Katherine Elizabeth Upton (Kate Upton born June 10, 1992) is an American model and actress. She first appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011 and was the cover model for the 2012 and 2013 issues. She was also the subject of the 100th anniversary Vanity Fair cover. Upton has also appeared in the films Tower Heist (2011), The Other Woman (2014) and The Layover (2017).

Upton was born in St. Joseph, Michigan. She is the daughter of Shelley (née Davis), a former Texas state tennis champion, and Jeff Upton, a high school athletics director. She has a younger sister, Christie, and a younger brother, David.

Upton attended Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. As a young equestrian, she showed at the American Paint Horse Association and competed at a national level. With her horse Roanie, she won three APHA Reserve World Championships – 13 and Under Western Riding, 13 and Under Horsemanship, and 14–18 Western Riding. She was named the 13 and Under Reserve All-Around Champion, giving her a total of four reserve championships. In addition, Upton ended up third overall on the APHA youth Top Twenty.

In April 2011, an Internet video of her doing the dougie hip-hop dance at a Los Angeles Clippers game went viral and served to increase her popularity. She was featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2011 and was named Rookie of the Year. She was also the cover model for the 2012, 2013 and 2017 issues.

In 2012, she was ranked the fifth-sexiest model by Models.com She ranked #3 on the American publication of AskMen’s Top 99 Women for 2013. In 2012, she was listed on Maxim’s Hot 100 list, citing her photo shoots with Sports Illustrated.

Upton has also appeared in the films Tower Heist (2011), The Other Woman (2014) and The Layover (2017).

Upton has said that her belief in God is important to her. During a photo shoot, someone joked about a cross necklace she wore, saying, “Why are you wearing a cross? Like you would be religious”. She replied, “I’m not religious. I’m just a Christian.”