Michelle McLean was crowned Miss Universe in 1992. She was 19 years old when she represented Namibia and became the first contestant from Namibia to win the crown.
Before she became Miss Universe, McLean competed in Miss World 1991, where she finished in the top 5. In the 1992 Miss Universe pageant, she finished second in the preliminary, right behind Carolina Izsak of Venezuela, who won all three preliminary competitions. Nonetheless, McLean's statuesque beauty, intelligence, warmth and a decent answer to the final question helped clinch the crown over rivals Paola Turbay of Colombia and Madhushri Sapre of India.
In 1992, Michelle founded the Michelle McLean Children's Trust in Namibia which focuses on the education and care of underprivileged children. Michelle was also instrumental in bringing the Miss Universe pageant to her country in 1995. Michelle married her longtime boyfriend, Neil Bierbaum, but they divorced in 2006.
In 1998, Michelle became the second titleholder to receive the Miss Universe Achievement Award; the first being Irene Saez of Venezuela in 1997.
| Birth name | Michelle McLean |
|---|---|
| Birth location | Windhoek, Namibia |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Title(s) | Miss Namibia 1991 Miss Universe 1992 |
