Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern was born to Anna Nicole Smith on September 7, 2006 in Nassau, Bahamas. Almost immediately, questions over her paternity arose, quickly followed by the death of her half-brother, Daniel Smith, three days after her birth. Smith's death and Dannielynn's custody preceded the paternity claims made by attorney Howard K. Stern; Larry Birkhead, Smith's bodyguard Alexander Denk, and Frederic von Anhalt, husband of the actressZsa Zsa Gabor. Smith named Howard K. Stern as father on her daughter's birth certificate. Birkhead was a Kentucky native and celebrity photographer who brought his challenge to court to legitimize his claim. After DNA testing, Birkhead was formally established as the father. After gaining custody of his daughter, Dannielynn’s surname was changed from Stern to Birkhead. When Birkhead was five months old, her mother died of a prescription drug overdose at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. In 2008, she was declared sole heir to Smith's estate, estimated at $700,000. At 16 months old, Birkhead underwent surgery to correct the strabismus in one of her eyes. Her father wore a patch as well so the pair could "play pirates together".
Modeling and media focus
At age six, Birkhead participated in a modeling campaign for Guess Kids, the children's line for Guess clothing. Paul Marciano, the co-founder of Guess, stated "Dannielynn has the same playful spirit that her mother had on a set." The campaign was followed by the Spring 2013 line. She and her father attended the Kentucky Derby since 2008, where her parents had first met. In August 2014, federal court judge David O. Carter ruled Dannielynn Birkhead will not receive $44 million from the estate of the late E. Pierce Marshall, the son of J. Howard Marshall. Her father was hopeful that Dannielynn would receive a substantial amount of money in sanctions. Judge Carter, however, denied the request, ruling that there was "just no evidence before the court that justifies awarding sanctions against Pierce Marshall's estate".
