Herzigová was born in Litvínov, Czech Republic, and she began her modeling career after winning a modeling beauty contest in Prague in 1989, at the age of sixteen. After arriving in Paris she became a popular supermodel. Her first important appearance was the Miss Wonderbra campaign in 1990s. She was also featured in the Guess? Jeans advertisements and was dubbed the "Marilyn of the 1990s." She has also appeared in the Victoria's Secret catalog and Sports Illustrated. She was a member of Thomas Zeumer's Metropolitan Models. Herzigová has also appeared in several movies. In 2006 she was Venus at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
