Barbi Benton

Barbi Benton (born January 28, 1950) is an American model, actress and singer. She became famous for being the girlfriend of "Playboy" founder and publisher Hugh Hefner. She is often misperceived as having been a "Playboy" Playmate since she was featured on the "Playboy" cover several times.

Early life

Benton was born Barbara Klein January 28, 1950 in New York City, New York [http://www.barbibenton.org/barbi-benton-bio.php Bio] . In 1952, her family moved to Sacramento, California when her father, a military doctor, was assigned new duties there. Benton attended Rio Americano High School in Sacramento before heading for Los Angeles at age 16, where she began modeling for Valerie Cragin's Flaire Agency in Beverly Hills to supplement her allowance.

Career

She met Hugh Hefner in 1968, when she was booked as "atmosphere" for his television show "Playboy After Dark" which filmed A-list entertainers performing in Hugh Hefner's mansion surrounded by Playboy Playmates. Benton said she pretended to be Hefner's girlfriend for a couple of episodes and soon found herself living the role full time. She was on her way to becoming a multifaceted icon of 1970s glamour.

Shortly after meeting Hefner, at his suggestion, she changed her name to the more showbiz-friendly Barbi Benton. "When he asked me out," Barbi recalls, "I was 18 and he was 42. I said I'd never gone out with anyone older than 24, and he said, 'That's all right. Neither have I.' We hit it off right away, and it lasted for eight years!"

Benton was Hefner's girlfriend and lived with him from 1969-1976. She also became a recording star, a Las Vegas headliner and a movie actress, with credits including "Deathstalker", "The Naughty Cheerleader" and "Hospital Massacre". Although none of the films were particular box office successes, they enjoy a cult status among fans of B-movies.

While being one of the best known women whose fame derives from appearing in "Playboy" magazine, contrary to popular belief, Barbi Benton has never been featured as a Playmate of the Month centerfold in the magazine. She also never worked as a Playboy Bunny.

Besides the Hefner connection, Benton is best known for her years as a regular on the country music series "Hee Haw" as a scantily clad country cutie trading gags and appearing in comic skits with other regulars. She left the program after four seasons to concentrate on a more Hollywood-oriented career. She also starred in the short-lived ABC-TV comedy series "Sugar Time!" about an aspiring female rock group in 1977. That show's greatest claim to fame may have been its inspiring one television critic to call it "jiggle TV", a term that was then frequently used to describe the many television series of the era starring attractive, sexy young women.

Benton was also a recording artist with some success. Her 1975 record, "Brass Buckles", was a top five hit on "Billboard"'s country singles chart. Benton has recorded eight albums, the last of which she personally produced in 1979. She also composed the songs, sang them and played piano. One of her better known songs was "Ain't That Just the Way" in 1976, which was also a major hit for Lutricia McNeal in 1996, and was recorded by the Dutch singer Patricia Paay under the title "Poor Jeremy" in 1977.

Benton now works as an interior decorator. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0072902/bio Biography page for Benton at the Internet Movie Database] ]

Family

She left Hefner when she eventually realized that he was not interested in starting a new family. Benton married George Gradow, a successful real estate developer on October 14, 1979. The couple has two children, Alexander Benton Gradow (born August 23, 1986) and a daughter, Arianna (born 1988). Benton mostly concentrates on building and designing homes now. They split their time between their homes in Aspen, Colorado and Oahu. On April 28, 2006, Gradow was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud and altering financial documents in a bid to mislead the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). [ [http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_4656372,00.html Aspen developer gets 15 months] James Paton, April 28, 2006, Rocky Mountain News] Gradow admitted that he tried to conceal his company's 1999 tax underpayment by destroying original documents and by changing interest rates and due dates on promissory notes and real estate lease documents as well as changing lease terms. Gradow was also told to pay $128,185 in restitution and a $5,000 fine to the IRS.

Discography

* "Barbi Doll" (1974)
* "Barbi Benton" (1975)
* "Something New" (1976)
* "Ain't That Just The Way" (1978)
* "Kinetic Voyage" (1988)

Filmography

* "Naughty Cheerleader", 1972
* "For The Love Of It", 1980
* "Hospital Massacre", 1981
* "Deathstalker", 1983
* "Schulmädchen" 1984

Television appearances

* "L'Uomo del colpo perfetto" (Movie, 1968), as girl in bed.
* "The Sonny & Cher Show" (TV), as herself.
* "Playboy After Dark" (TV, 1968), as herself.
* "Hee Haw" (TV, 1969), as herself.
* "Marcus Welby, M.D." (TV, 1972), playing Liz in episode: "We'll Walk Out of Here Together" (episode # 4.3).
* "The Midnight Special" (TV, 1973), as herself.
* "The Great American Beauty Contest" (TV, 1973) as Miss Iowa.
* "The Third Girl from the Left" (TV, 1973), playing Melanie.
* "The American Bandstand" (TV, 1975), guest artist.
* "McCloud" (TV, 1975), playing Shannon Forbes in episode "Park Avenue Pirates".
* "Nashville on the road" (TV, 1975), artist.
* "Sugar Time!" (TV, 1977), playing Maxx Douglas.
* "Murder at the Mardi Gras" (TV, 1978) as herself.
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1978) playing Shirley Russell in episode "Poof, you're a movie star" (episode # 1.12).
* "The Love Boat" (TV, 1978) playing Brigitte in episodes "Computerman", "Parlez-Vous" and "Memories of you".
* "The Love Boat" (TV, 1978) playing Kiki Atwood in episode "Marooned, part 1 and 2" (episodes # 2.26/27).
* "The Love Boat" (TV, 1979) playing Lucy in episodes "Not now, I'm dying", "Eleanor's return" and "Too young to love".
* "America 2Night" (TV, 1978), as herself, receiving the UBS Liftetime Achievement Award.
* "The Hollywood Squares" (TV, 1978) playing Guest Panelist.
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1978), playing Dee Dee Verona in episodes "The Appointment" and "Mr. Tattoo".
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1979), playing Bunny Kelly in episodes "Baby" and "Marathon: Battle of the sexes".
* "Vega$" (TV, 1979), playing Holly in episode "Design For Death" (episode # 2.5).
* "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (TV, 1980), guest.
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1980), playing Erica Clark in episodes Playgirl and Smith's Valhalla.
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1980), playing Molly Delahanti in episodes "The love doctor", "Pleasure palace" and "Possessed".
* "Charlie's Angels" (TV, 1980), playing Toni Green in episode "Island Angels" (episode # 5.5).
* "For the love of it" (Movie, 1980), playing Anita Carney.
* "Lobo" (TV, 1981) playing country singer Kitty Rhinestone in episode "The Cowboy Connection".
* "CHiPs" (TV, 1981) playing Sal in episode "Ponch's Angels, part 1 and 2" (episodes # 4.14/15).
* "The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour" (TV, 1983) playing Guest Panelist.
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1982), playing Courtney/Miss Winslow in episodes "House of dolls" and "Wuthering heights".
* "Circus of the Stars" (TV, 1982, 1980, 1979), performer.
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1981), episodes "The Devil and Mr. Roarke", "Ziegfeld Girls", and "Kid Corey Rides Again".
* "The Love Boat" (TV, 1981), playing Cathy Somms in episodes "The Nudist from Sunshine Gardens", "Eye of the beholder" and "Bugged".
* "Fantasy Island" (TV, 1981), playing Marsha Garnett/Carla Baines in episodes "The man from yesterday" and "World's most desirable woman".
* "Matt Houston" (TV, 1983) playing Ava Randolph in episode "Purrfect Crime" (episode # 1.13).
* "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" (TV, 1984) playing Susan Lancaster in episode "Catfight" (episode # 2.4).
* "And the Wall Came Tumbling Down" (TV, 1984) playing Caroline Trent.
* "Safe at home" (TV, ca 1985) playing Connie Simpson in episode Old flame.
* "Murder, She Wrote" (TV, 1986) playing Sue Beth in episode "Murder in the Electric Cathedral" (episode # 2.16).
* "Riptide" (TV, 1986), playing Gina Potter in episode "Playing Hardball" (episode # 3.17).
* "Barbi Benton Presents: Best Buns On The Beach" (TV, ca 1990), intro-host.
* "Barbi Benton Presents: Stripper of the Year" (TV, ca 1990), intro-host.
* "Hugh Hefner: Once upon a time" (TV, 1992), as herself.
* "Playboy: The party continues" (TV, 2000), as herself.
* "Entertainment Tonight" (TV, 2002), as herself.
* "Playboy's 50th Anniversary" (TV, 2003), as herself.
* "The Girls Next Door" (TV, 2005), as herself in "Fight Night" (episode # 1.5).
* "The Girls Next Door" (TV, 2007), as herself in "Guess Who's Coming to Luncheon?" (episode # 3.14).

Theater appearances

* "I love my life" (1982). The play was held January 12-24 at the La Mirada Civic Theatre in California.Fact|date=November 2007

Notes

External links

*imdb name|id=0072902|name=Barbi Benton
* [http://www.barbibenton.nu/ A tribute to Barbi Benton]
* [http://www.playboy.com/worldofplayboy/hmh/hefsladies/benton.html Playboy.com Hef's Special Ladies]

References

* [http://www.barbibenton.org/barbi-benton-bio.php Bio]