages."
Lucy Clarkson (2000 - 2002)
It was Lucy Clarkson’s father who first sensed the possibilities. "You’d make a great Lara Croft" he said to his daughter as he took in yet another media appearance by the world’s number one cyber icon. A year later it was Eidos Interactive’s turn to recognise that the model from Rotherham in Yorkshire had the requisite attitude, looks and - let’s face it - physical dimensions to fill the star of the Tomb Raider series’ famous boots. Lucy, of course, is thrilled.
Ellen rocche (2000)
Ellen was hired by a Brazilian distributor of Eidos to promote Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Lost Artifact and did not act as a global representative of Lara Croft.
Lara Weller (1999 - 2000)
24-year-old Dutch model Lara Weller, who is pulling on the rubber top and leather shorts to promote what promises to be Lara Croft's fourth and final outing, The Last Revelation.
Nell McAndrew (1998 - 1999)
According to Nell McAndrew, "Dressing up like Lara Croft was my job between 1996 and 1997. Being the real life version of the character took me all over the world to promote Tomb Raider 3. My favourite place was Nashville, Tennessee. It was there I met Elvis himself, or so I thought, until I came across another Elvis at the same place. Sydney was a close second, where we stayed at the Ritz in Double Bay."
"I loved visiting our Armed Forces and have been named the 'Forces Sweetheart'. My visits have included the HMS Ark Royal, several bases in Northern Ireland, Germany and all over the UK. I made two visits in May and December 2003 to boost morale for our troops. On both occasions I personally met around 3000 people. It was an emotional experience and I am really glad I did it. I just wish I could bring them all back home with me."
The model from Leeds lent her body to Eidos in 1996 and travelled the globe promoting Tomb Raider 3: Adventures of Lara Croft. She is still considered by many as the most successful and popular model to fill the boots of Lara Croft.
Vanessa Demouy (1997)
Vanessa was hired by a French video game magazine for a photo shoot to promote the Tomb Raider series and did not act as a global representative of Lara Croft.
Rhona Mitra (1997 - 1998)
Rhona Mitra was the first official real-life Lara Croft. Acting has been part of Rhona's career for several years now. She's played many parts in theater productions, as well as several television appearances, including guest staring roles in The Bill, The Ghostbusters Of East Finchley, and The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous.
In order to help portray the amply-endowed character of Lara Coft, Rhona had her breasts enlarged from a size 34A to a more Lara-sized 34DD. Her silicon upgrade was performed by colleagues of her father, Dr Anthony Mitra. Her vital statistics are 34d-24-35, brown hair, brown eyes, 5'8 in height and born 1976.
She has also taken special media courses in order to emulate Lara's confidence when doing interviews with the press. Her public appearances at E3 and ECTS quickly gained her much popularity with fans of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft.
During her tenure as Lara, Rhona did several photo shoots, public appearances, interviews, and even cut a pop single entitled Getting Naked. She was also widely considered the obvious choice for the role of Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider movie.
Then unfortunately, Rhona was fired by Eidos Interactive, shocking many Tomb Raider fans, and was replaced by the lovely Nell McAndrew. The reason for her termination was left to speculation, as neither Eidos nor Rhona Mitra have given any reasons publicly as far as we know. She has since appeared in Playboy Magazine.
Nathalie Cook (1996 - 1997)
[edit] The Voice
Lara has been voiced by four actresses:
* Shelley Blond in Tomb Raider * Judith Gibbins in Tomb Raider II and Tomb Raider III * Jonell Elliott in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider Chronicles, and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness * Keeley Hawes in Tomb Raider: Legend, Tomb Raider: Anniversary * Minnie Driver in ReVisioned * Louise Hodges in Planet Lara.com Lookalikes
[edit] The Merchandise
[edit] Lara Croft 12 inch Figure
12" Tall talking Lara Croft figure from NECA's Player Select series of video game character figures.
[edit] Lara Croft 7 inch Figure
7" Tall talking Lara Croft figure from NECA's Player Select series of video game character figures.
