Here are some links to varied, well written profiles:
What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (in The New Yorker)
The American Male at Age Ten by Susan Orlean (New Yorker)
Michael Stipe Has Great Hair by Tom Junod (Esquire)
Can One Good Man Redeem the Sins of Guantanimo? by Tom Junod (Esquire)
John Daly, Happy At Last by Tom Chiarella (Indiana boy, in Esquire)
General Writing Awesomeness: Susan Orlean’s New Yorker Blog