The Five Famous Playboy Playmates.
Every month, Playboy selects a playmate, or playmate of the month, who will be featured in a centerfold, and a series of photos. Every year, one of the Playboy Playmates is selected to be the playmate of the year.
The Playboy Playmate of the month receives $25,000 and the Playboy Playmate of the year receives $100,000 a car and a motorcycle.
As of January 2008, there have been approximately 650 Playboy Playmates of the month. Technically Miss January, 1954 Margie Harrison was the first 'Playboy Playmate of the Month', although this was the second edition. Marilyn Monroe was in the first edition of Playboy but at the time it was known as the 'Sweetheart of the Month'.
Hugh Hefner is personally involved in all Playboy Playmate decisions. To select the Playboy Playmate of the month, he conducts an annual readers poll and he speaks to several members of his staff. However, he alone makes the final decision.
Many Playboy Playmates have used their feature as a Playboy Playmate of the Month to launch a career. This lens is dedicated to the five Playboy Playmates who went on to become famous.
What Do The Famous Playmates Have In Common?
Famous Playboy Playmates: What do they have in common?
Marilyn
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn did her nude photoshoot in 1949, 4 years before it was published in Playboy (December 1953) when she was a struggling actress. Hugh Hefner bought the rights to the photos for $500 and used them to launch Playboy. By that time, Marilyn had already reached a certain amount of fame. Rather than be hurt by the publicity, her career seemed to become even stronger. Marilyn was one of the first to benefit from her feature as Playmate/Sweetheart of the Month.
Marilyn was, in our opinion, by far the most talented and legendary of all the playmates. Even Hugh Hefner has said that she is his favorite Playmate ever. For this reason, we have made a page just for Marilyn Monroe. We will not repeat the information here.
Marilyn Monroe Movies
Marilyn Monroe Special Anniversary Collection (The Seven Year Itch / Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / Niagara / River of No Return / Let's Make Love / Marilyn - The Final Days)
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Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
Some Like It Hot (Collector's Edition)
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Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
Flicka Family Classics Collection (My Friend Flicka / Thunderhead: Son of Flicka / The Green Grass of Wyoming)
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Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
Jayne
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was Playmate of the Month for February 1955. Like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield died young at the age of 34. But in her short career, she became very famous.Jayne's most famous acting roles were:
Jayne Mansfield reported her I.Q. as 163, she spoke five languages, and was a classically trained pianist and violinist. But what made her famous was her figure and publicity stunts which she used to keep herself in the news.
Jayne Mansfield has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6328 Hollywood Boulevard.
Jayne Mansfield died the same way her father, Herbert Palmer did, in a car, though her father had a heart attack and Jayne died in a tragic car accident.
Jayne Mansfield Movies
Jayne Mansfield Collection (The Girl Can't Help It / The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw / Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?)
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Amazon Price: $22.49 (as of 05/11/2008)
Promises! Promises! (Amazon.com Exclusive)
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Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
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Famous Current Playmates
Playboy: The Best of... Pamela Anderson/Jenny McCarthy/Anna Nicole Smith
Amazon Price: (as of 05/11/2008)
"The Best of Anna Nicole Smith" (1995, 59 min.) - Anna Nicole Smith made a meteoric rise from a small-town girl to international icon. Bigger than life, this statuesque Lone Star stunner has an astounding figure, smoldering eyes and a sexy attitude to match. Playboy had Anna first, and now we have her at her finest, ready to take you on the ride of your life in this steamy exclusive.
"The Best of Jenny McCarthy" (1996, 57 min.) - This breathtaking beauty became America's ultimate girl-next-door when she captured Playboy's 1994 Playmate of the Year honors. Since then, Jenny has charmed her way into the hearts of millions as co-host of MTV's "Singled Out" and as the eponymous star of the network sitcom "Jenny." But only Playboy can bring you this exclusive special featuring previously unreleased footage. It's your chance to catch an intimate glimpse of Jenny McCarthy...hotter than ever!
"The Best of Pamela Anderson" (1995, 54 min.) - Pamela Anderson has been a favorite with Playboy audiences for years and is now known worldwide for her role on TV's "Baywatch" and her new series "V.I.P." "The Best of Pamela Anderson" is a smoldering, erotic compilation of her most popular Playboy video segments, as well as never-before-seen material. You'll fall in love again with the ultimate California beach girl!
Pamela
Pamela Anderson
Pamela's modeling career started when she went friends to a BC Lions football game wearing a Labatt's Beer t-shirt. Cameras zoomed in on her and her image was displayed on the stadium screen. The crowd erupted and Pamela was led to center field for an ovation. Labatt's Beer immediately offered her a modeling contract. Her modeling career led her to appear in Playboy, which led to a minor role on the successful sitcom, Home Improvement as a a "Tool Time girl". Pamela left Home Improvement for the role of C. J. Parker on Baywatch appearing in seasons 3-7.
Since Baywatch, Pamela has appeared in a series of poorly received TV shows (V.I.P, Stacked, Stripperella) and movies (Pauly Shore Is Dead, and the recently released Blonde and Blonder).
Possibly her biggest claim to fame was from a pornographic home video of her and husband Tommy Lee taken on their honeymoon which spread through the intenet like a virus. Anderson sued the Internet Entertainment Group, the company that was distributing the video. Eventually the courts awarded Anderson and Lee $1.5 million plus attorney fees for their share of the profits.
Blond and Blonder: The New Pamela Anderson Movie
Blonde & Blonder (Widescreen Edition)
Amazon Price: $14.98 (as of 05/11/2008)
If you are a fan of Pamela's, or if you know one, this is a MUST. This is a relatively new movie. Here is a synopsis:
Comic mayhem ensues when two stunning blondes - Dee Twiddle (Pamela Anderson) and Dawn St. Dom (Denise Richards) - accidentally stumble upon a murdered FBI informant. Things really take a twist when the mob Godfather mistakes them for the real killers-for-hire and makes them an offer they can't refuse. Through a series of hilarious close-calls and "Blonde Moments" Dee and Dawn find themselves in way over their heads as they go on a wild road adventure, while simultaneously having to dodge federal agents and real mobster hit men.
Pamela Anderson
Stacked - The Complete Series
Skyler Dayton (Pamela Anderson) is tired of her non-stop partying lifestyle and bad choices in boyfriends. Wanting a major life change, she wanders into "The Stacks," a small family-run bookstore owned by Gavin Dewitt (Tom Everett Scott) and his brother, Stuart (Brian Scolaro). Divorced and unlucky in love himself, Gavin's inclined to regard Skyler as an embodiment of the vacuous, image-obsessed culture he has come to abhor. Stuart, however, is dazzled by Skyler's beauty and, much to Gavin's horror, offers her a job at their store, which she happily accepts as the first step in her quest for a steadier lifestyle. Unhappy that she's going to be minding the till next to such an intimidating bombshell is the store's sole other employee, Katrina (Marissa Jaret Winokur), who doles out doses of realism and cynicism. Rounding out the characters is the store's one steady customer, HAROLD MARCH (Christopher Lloyd) a preeminent but retired rocket scientist.
Amazon Price: $22.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
VIP - The Complete First Season
Campy syndicated series about Vallery Irons, a girl working at a hotdog stand who accidently saves a celebrity and is mistaken for a bodyguard. She and a team of beautiful bodyguards form a bodyguard agency called V.I.P. which stands for Vallery Irons Protection.
Amazon Price: $39.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
Pauly Shore Is Dead
Pauly Shore, one-time MTV personality and faded comic star of Bio-Dome and Jury Duty, wrote and directed this satire about his own career decline and (fictional) attempt to revive Hollywood's interest by faking his suicide. The fun of this movie is in never being quite sure how much of the story is based on Shore's real-life status as a has-been, and how much is inspired by public assumptions about his near-disappearance from the entertainment scene. In any case, watching Shore's dubious run as a stand-up comedian and actor wind down has, in Shore's own telling, some very funny moments, including a scene in which cash-rich, prop comic Carrot Top buys the former Wiezel's house and another in which Shore tries to secure the services of a Heidi Fleiss escort for $84. Lots of celebrity cameos here (Shore obviously still has show-business friends), including Ben Stiller, Britney Spears, Bill Maher, Charlie Sheen, Tom Sizemore, and Ellen DeGeneres.
Amazon Price: $9.98 (as of 05/11/2008)
Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson Uncensored!
Now you can watch America's favorite pin-up get nailed to the wall, completely unbleeped and uncensored. Watch what really happened the night some of the best insult comics in the biz got a piece of Pamela Anderson. From Andy Dick's errant gropes to Courtney Love's erratic outbursts to the countless jokes about Tommy Lee's HUGE, er, career, you won't miss a minute of pure, unadulterated roasting. Just be warned: unlike Pamela... it ain't pretty.
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
Anna Nicole
Anna Nicole Smith
Like Marilyn, Anna was the product of a broken home and spent much of her childhood living away from her parents. She was married, gave bith and divorced before the age of 26. She worked as a waitress and exotic dancer before appearing in Playboy.Anna was on the cover of the March 1992 issue of Playboy, then was the Playmate of the Month for May 1992 and then was chosen as Playmate of the Year for 1993 (the Year before Jenny McCarthy.)
She was selected by Guess Jeans to be their spokesmodel as she resembled Jayne Mansfield (see above) and did a series of Jayne Mansfield photosessions for Guess Jeans.
Anna reached the peak of her celebrity, but the reasons were less due to her acting talents than to her personal life. Anna married 89 year old billionaire J. Howard Marshall and later had a very public court battle with his son over inheritance. Smith also battled drug addiction, obesity and frequently appeared in public apparently under the influence of drugs. On her reality TV show, "The Anna Nicole Show" shown on E! Anna's speach was often slurred and almost incomprehensible.
The nearly simultaneous birth of her daughter and death of her son seemed to overwhelm her and five months later she died, like her son, due to drug overdose.
Left: Photo of Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren Right: Anna Nicole Smith posing as Jayne
Jenny
Jenny McCarthy
Jenny was Playmate of the month for October 1993 and Playmate of the Year for 1994. She followed Pamela Anderson with small roles in both "Baywatch" and "Home Improvement" and appeared together with Pamela in "Scary Movie 3". Jenny was host for the MTV show "Singled Out". She starred in the MTV comedy series "The Jenny McCarthy Show" and hosted the E! reality show "Party at the Palms".
Due to her son's afflication with Autism, Jenny is Spokesperson for "Talk About Curing Autism".
Jenny is known for her humor sometimes raunchy humor in her performances. This combination of sensuality and outlandish humor is her tradmark, and serves to set her apart from the other famous playmates who were mostly known only for their looks and sensuality.
Selected Works Of Jenny McCarthy
Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism
"Jenny McCarthy takes us on journey of a mom dealing with her son's Autism diagnosis and treatment. We learn what it is like to be a parent and have your dreams shattered. We learn about a disease and about how others dealing with similar circumstances can aid one another. We learn about alternative approaches that seem promising. We learn about healing, hope, and faith."
-David Feinberg, from the foreword, MD, MBA
Medical Director, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA
Amazon Price: $16.29 (as of 05/11/2008)
Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth
McCarthy applies her in-your-face manner and blue humor to the subject of pregnancy and childbirth in this little piece of fun. The former Playboy centerfold and all-around bad girl recounts her journey to motherhood with utter abandon, discussing topics that those other wholesome books tend to treat too gently, such as enemas, pubic hair growth, and sex in the ninth month.
Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 05/11/2008)
Scary Movie 3 (Widescreen Edition)
Jenny again earned good reviews from this sequil in the Scary Movie Series
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
John Tucker Must Die
Three ex-girlfriends of a serial cheater (Metcalfe) set up their former lover to fall for the new girl in town so they can watch him get his heart broken. Jenny appears as Lori in this comedy and was relatively well received in this role by critics.
Amazon Price: $7.49 (as of 05/11/2008)
Scream 3 (Dimension Collector's Series)
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 05/11/2008)
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