Ali Landry

Ali Germaine Landry (born July 21, 1973) is a former Miss USA (1996), model and actress. She is recognized as the Doritos Girl from her popular 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.

Her first foray into pageantry came in 1990 when she was crowned Miss Louisiana Teen USA. The pageant is directed by RPM Productions. She represented Louisiana in the Miss Teen USA 1990 pageant held in Biloxi, Mississippi in July 1990, where she placed first in the preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competitions, but was ranked seventh during the final competition and couldn't reach the final 6.

In 1995, Landry won the Miss Louisiana USA 1996 title, becoming the first former Miss Louisiana Teen USA to win the Miss title. She went on to compete in the 1996 Miss USA pageant, which was broadcast live from South Padre Island, Texas in February 1996 — she placed third highest after the preliminary competition and second highest on average during the final Top 10 competiton. She was the highest placed of the Top 6 finalists and eventually went on to win the 1996 title.

She is the first former Miss Teen USA delegate to actually win the Miss USA crown (her predecessor Shanna Moakler, previously Miss Rhode Island Teen USA, Miss New York USA and first runner-up to Miss USA Chelsi Smith, only inherited the title after Smith became Miss Universe).

Landry went on to compete in the 1996 Miss Universe pageant held in Las Vegas in May that year. She placed first in the preliminary competiton and was ranked second in the evening gown and interview events during the final competition. She was second going in to the next round of six delegates, but was eliminated after the judges' questions.

Until 1999, Landry was the only former Miss Teen USA delegate to compete at Miss Universe. Her record at all three pageants was not surpassed until 2000 when Miss USA 2000, Lynnette Cole made the top 5 at all three pageants.

Landry and her husband Alejandro Monteverde made the film Bella together. Bella was directed by Monteverde and was produced by their business partners Sean Wolfington, Eduardo Verastegui, Leo Severino, and Denise Pinckley. Monteverde and the filmmakers received honors for Bella from the Toronto Film Festival, the Smithsonian and the White House. The Smithsonian Latino Center honored Monteverde with their "Legacy Award."

The director of the Department of Citizenship also gave Monteverde the "American by Choice" award for Bella's positive contribution to Latino art and culture in the U.S.

President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush saw the film and invited Bella's director to sit with Laura Bush in her private box during the annual "State of the Union" speech in 2007.