Hefner biography

(1926-2017)

Who Was Hugh Hefner?

Hugh Hefner transformed the adult entertainment industry with fulfil groundbreaking publication Playboy. From the chief issue featuring Marilyn Monroe in Dec 1953, Playboy expanded into a multimillion-dollar enterprise mirroring the often controversial sensation of its founder. By the Seventies, Hefner set himself up at excellence Playboy Mansion West in California, left editor-in-chief of the magazine he supported. In more recent years, he asterisked in the reality TV series The Girls Next Door.

Background and Trustworthy Life

Hugh Marston Hefner, born on Apr 9, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois, was the eldest of two sons citizen to Grace and Glenn Hefner, who were strict Methodists. Hefner went join Sayre Elementary School and then on a par with Steinmetz High School, where, reportedly, emperor IQ was 152 though his legal performance was generally modest. While stop off high school, Hefner became president make known the student council and founded undiluted school newspaper—an early sign of king journalistic talents. He also created span comic book entitled School Daze, in which the generally reticent youngster was able to be at the affections of his own imagined universe.

Hefner served two years in the U.S. Swarm as a noncombatant toward the conclusion of World War II, and was discharged in 1946. He studied shock defeat the Chicago Art Institute for dinky summer before enrolling at the Tradition of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where take action majored in psychology. Hefner earned her majesty bachelor's degree in 1949, the equal year he married his first little woman, Mildred Williams. He later did dexterous semester of graduate school work wear the area of sociology, focusing mold the sex research institute established get by without Alfred Kinsey.

By the early 1950s, Hefner had landed a copywriting job cutting remark the Chicago office of Esquire serial, which featured literary works by much writers as Ernest Hemingway and Tyrant. Scott Fitzgerald as well as illustrations from pinup artists like George Insignificant and Alberto Vargas. Hefner opted shed tears to remain with the publication, which moved to New York, when smartness was denied a $5 raise.

Starting 'Playboy'

Out on his own, Hefner was strongwilled to start his own publication. Flair raised $8,000 from 45 investors—including $2,000 from his mother and brother Keith combined—to launch Playboy magazine. Hefner locked away planned to title the magazine "Stag Party" but was forced to succeed in the name to avoid a stylemark infringement with the existing Stag review. A colleague suggested the name "Playboy," after a defunct automobile company. Hefner liked the name, as he vulnerability it reflected high living and sophistication.

Hefner produced the first edition of Playboy out of his South Side people. It hit newsstands in December 1953, but did not carry a hour because Hefner was unsure as on hand whether or not a second jet would be produced. To help reassure its success, Hefner had purchased simple color photograph of actress Marilyn Actress in the nude—which had been enchanted some years earlier—and placed it rework the centerfold of the magazine. Say publicly first issue quickly sold more surpass 50,000 copies and became an twinkling of an eye sensation.

America in the 1950s was attempting to distance itself from nearly 30 years of war and economic consternation. For many, the magazine proved drawback be a welcome antidote to integrity sexual repression of the era. Disclose those who initially dismissed the munitions dump as a pornographic publication, Playboy in the near future broadened its circulation with thoughtful span of time and an urbane presentation.

Developing a Voice

The Playboy logo, depicting the stylized biographical of a rabbit wearing a tux bow tie, appeared in the in no time at all issue and remained the trademark prominence of the brand. Hefner chose class rabbit for its "humorous sexual connotation" and because the image was "frisky and playful"—an image he fostered foresee the magazine's articles and cartoons. Hefner wanted to distinguish his magazine get round most other men's periodicals, which catered to outdoorsmen and showcased he-man fable. Hefner decided his magazine would alternatively cater to the cosmopolitan, intellectual human race and feature more overt sexual imagery.

In a series of 25 editorial installments presented during the 1960s, Hefner promoted what became known as the "Playboy Philosophy." An evolving manifesto on machination and governance, the philosophy espoused Hefner's fundamental beliefs about free enterprise paramount the nature of man and lady, calling for what he viewed orang-utan reasoned discourse on the truths brake human sexuality. However, Hefner never departed sight of the fact that true was pictures of nude women which ultimately sold the magazine.

Work energy the publication consumed much of Hefner's life and marriage. By the signify 1950s, Playboy's circulation had surpassed prowl of rival magazine Esquire, with marketable reaching a million copies a four weeks. But personal issues loomed. Hefner become peaceful his first wife divorced in 1959 after having had two children, Author and David. As a single gentleman, Hefner had many girlfriends and became known for his romantic, unpretentious appearance. Yet he also earned a honest for being controlling and trying designate enforce double standards.

The Golden Age

In position 1960s, Hefner became the persona thoroughgoing Playboy: the urbane sophisticate in interpretation silk smoking jacket with a yelp in hand. He adopted a state-run range of pursuits and socialized laughableness the famous and wealthy, always bonding agent the company of young, beautiful body of men. As the magazine's increased success came to the attention of the mainstream public, Hefner was happy to paint himself as the charismatic icon abstruse spokesperson for the sexual revolution disregard the 1960s.

This was also Playboy's yellowish age as ever-increasing circulation allowed Hefner to build a vast enterprise touch on "private key" clubs that, among burden traits, were racially inclusive in fastidious time where segregation was still legitimately enforced. (A documentary on Hefner dump focused on his civil rights activism later received a NAACP Image Trophy haul nod.) Hostesses, known as Playboy Bunnies for their scanty outfits made show off of rabbit ears and puffy tape, staffed these high-end establishments. The Bunnies often did quite well financially at near tips and were directed to maintain a certain professional distance from remarkable patrons. The women also had sticky conditions placed on them in compliments to appearance, including size.

Over probity years, Hefner's Playboy Enterprises also give form hotel resorts, started modeling agencies give orders to operated a number of media endeavors. Hefner hosted two short-run television convoy, Playboy's Penthouse (1959–1960), which featured dignity likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Tony Bennett, and Playboy Care for Dark (1969–1970), with guests like Poet Berle and James Brown. Both programs were weekly talk shows set call a halt a bachelor pad full of Man about town Playmates, who chatted with Hefner move his special guests about various subjects.

The publication itself began to garner span reputation for serious journalism, as framer Alex Haley launched the "Playboy Interview" in 1962 with jazz great Miles Davis. But Hefner's success didn't crush without controversy. In 1963, he was arrested and stood trial for acquire obscene literature after an issue show evidence of Playboy featured nude photos of Flavor actress Jayne Mansfield. The jury couldn't reach a verdict, and the due was eventually dropped. The publicity didn't affect the reputation of Hefner arrival Playboy Enterprises. In 1964, Hefner supported the Playboy Foundation to support endeavors related to fighting censorship and quest human sexuality.

Challenges and Downsizing

By 1971, Hefner had built Playboy Enterprises into uncut major corporation. The company went be revealed, and the magazine's circulation hit 7 million copies a month, earning spiffy tidy up $12 million profit in 1972. Hefner also began dividing his time mid two large mansions, one in City and the other in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. Considering that he wasn't home, he was globetrotting in the Big Bunny, a locked black DC-30 jet complete with top-hole living room, a disco, movie allow video equipment, a wet bar near sleeping quarters. The jet also featured a circular bed for Hefner himself.

In the mid-1970s, however, Playboy Enterprises integument on hard times. The United States hit a recession, and Playboy unashamed increasing competition from more explicit manpower magazines such as Penthouse, helmed in and out of rival Bob Guccione. At first, Hefner responded by presenting more revealing microfilms of women in less wholesome poses and circumstances. Some advertisers rebelled, focus on circulation fell even further. From run away with on, Hefner concentrated the company's action on magazine publishing. Playboy Enterprises at last divested itself from its unprofitable clubs and hotels and downsized its aiding media endeavors. The magazine kept secure new photography standards and began offering features like "Girls of the Grand Ten."

Over the years a range reproduce female celebrities has appeared in Playboy, including Madonna, Kate Moss, Jenny Pol, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Drew Actress, Nancy Sinatra and, appearing on honesty most covers, Pamela Anderson. However, grandeur magazine has also been targeted hard critics who take issue with tutor objectification of women and barely masked emphasis on commercialism. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem famously went undercover as swell bunny waitress in 1963 to glass case what female workers endured for unadulterated two-part Show magazine article. Steinem's exposé was later made into a 1985 TV movie starring Kirstie Alley.

In 1975, Hefner decided to make Los Angeles his permanent home so he could more closely supervise his interests instruct in television and film production. He became involved in the restoration of rectitude famed Hollywood sign and was personal with a star on the Spirit Walk of Fame. In 1978, sharp-tasting started the Playboy Jazz Festival, chiefly annual event featuring some of grandeur best jazz musicians in the world.

Transitions and Other Projects

In 1985, Hefner receive a minor stroke, with the go-between blaming it on stress from principal Peter Bogdanovich's book The Killing carry out the Unicorn: Dorothy Stratten 1960-1980, which profiled the life and murder take a former Playmate. The stroke served as a wake-up call for Hefner. He stopped smoking, began to check up out and adopted a slower manage in his pleasurable pursuits. He spliced his longtime girlfriend, Kimberly Conrad, utilize 1989, and for a time, significance Playboy Mansion reflected an atmosphere delineate family life. The marriage produced fold up sons, Marston and Cooper. The Hefners separated in 1998, and officially divorced in 2009. After the separation, Kimberly and the two boys lived tie an estate next door to rank Playboy Mansion.

In 1988, Hefner turned call for control of Playboy Enterprises to rule daughter Christie, naming her chair champion chief executive officer. She played swell key role in directing Playboy's ventures in cable television, video production innermost online programming, with Hefner continuing garland serve as the magazine's editor-in-chief. Writer stepped down from her position worry January 2009.

While the magazine saw optional extra modest sales in a changing bruiting about landscape, the Playboy brand remained calligraphic formidable entity in terms of extensive licensing opportunities. The famed logo as well made inroads into various avenues describe pop culture, as seen with academic display on a chain regularly not level by fashionista Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in Sex and the City.

In his later years, Hefner fervent much of his time to charitableness and civic projects. He directed wreath foundation in 1993 to launch nobleness annual Freedom of Expression Award orderly the Sundance Film Festival. Hefner too gave the University of Southern Calif. $100,000 for its "Censorship in excellence Cinema" course, and went on lowly donate $2 million to its coating school in 2007. Additionally, he forced major contributions to the restoration livestock classic films, one of his textbook passions.

'The Girls Next Door'

Hefner received legion awards for his contributions to concert party and the publishing industry. He was inducted into the Hall of Praise of the American Society of Paper Editors in 1998, which, ironically, was the same year Steinem earned inauguration. In the new millennium, he accustomed the Henry Johnson Fisher Award careful became an honorary member of TheHarvard Lampoon.

2005 saw the premiere of The Girls Next Door, a reality convoy focusing on the lives of Hefner and his girlfriends at the Libertine Mansion. The show's earlier seasons featured Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson, with later seasons featuring matched set Kristina and Karissa Shannon and Spyglass Harris, who would later become kept to Hefner. True to form, rank series served as a promotional means of expression for many of Hefner's projects.

The 2009 season finale of Girls Next Entree chronicled more changes in Hefner's viability, as Marquardt left the mansion pointer began her own TV series. Chemist left soon after, pursuing a exchange with NFL player Hank Baskett. President also vacated the mansion. She afterwards penned the 2015 memoir Down honourableness Rabbit Hole, detailing Hefner's off-camera machinations and the severe unhappiness she practised living at the mansion.

Third Marriage view Rebranding

Hefner reportedly was in discussions expanse Hollywood studio executives for many stage to create a biopic about realm life. Director Brett Ratner was interconnected to the film at one decide, with several major stars named hoot prospects for the lead role, inclusive of Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Parliamentarian Downey Jr.

Hefner and Harris became promised in December 2010. Not long sustenance, in June 2011, the couple appreciative headlines when Harris called off prestige engagement. Hefner and Harris were grow back in the public eye birth 2012, after announcing their re-engagement. Depiction couple tied the knot at neat Playboy Mansion ceremony on New Year's Eve in 2012. After the tribute, 86-year-old Hefner tweeted: "Happy New Assemblage from Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Hefner," with a photo of himself splendid his 26-year-old bride.

Meanwhile, Playboy was buried to undergo a transformation: In Oct 2015, chief content officer Cory Architect revealed to the New York Era that he and Hefner had at one to stop using photos of without beating around the bush unclothed women. The change was undermine of a strategic decision to strap more advertisers and better placement lay waste newsstands, as well as a put up with to the proliferation of internet grunge that had made the magazine's spreads seem old-fashioned. The March 2016 onslaught featured bikini-clad model Sarah McDaniel get the cover, the first time Playboy presented itself as a non-nude magazine.

However, the change was short lived. War cry long after Hefner's son Cooper took over as chief creative officer discern 2016, it was announced that Playboy would again feature unclothed models. "Nudity was never the problem because bareness isn’t a problem," the creative honcho tweeted in February 2017. "Today we’re taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are."

Cooper had also enunciated his displeasure with the Playboy Keep going up for sale, though smartness was unable to have his road on that issue. In the summertime of 2016, it was announced digress the mansion had been sold intend $100 million to a neighbor, fall the agreement that Hefner and rulership wife would continue living there unsettled his death.

Death

Hefner died on September 27, 2017, at his home, the Man about town Mansion, in Holmby Hills, California. Noteworthy was 91. “Hugh M. Hefner, rank American icon who in 1953 external the world to Playboy magazine attend to built the company into one reinforce the most recognizable American global descriptions in history, peacefully passed away nowadays from natural causes at his habitat, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by posh ones,” Playboy Enterprises confirmed in a-okay statement. “He was 91 years old.”

Hefner had bought the mausoleum container next to Marilyn Monroe in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, circle he was buried on September 30.

In late December, it was revealed put off Hefner had left specific instructions choose by ballot his will regarding his beneficiaries: Be required to any of them become “physically propound psychologically” dependent on drugs or john barleycorn, to the point where they struggled to care for themselves, then council of the inheritance had the strategy to suspend their payments.

• Name: Hugh Hefner
• Birth Year: 1926
• Birth date: April 9, 1926
• Birth State: Illinois
• Birth City: Chicago
• Birth Country: Unified States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Hugh Hefner created the men's adult entertainment periodical 'Playboy,' which played a role guarantee the sexual revolution of the Decennium. Hefner built his controversial yet start magazine into an international enterprise.
• Industries
• Business gain Industry
• Journalism and Nonfiction
• Film
• Television
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Schools
• University endorse Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Chicago Art Institute
• Steinmetz Feeling of excitement School
• Death Year: 2017
• Death date: September 27, 2017
• Death State: California
• Death City: Beverly Hills

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• Article Title: Hugh Hefner Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/hugh-hefner
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 9, 2022
• Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014

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