Urs Althaus on the cover of GQ, November 1977.

Althaus grew up with his mother in Altdorf in the canton of Uri on. His father was a medical student from Nigeria, whom he never met. After school, he played in 1972-73 in the reserve at FC Zurich , but had to retire due to injury career as a footballer. At the same time, he completed a commercial apprenticeship at a travel agency.

His career as a model began in the fashion house grains in Altdorf, it was followed by a commitment in Zurich. In the fall of 1976, he ran for the first time for Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, in 1977, he was the first black model on the cover of US magazine GQ  . Althaus worked for Calvin Klein , Valentino , Gucci and Armani and appeared in numerous international fashion magazines. In 1978 he founded together with a partner in the New York modeling agency Xtazy Ltd., however, with which he failed.  1980 offered him Lina Wertmuller a role in an Italian film that has not been completed. Then he took acting classes in New York and received several minor roles. Althaus 1984 played in the Italian Western comedy Arrapaho his first starring role. In the same year, he starred in football film "Allenatore nel Pallone" Brazilian football player Aristotle and 1986 in The Name of the Rose alongside Sean Connery , the role of Venantius.

In 1989, he stopped with modeling and took in the Zurich Model Agency "Photogenic" the line of men's division. Between 1992 and 2000, was co-owner and manager of the Swiss Althaus Model Agency "option". In 2008 she published "Allenatore nel Pallone 2» where Althaus again played the role of Aristotle.  In October 2009, his biography was published, "I, the Negro"  . Althaus lives in Fluelen on Lake Uri .