Karen McDougal

Infobox Playboy Playmate
name = Karen McDougal


imagesize = 150px
caption=Karen McDougal at the Home Theater Forum 2007 in Las Vegas
issue = December 1997
birthname =
birthplace = Merrillville, Indiana
birthdate = birth date and age|mf=yes|1971|3|23
bust = in to cm|num=34|abbr=yes|precision=0|wiki=yes C cup
waist = in to cm|num=24|abbr=yes|precision=0|wiki=yes
hips = in to cm|num=34|abbr=yes|precision=0|wiki=yes
natural bust = n
height = height|ft=5|in=8
weight = convert|125|lb|kg st|abbr=on|lk=on
preceded = Inga Drozdova
succeeded = Heather Kozar
pmoy-year = 1998
pmoy-preceded = Victoria Silvstedt
pmoy-succeeded = Heather Kozar
website=http://www.karenmcdougal.com

Karen McDougal (born March 23, 1971) is an American model and actor. She is known for her appearances in "Playboy" magazine as Playmate of the Month for December 1997 and Playmate of the Year of 1998.Fegley, Richard & Wayda, Stephen. (Photographers) "Playmate of the Year: Karen McDougal takes a bow", "Playboy", Vol. 45, Iss. 7, pg. 130-141, July 1998.] In 2001, the readers of "Playboy" voted McDougal "No. 2 Sexiest Playmate of the 1990s." [http://www.karenmcdougal.com/about_karenframeset.cfm "About Karen"] , at Karen McDougal's official site. Retrieved on December 2, 2006]

McDougal taught pre-kindergarten before winning a swimwear competition and beginning her career as a glamour, promotional, and swimsuit model. Since her appearances in "Playboy", she has extended her career into a wide variety of appearances in mainstream media, including other magazine modeling, television commercials, and minor acting, with mixed success. She has been a successful fitness model, with multiple magazine appearances including being the first woman to appear on the cover of "Men's Fitness" magazine. She starred in "The Arena", a direct-to-video film, and inspired the creation of a fantasy art statuette and a doll. As of 2007, she is pursuing work as a television host.

McDougal is a fitness enthusiast, since childhood ballet study and high school sports, and still noted for ability to perform the straddle split in modeling sessions. She is an avid motorcycle and car collector. Since her Playmate days, she has maintained a largely private social life, though in 2007 the paparazzi reported her dating actor Bruce Willis.

Biography

Early life and education

Although her Playmate datasheet stated she was born in Gary, Indiana, McDougal was actually born in Merrillville, Indiana, near Gary.cite visual | crew=McDougal, Karen (Herself) | date=1998 | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355895/ |title= Playboy: Playmate Profile Video Collection Featuring Miss December 1997, 1994, 1991, 1986 | medium=VHS | location= USA | distributor= Playboy Entertainment] She is of Cherokee Indian and Irish descent.Fegley, Richard & Wayda, Stephen. (Photographers) "Winter Wonder", "Playboy", Vol. 44, Iss. 12, pg. 126-137, December 1997.] McDougal is the first daughter in the family with 3 older brothers, Bob, Dave and Jeff, and a younger sister, Tina. Her mother, Carol,cite visual | crew=McDougal, Karen (Herself) | date=1998 | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167338/ |title=Playboy Video Centerfold: Playmate of the Year Karen McDougal | medium=VHS & DVD | location= USA | distributor= Image Entertainment] remarried when McDougal was 9 years old and the family moved to Sawyer, Michigan [http://www.askmen.com/celebs/women/models_60/karen_mcdougal/index.html "Model of the Week: Karen McDougal"] at AskMen.com Retrieved on October 20, 2006] where she remained until college.

McDougal studied tap dance and ballet as a child. Her childhood dream, prior to teaching and modeling, was to become a ballerina. She attended River Valley High School and became a cheerleader, band member, color guard, volleyball and softball player, as well as Michigan state champion clarinet player for 4 years in a row in high school. Her high school nickname was "Barbie" due to her wholesome sweetness. After graduating high school in 1989, [http://savvy.com/savvy_girls/featured/karen_mcdougal_the_real_girl_next_door "Karen McDougal: The Real 'Girl Next Door'" at Savvy.com] Retrieved on October 20, 2006 ] she attended Ferris State University at Big Rapids, Michigan, majoring in Elementary Education.

After 2 years of college, McDougal moved to a Detroit suburb where she taught pre-kindergarten, before being persuaded to try out for a swimsuit competition. One of her professional goals has always been to open a learning center for children, but as of 2007, she has put her learning center plans on hold while pursuing roles in acting and modelling.

Career highlights

Playboy

In 1997, McDougal tried out and won her local Venus Swimwear swimsuit competition in Michigan. Her victory caught the eye of "Playboy" photographer David Mecey. Soon after that she was approached by "Playboy" for a test shoot at Playboy Studio West which she accepted. Upon completing her test shoot, she was promptly selected to return for a complete photo and video shoot and chosen as Miss December 1997. Her pictorial, which was shot by photographers Richard Fegley and Stephen Wayda, has a winter theme and its outdoor portion was shot in the snowy fields near Park City, Utah. [http://pbplus.playboy.com/members/extras/chat/transcripts/1997-11-06-A.html Playboy CyberClub Chat Transcript: Karen McDougal, Miss December 1997 (membership required)] November 6, 1997. Retrieved November 9, 2006] Her video, the "Playmate Profile", was featured on Playboy TV soon after her magazine debut.In May 1998, she was announced to have been chosen by Hugh Hefner and fans as Playmate of the Year (PMOY) of 1998 at a luncheon at the Playboy Mansion. [ [http://www.karenmcdougal.com/video4.html "Good Day LA @ Skybar" video clip] from [http://www.karenmcdougal.com/video_clips.cfm Video Clips section] of Karen McDougal's official site. Retrieved on December 2, 2006] As her reward, she was awarded $100,000 and a special edition silver Shelby Series 1 convertible with a customized Michigan license plate "PMOY 98". In contrast to her Playmate pictorial, her PMOY pictorial in the July 1998 issue of "Playboy" has a tropical theme and its outdoor portion was shot at Saint Lucia. According to her interview in her Playmate of the Year "Video Centerfold" which was released soon after her PMOY issue debuted, she believes her physical imperfections are her "funny" smile, her crooked pinkies which she inherited from her grandfather and her "ugly feet" which she wishes others would not look at. Because of the popularity of the VH1 television series "Pop-up Video" at the time, one of the segments in her PMOY video was done as a Pop-up Video parody filled with factoids about her and "Playboy". During her appearance on "The Magic Hour" to promote her PMOY issue, McDougal demonstrated her signature pose, straddle split on TV in front of a live studio audience. [ [http://www.karenmcdougal.com/video7.html "Magic Hour" video clip] from Video Clips section of Karen McDougal's official site Retrieved on December 2, 2006.] "Playboy" has continued to publish her material in "Playboy Cyber Club", "Playboy" Special Edition publications and "Playboy" Videos.imdb name|0568210 Retrieved on 2007-12-27.] [http://pbplus.playboy.com/members/extras/chat/transcripts/2002-04-04-A.html Playboy CyberClub Chat Transcript: Karen McDougal, Miss December 1997, PMOY 1998 (membership required)] April 4, 2002. Retrieved November 9, 2006] In an online chat in 2002, McDougal expressed interest in posing for "Playboy" again if offered.

Post-Playboy

In March 1999, McDougal became the first woman to appear on the cover of "Men's Fitness" magazine. Since then she began expanding her career into that of a fitness model by appearing in various fitness and body building magazines such as "Muscle & Fitness" (January 2000), "Physical" (June 2004) and "Iron Man" (October 2005, January 2006 and June 2007 [ [http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/archive/images/6606-Jun07-cover.pdf Cover of June 2007 issue] courtesy of IronMan Magazine. Retrieved on May 7, 2007 ] ). [http://www.karenmcdougal.com/photo_gallery.cfm Photo gallery section] of Karen McDougal's official site Retrieved December 2, 2006 ] She appeared on the cover of the June 2007 "Iron Man" with film actor Sebastian Siegel, and in a 10-page pictorial in the January 2006 issue of "Iron Man" as "Hardbody" of the month. Neveux, Michael. (Photographer) "Playmate Power", "Iron Man", Vol. 65, Iss. 1, pg. 228-237, January 2006. ] In an interview in the September 2006 issue of "Playboy", she stated that her transition to fitness modeling was unintentional."Pop Questions: Karen McDougal", "Playboy", Vol. 53, Iss. 9, pg. 148, September 2006. ]

McDougal appeared in a series of sexy TV commercials for "XFL" football league on NBC and UPN with the theme of "Cheerleaders" along with Pennelope Jimenez, Rachel Sterling and other models in 2000. The most famous one featured her as one of many cheerleaders taking a shower in a locker room setting. Using clever camera angles and strategically placed objects, the commercial gave viewers the titillating illusion that the cheerleaders were nude in the shower with little left to the imagination. [Schatz, Aaron. " [http://50.lycos.com/111000.html The XFL looks ready to rumble] ", "The Lycos 50 Daily Report", November 20, 2000. Retrieved on November 29, 2006 ] These edgier "XFL" commercials backfired and caused a controversy as they were deemed too risqué by the media, [Hanacek, Andy. " [http://archive.profootballweekly.com/content/archives/features_2000/xfl_020101.asp Let the Games Begin] ", "Pro Football Weekly", February 1, 2001. Retrieved on March 9, 2008] [Ninemire, Valerie [http://cheerleading.about.com/od/semiprocheerleaders/a/020201a.htm "XFL Cheerleaders - Xciting or Xploiting?"] , "About.com", February 2, 2001. Retrieved on December 2, 2006 ] they were quietly withdrawn before the launch of 2001 "XFL" inaugural (and final [ [http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2001/05/10/xfl010510.html "XFL folds after one season"] , "CBC News", May 11, 2001. Retrieved on November 27, 2006] ) season.

In 2001, she co-starred with Lisa Dergan in "The Arena", a Roger Corman-produced, direct-to-video movie directed by Timur Bekmambetov. The entire production was shot in Russia. In her feature film debut, McDougal's character, Jessemina, is a slave girl who is forced into fighting as a female gladiator in an Ancient Roman colony by its corrupt governor. The role offered McDougal her first opportunity to act in a dramatic role and to demonstrate her physical abilities with the movie's sword fighting sequences. The movie, initially titled "Gladiatrix" was deemed to be a knockoff of "Gladiator". Although the movie was not well received, it has turned into a lesser known cult film. [ [http://www.joebobbriggs.com/drivein/2001/arena.htm "The Arena" review] by Joe Bob Briggs Retrieved on October 20, 2006 ]

Many regard her as a favorite Playmate in recent years because of her combination of beauty, "Girl next door" appeal and curvaceous figure, according to a November 2001 "Playboy" poll in the special edition "Sexiest Playmates". In that issue, she was voted "Readers' Choice No.2 Sexiest Playmate of the 1990s" (Pamela Anderson was voted No.1).

"Playboy" released a limited edition doll in 2002 based on the likeness of McDougal and emphasized that it was an anatomically correct and accurate model of her statuesque physique. Her collectors' figure was originally slated to be the first in the series to be released, however it was delayed due to redesigns. [ [http://www.toymania.com/features/playboy.shtml Raving Toy Maniac presents "A Playmate of Your Own"] Retrieved on October 20, 2006 ] She was one of twelve contestants in the search for the new host succeeding Brooke Burke for "Wild On!" in 2002 (known as "Wild Off!"). The contest took place at The Palms in Las Vegas. Each contestant was given a "wild" challenge to complete and McDougal's challenge was to dress up as Cleopatra and roam the casino at Caesars Palace in the arms of an actor dressed up as Julius Caesar for a day. She completed her challenge and was considered an early favorite by fellow contestants, but did not advance to the final round of 5 contestants. [cite visual | crew=McDougal, Karen (Herself) | date=1998 | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0748398/|title= Wild On!: Wild Off! Las Vegas | medium=TV-Series | location= USA | distributor= E! Entertainment] Cindy Taylor was the eventual winner of "Wild Off!". [ [http://www.askmen.com/celebs/women/models_150/cindy_taylor/index.html "Model of the Week: Cindy Taylor"] at AskMen.com Retrieved on December 2, 2006 ]

McDougal collaborated with famed fantasy sculpter Bill Toma in creating a limited edition bronze statuette titled "Warrior Princess" in 2003. It was a revealing sculpture of a fictional female fantasy character in a standing pose using her face and figure as a template. McDougal posed for Toma in the creative process and the pedestal of each statuette bears her signature. [http://www.karenmcdougal.com/store_detail.cfm?product_id=37 "Warrior Princess"] by Bill Toma Retrieved on February 7, 2007 (Artistic Nudity)]

In spring of 2004, McDougal appeared in a photo spread in the Italian edition of "Vogue" with fellow Playmates, Pamela Anderson, Audra Lynn and Tishara Cousino. It was a tennis themed men's fashion spread shot in Las Vegas by photographer David LaChapelle. The spread contained her first published nudes since her contract with "Playboy" expired years ago. [http://www.davidlachapelle.com/editorial.php?type=VogueHomme "Vogue Homme" spread] on David LaChapelle's official website Retrieved on February 7, 2007 (Artistic Nudity)] She travelled to Japan to be one of the eye candies for Scott Hall and Kevin Nash ("The Outsiders") when they wrestled at Yokohama, Japan in May 2004. [ [http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/fight/other/live/200405/08/photo/a09/ "Hustle-3" photo gallery at Sportsnav.com] ja icon Retrieved on October 20, 2006] McDougal also participated in the 50th Anniversary celebrations of "Playboy" throughout the year at Las Vegas, New York and Moscow with other Playmates past and present.

After winning the local try out in Los Angeles, McDougal advanced to World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) "RAW Diva Search 2004" special held at the Beacon Theater in New York as one of 28 finalists. The special was televised live on Spike TV with a live audience on July 15, 2004. [cite press release| title = Live Television Network Special To Determine Final 10 In The Worldwide Search For The Next WWE Diva!!| publisher = World Wrestling Entertainment| date = July 12, 2004| url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2004/2004_07_12.2.jsp| accessdate = 2006-10-27] McDougal, clad in a black bikini, survived 2 rounds of elimination during the 2 hour special, only to be eliminated by the judges in the last round at the end, just prior to the selection of the final 10 contestants eligible for online voting. Her elimination was a surprise to the live audience, as she was arguably the most famous contestant not advancing to the next round. [cite visual | crew=McDougal, Karen (Herself) | date=2004 | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420110/|title= RAW Diva Search Casting Special | medium=TV-Special | location= USA | distributor= Spike TV] Christy Hemme was eventually selected by viewers to be the 2004 "WWE RAW" Diva. [ [http://www.bullz-eye.com/celebritybabes/christy_hemme.htm "Christy Hemme at Bullz-Eye.com"] Retrieved on March 21, 2007] McDougal appeared in the 2005 "Playmates at Play at the Playboy Mansion" swimsuit calendar as the calendar girl of July. Wayda, Stephen. (Photographer) "Playboy:Playmates at Play at the Mansion - 2005 Swimsuit Calendar", John F. Turner, 2004. ISBN 140381814-2 ] The calendar was the inaugural "Playmates at Play" calendar and it was shot on the grounds of Playboy Mansion in 2004. [ [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/09/content_347058.htm "Playboy Swimsuit Calendar for 2005"] , "Reuters" by way of "China Daily", July 9, 2004. Retrieved on November 9, 2006 ] It was "Playboy"'s first attempt at creating a non-nude swimsuit calendar featuring Playmates similar in style with those from "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue". While all Playmates appeared in bikinis in the calendar, McDougal and Hiromi Oshima were the only two Playmates actually wearing only painted on bikinis.

She appeared as one of the interviewees in E! True Hollywood Story of Hugh Hefner first broadcasted on April 9, 2006. McDougal briefly described her experience at the Playboy Mansion when the marriage between Hugh and Kimberley Conrad Hefner was falling apart at the time when she was Miss December 1997. In summer of 2006, McDougal appeared as a fitness model demonstrating all the exercises in a fitness training DVD with Hollywood celebrity fitness trainer Valerie Waters. In November 2006, she was part of a trio of Playmates (along with Tina Marie Jordan and Katie Lohmann) that appeared in the "Celebrity Playmate Gift Guide" pictorial of "Splat" magazine, a paintball enthusiasts magazine. The pictorial showcased new paintball products for the 2006 holiday season. [ "Neveux, Michael. (Photographer) "Celebrity Playmate Gift Guide", "Splat", pg. 56-73, December 2006/January 2007 ]

McDougal is interested in pursuing hosting duties of TV or sports shows. She has guest hosted TV programs ("Wild On!" on E!, "VIP Access" on Showtime) and appeared in other television programs (such as: "Lovespring International", "The O'Reilly Factor", Playmate edition of "Russian Roulette",cite press release| title = Live Television Network Special To Determine Final 10 In The Worldwide Search For The Next WWE Diva!!Game Show Network Heats Up New Year's Eve With Special Playboy Playmate Edition of Russian Roulette; Long Walks on the Beach and Sensitive Men are Fun, but Falling Thru the Roulette 'Drop Zone' is Much More Exciting!| publisher = Game Show Network (Archived at Goliath)| date = December 2, 2002| url=http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-2266741_ITM | accessdate = 2007-12-28] etc.) and movies (cameos in "Joe Dirt", "Charlie's Angels", "Grind", "The Girl Next Door" and "Raising Helen"), music videos (singer David Lee Roth), various pin-up posters, calendars, magazine covers, advertising campaigns, promotional events, clothing, swimwear and lingerie catalogs following her success as Playmate of the Year.

Personal life

McDougal relishes the thrill of speed as she is an avid motorcycle rider and car collector.Kunam, Maman. "RPM Profile: Interview with Karen McDougal", "RPM", Issue 7, pg. 70-81, December 2004/January 2005.] Her first modelling assignment was being a promotional model at a Harley-Davidson bike show in Detroit. In 2004, she bought a pink custom-built motorcycle, [http://www.hotbikeweb.com/features/0406hb_playmate_chopper/index.html "If a Playmate bought a Bike" - an article from "Hot Bike"] Retrieved on October 20, 2006 ] and entered an Easyrider Competition in Pomona, where her motorcycle won the Best Radical Custom award. [ Riggs, Curtis. "Award, Playmate and Giant bringing notoriety to Phoenix Choppers", "Sonoran News", February 4, 2004.] She also professes to be a chocoholic and junk food junkie even when she considers herself a "health nut". In her spare time, she works out 3 days a week to stay in shape. When she was Playmate of the Year of 1998, she had a healthy BMI of 19. [Creager, Ellen. "It takes effort -- and maybe anorexia -- to be model-thin", "Detroit Free Press", July 21, 1998.] Although she is a swimsuit model, she is not a proficient swimmer because of her aquaphobia. She is an animal lover and owns two cats: Brittany and Brandy. McDougal has 2 tattoos, one is a tattoo of a cat on the second toe of her right foot to honor her cats, the other is that of a cross behind her right ear as a reminder of her spirituality.

McDougal's family members initially did not support her decision to pose for "Playboy". Eventually, they embraced the fact and her mother appeared in interview segments of her Playmate of the Year "Video Centerfold" as a sign of support. Her family has a history of breast cancer, and McDougal, who acknowledges having breast implants, is an advocate of breast cancer awareness.Martin, Jennifer. "Playmate plans to put title to good use", "South Bend Tribune", July 1, 1998.] McDougal currently resides in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona. In an interview in 2007, McDougal stated that she is single. [http://web.archive.org/web/20080124154602/http://www.ripetv.com/shows/32/episodes/1040 RipeTV presents Playboy Dating: Karen McDougal] at Ripe TV via Internet Archive Retrieved on February 6, 2008 ] In the same year, she was dating actor Bruce Willis on different occasions. [ [http://video.aol.com/video/bruces-new-babe/1871038 "Bruce's New Babe?", "TMZ.com" video] Retrieved on August 8, 2007] [http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrities/hollywood/bruce-willis-and-tamara-feldman-take-yacht-holiday-201592 "Bruce Willis and Karen McDougal take yacht holiday", "Celebrity Gossip.net"] , August 7, 2007 Retrieved on August 8, 2007 ] The media initially incorrectly identified McDougal as actress Tamara Feldman. In March 2008, McDougal appeared in a topless pictorial and interview in Spanish magazine "Interviu" discussing her relationship with Willis. [ Montero, Luis Miguel. [http://www.interviu.es/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=39&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=49121&idseccio_PK=552&h= "Karen McDougal, la última novia de Bruce Willis"] , "Interviu", March 10, 2008 es icon Retrieved on March 11, 2008 (Mature Content)] In 2008, Willis has been dating model Emma Heming. [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20188952,00.html "Couples Watch:Justine & Jessica, Bruce & Emma..."] , "People", April 7, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2008.] [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1913470/Emma-Heming,-Bruce-Willis's-girlfriend,-models-for-La-Senza.html "Emma Heming, Bruce Willis's Grilfriend, models for La Senza"] , "The Daily Telegraph", April 30, 2008. Retrieved on May 17, 2008.]

Quotes

Appearances in "Playboy" special editions

*"Playboy's Playmate Review" Vol. 14 August 1998 - cover, pages 2-3,86-93.
*"Playboy's Girls of Winter" January 1999 - pages 1,10-13, 60-63, 90-91.
*"Playboy's Playmates in Bed" February 1999 - pages 3,68-69, 92-93.
*"Playboy's Celebrating Centerfolds" Vol. 2 May 1999 - cover, pages 3, 44-47.
*"Playboy's Book of Lingerie" Vol. 67 June 1999 - pages 36-37.
*"Playboy's Playmate Tests" July 1999 - pages 64-67.
*"Playboy's Barefoot Beauties" Vol. 1 January 2000 - pages 66-67,74-75.
*"Playboy's Centerfolds of the Century" May 2000 - pages 50-51
*"Playboy's Playmates of the Year" January 2001 - pages 88-89
*"Playboy's Nude Playmates" May 2001 - pages 20-21.
*"Playboy's Book of Lingerie" June 2001 - pages 68-69.
*"Playboy's Girlfriends" August 2001 - page 95 (fan letter section).
*"Playboy's Casting Calls" November 2001 - page 95 (fan letter section).
*"Playboy's Sexiest Playmates" November 2001 - page 84-87.
*"Playboy's Playmates in Bed" February 2002 - pages 72-73.
*"Playboy's Sexy Celebrities" March 2002 - pages 54-55.
*"Playboy's Nude Playmates" May 2002 - page 95 (fan letter section).

ee also

* List of people in Playboy 1990-1999

References

External links

* [http://www.karenmcdougal.com Karen McDougal's official website]
*playmate|1997|12 (Mature Content)
* [http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/media/hardbody.php?id=68&t=Karen+McDougal Hardbody Profile - Karen McDougal] at "IronMan" magazine official website
* [http://www.moviesbuff.com/actress/karen-mcdougal.html Karen McDougal feature at Moviesbuff.com]