Barbizon Modeling and Acting School

Barbizon Modeling and Acting School is an international modeling and acting school headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The school provides instructional courses in the domain of modeling and personal development.

History
The first Barbizon School of Modeling and Acting was opened in 1939 on Fifth Avenue in New York City, New York, by Helen Fraser, a fashion model and teacher with her husband, Dr. Fraser, a dentist. The Barbizon name was developed from the Fraser's vacations to France where they became interested in the town of Barbizon, a village outside of Paris known for the 19th-century Barbizon school of painters. She wrote a book ''Assignment in Modeling: A Guide to a Career in Fashion and Photographic Modeling".

In 1950, Helen met Ronald Reagan, who would later become President of the United States, and awarded him with the Best-Dressed Man in America award she established. In 1951, Helen acted as a celebrity judge for the Miss Brooklyn Pageant, alongside actress Denise Darcel and comedian Steve Allen.

Locations
Barbizon Modeling and Acting Centers are located in more than 200 markets across the United States. International locations include Bangkok, Toronto, Santo Domingo and Japan.

College scholarship
In 1992, Barbizon initiated a college scholarship program, paying up to $100,000 of tuition to scholarship recipients for any college or university in the United States.

Notable alumni

 * Nicole Gale Anderson
 * David Archuleta (American Idol contestant)
 * Moisés Arias
 * Drew Tyler Bell
 * Haley Bennett
 * Caressa Cameron – (Miss America 2010)
 * Carmen Electra (thanked Barbizon in her self-help book)
 * Sean Faris
 * Lyndsy Fonseca
 * Julie Henderson (model)
 * June Kirby - actress and model
 * Karen Montell - politician and model
 * Gena Lee Nolin – named Miss Barbizon
 * Condoleezza Rice – former U.S. Secretary of State; referenced Barbizon in her autobiography as one of her early stepping stones
 * Zach Roerig
 * Sofia Vassilieva
 * Ryan Phillippe
 * Giuliana Rancic (entertainment journalist)
 * Audrey Marie Anderson
 * Tera Patrick (pornographic actress and model)