Elizabeth Hurley, from her early childhood had an intention to get attached to the glamour world, and with this end she used to take ballet classes as a child. She also went to Kempshott Junior and Infants school and the Harriet Costello School, now known as Costello Technology College, and later attended the Queen Mary's college, in Basingstoke, for one year. This was followed by Basingstoke College of Technology, and also beacme the winner of a scholarship to the London Studio Centre. Elizabeth Hurley succeeded in gaining early recognition for her beauty in the early 1980s when she won a Face of the Year competition at a local newspaper in Winchester and secured a year's modeling contract with a prestigious London firm as the first prize! It was also during the year 1987, when making her first film appearance in Aria she earned some attention. But she became able to create a better media attention in the late 1980s with her portraying of the title character in a four-part television drama, Christabel, written by Dennis Potter. It was also during the same time when Elizabeth Hurley appeared in several low-budget British and Hollywood films, including a performance as a stewardess in the 1992 thriller Passenger 57. It is to be noted that this was also the time when she appeared on television on both sides of the Atlantic, working in the British series Rumpole of the Bailey and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, produced by George Lucas. In 1987, working on a Spanish production called Remando Al Viento, she met actor Hugh Grant and they started a long romantic relationship. Elizabeth Hurley also made an appearance in the fashion world, and in the year 1995 she started working with the top cosmetics company Estée Lauder as their main spokesmodel. Within her first month with the company, Hurley launched the best-selling perfume, Pleasures and in 2007, Hurley's contract with Estée Lauder was renewed for the 13th year, with a subsequent contract extension!! It is to be noted that as an internationally renowned model she has appeared for several times on the covers of renowned fashion magazine, Vogue and was also the key person in hosting the first season of the British reality series Project Catwalk, featuring novice fashion designers. In this direction, only in the year 2005, the beachwear line Elizabeth Hurley Beach of Elizabeth Hurley debuted in select Saks Fifth Avenue stores in the United States of America, Harrod's in the United Kingdom, and also in various other locations throughout the world and also through her website.

On the other hand, in respect of films, Elizabeth Hurley was cast as Vanessa Kensington in Mike Myers' hit spy comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in the year 1997. After the success of that original film, she reprised the role of Vanessa in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). It should be mentioned that Elizabeth Hurley has also essayed several lead characters in mostly ignored films such as EdTV, Bedazzled, Double Whammy, Serving Sara (2002), which was her last Hollywood film, and the 2004 thriller Method. Critics such as Julie Burchill, who wrote in The Times about Hurley's acting being a notch above pornography in 2004, have largely dismissed her cinematic performances!