Born and raised in London, Paul was an amateur boxer until the age of 21 when his mother entered him into the Face of the Year competition in 1992. Sculfor was unaware his mother had entered him in the competition; he was in the hospital having had his appendix removed when he received the letter saying he was in the finals, alongside Rod Stewart's wife Penny Lancaster. The judges included Tandy Anderson, the owner of Select Model Management, and Gary Stretch.
Sculfor's first modeling job was for The Face magazine and in the autumn of 1993, Sculfor worked alongside Bridget Hall on the winter/fall campaign for Banana Republic, shot by Bruce Weber. The campaign featured on billboards all over New York’s Times Square. His Levi's jeans campaign launched a new kind of TV advertising career, and Sculfor soon moved to Europe where he was working out of Milan and Paris with the likes of Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Versace, and Jean Paul Gaultier, Paul Smith and Valentino.
Iconic images include Christian Dior fragrance Tendre Poison featuring alongside Laurence Vanhaeverbeke, photographed by Tyen. Due to his success as a male model, he has frequently been referred to as 'the original male supermodel'. An Attitude magazine front page article commented on 'the face that's worth a million dollars' and Paul starred in numerous campaigns for the world's best loved brands, as one of the true 90s supers.
Known for his down to earth nature, British sense of humour and professionalism, Paul has enjoyed an exciting and varied career since. He lived in America for over 10 years, where he starred in films directed by Bigas Lunas (Di Di Hollywood, Baseline, Psychosis) and had contracts with some of the biggest brands in the industry. He was awarded the coveted 'GQ Most Stylish Man Award' in 2010 and has starred in over 40 global TV commercials as well as a series of campaigns for Next and Aramis, which reimagined the TV commercial as a film short.
A familiar face on all men’s fashion front rows, Paul is also an ambassador for bespoke tailors Clements & Church, bringing his unique style to classic tailoring. Editorial campaigns for Wall Street Italia, Boat International, Gentleman’s Journal, OUT magazine and Forbes see Paul bring his unmistakable elegance to shoots. More recently, he has expanded his work in TV and media, as head judge for Britain's Next Top Model, guest starring in BBC's 'Death in Paradise' and comedy 'High and Dry', also appearing as a guest for BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and starring in the TV original series 'Five a Side'. He has starred alongside Sharon Stone for the Airfield Campaign and continues to work with brands such as Belstaff, John Varvatos, Barbour and Brunello Cucinelli. Paul has served as a host and judge for Next's modelling competition, for Shortlist Magazine's Men's Grooming Awards and on the judging panel for Graduate Fashion Week's Menswear Awards.
Paul supports several charitable foundations, including Marie Curie, Haven House Children's Hospice and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. He founded the Stride Foundation in 2014 to expand on his philanthropic interests and has won charitable funding through public speaking to continue supporting those in need through recovery. A petrolhead and car geek, Paul prides himself on his encyclopaedic knowledge of all bikes and cars, as well as his ability to race them.