Aoki was born in New York City and grew up in California and London, attending highschool at The American School in London. Her Japanese American father, Rocky Aoki, a former Olympic wrestler, was the owner and founder of the Benihana restaurant chain until his death on July 10, 2008. Her mother, Pamela Hilburger, is a jewellery designer of German and English heritage.

Aoki was discovered Read more...

Aoki has modeled for the fashion houses Lancôme, Chanel, and Versace. Aoki is 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) — an almost unheard of height for runway models, who are usually at least 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) height. Aoki has done ad campaigns for Chanel Ready to Wear, Chanel Couture by Karl Lagerfeld, Versace by Steven Meisel, YSL by Juergen Teller, Alessandro Del Read more...

Aoki lives on her own in Los Angeles, and keeps her personal life private. She has dated Lenny Kravitz.[citation needed]

She is interested in writing poetry, playing the drums and hanging out with her two pet snakes.

In 2006, Aoki's father sued four of his children for an alleged attempt to take control of the companies he founded (estimated to be worth between $60 million-$100 million). Read more...