Hugh Hefner
Hefner in 1979
Born	April 9, 1926 (1926-04-09) (age 82) Chicago, Illinois
Occupation	Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises, Editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine
Spouse	Mildred Williams (1949–1959) Kimberley Conrad (1989-separated in 1999)
Children	Christie Hefner (b. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. A creative director is a position usually found within the Advertising, media or entertainment industries but may be useful in other creative organizations Playboy Enterprises Inc ( also organized as New Playboy Inc ( is the company founded by Hugh Marston Hefner to manage the Playboy magazine empire Editing Language, Images or Sound through correction condensation organization and other modifications in various media Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally Kimberley Conrad (born August 6 1962 is an American model and actress. Christie Ann Hefner, CEO (born November 8, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois) is the Chairman and Chief executive officer 1952) David Hefner (b. 1955) Marston Hefner (b. 1990) Cooper Hefner (b. 1991)
Website www.playboyenterprises.com

Hugh Marston Hefner (born April 9, 1926) is an American magazine publisher best known as the founder, majority owner,^[1] and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Playboy Enterprises Inc ( also organized as New Playboy Inc ( is the company founded by Hugh Marston Hefner to manage the Playboy magazine empire ^[2]

Early life

Hefner was born in Chicago, the son of Grace Caroline (née Swanson) and Glenn Lucius Hefner. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. He went to Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High School in Chicago, then served in the U.S. Army during the closing months of World War II. Charles P Steinmetz Academic Centre, also known as Steinmetz High School, is a public high school serving students in the northwest side of Chicago, Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Hefner graduated from the University of Illinois in 1949 with a major in psychology and a double minor in creative writing and art. This article is about the flagship campus For other uses and locations of University of Illinois, see University of Illinois (disambiguation The University of He explains that some of the ideas for the Playboy magazine came to him while he was a student there. Despite spending less than three years in college before graduating, Hefner found time to edit the magazine Shaft and sold cartoons to magazines. The word cartoon has various meanings based on several very different forms of Visual art and Illustration. His first salaried job was with a firm that produced and printed cardboard cartons. In 1949 Hefner also completed a semester of graduate courses in sociology studies at Northwestern University, where he wrote a term paper examining U. S. sex laws in light of the newly published Kinsey Institute research on male human sexuality. The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex Gender and Reproduction, often shortened to The Kinsey Institute, exists "to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship ^[3]

After serving in the subscription department and as a copywriter for Esquire, he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. Copywriting is the use of words to promote a Person, Business, Opinion, or Idea. Esquire is a Men's magazine by the Hearst Corporation with a strong literary tradition He worked at Children's Activities, then took his biggest gamble in 1953 by lending his furniture for $600 and raising $8,000 from 45 investors -- including $1,000 from his mother ("Not because she believed in the venture," he told E! in 2006, "but because she believed in her son") -- to launch Playboy. E! Entertainment Television (or simply E!) is an American Cable television and Direct broadcast satellite network The undated first issue was published in December, 1953 and featured Marilyn Monroe on the cover, as well as in nude photographs inside. Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson, June 1 1926 &ndash August 5 1962 baptized Norma In a possible homage to this fact, Hefner owns the crypt in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California, beside that of Monroe. The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. Westwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States. ^[4]

Private life

Hefner married fellow Northwestern student Mildred Williams^[3] on June 25, 1949, and had two children, Christie and David Paul (b. Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Christie Ann Hefner, CEO (born November 8, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois) is the Chairman and Chief executive officer 30 August 1955). Christie is Chairperson of Playboy Enterprises. Playboy Enterprises Inc ( also organized as New Playboy Inc ( is the company founded by Hugh Marston Hefner to manage the Playboy magazine empire Before their wedding, Mildred told Hefner that she had had an affair; he has called the admission "the most devastating moment of [his] life. " A 2006 E! THS profile of Hefner revealed she allowed him to have sex with other women, out of guilt for her infidelity and the hopes that it would preserve their failing marriage. E! True Hollywood Story is a TV documentary series on the E! Entertainment Television cable and DBS channel that deals with famous Mildred and Hugh divorced after ten years of marriage in 1959.

After his first marriage, Hefner's self-promoted public persona became that of womanizer and party animal. Promiscuity refers to sexual behavior of a man or woman who casually has sex with many partners He has said that during some years, he was "'involved' with maybe eleven out of twelve months worth of Playmates. "^[5] Hefner has had sustained relationships with Donna Michelle, Marilyn Cole, Lillian Muller, Patti McGuire, Shannon Tweed, and Brande Roderick, all of whom were chosen "Playmate of the Year. Donna Michelle (December 8 1945 Los Angeles Calif – April 9 2004 Ukiah Calif Marilyn Cole (born 7 May 1949 Portsmouth, England) was Playboy magazine's January 1972 Playmate of the Month, as well as 1973's Lillian Müller (born 19 August 1952 in Grimstad, Norway) is a Norwegian model and an actress in Motion pictures Patti McGuire (born on September 5 1951 in Dexter Missouri) is an American model and television producer Shannon Lee Tweed (born 10 March 1957 is a Canadian actress and model Brande Nicole Roderick (born June 13 1974 in Novato California, is an American model and Actress. For the word "playmate" in the common sense see its definition in Wiktionary. " Others include Barbi Benton, Karen Christy, ex-Sunday school teacher Sondra Theodore, and actress Carrie Leigh, who filed a $35 million alimony suit against him. Barbi Benton (born January 28 1950 is an American model actress and Singer. Karen Christy (born March 11, 1951 in Abilene Texas) is an American model. Sondra Theodore (born December 12, 1956 in San Bernardino California) is an American model and actress. Alimony, maintenance or spousal support is an obligation established by Law in many countries that is based on the premise that both spouses have an absolute Benton, who dated him for 8 years, remains a fixture in Hefner's life and a regular visitor to the Playboy Mansion, which she found for him. The Playboy Mansion (also known as the Playboy Mansion West out of reference to the original Playboy Mansion that was located in Chicago at 1340 N In 1971, Hefner has acknowledged, he experimented in bisexuality. ^[6]

On July 1, 1989, he ended a 30-year run as a bachelor and married Kimberley Conrad, that year's Playboy Playmate of the Year. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) A bachelor is a man above the Age of majority who has never been married (see single) Kimberley Conrad (born August 6 1962 is an American model and actress. For the word "playmate" in the common sense see its definition in Wiktionary. They separated in 1999, though have yet to divorce. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage.

After his separation from Conrad, Hefner began living with an ever-changing coterie of women, ranging in age from 18 to 28. He told Vanity Fair: "And here's the surprise bit—it's what they want!" Soon, Hefner assembled another coterie of girlfriends, notably Brande Roderick. Vanity Fair is an American magazine of Culture, Fashion, and Politics published by Condé Nast Publications. Brande Nicole Roderick (born June 13 1974 in Novato California, is an American model and Actress. In 2000 she left to take a role in popular series Baywatch. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Baywatch was an American Television series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the crowded Beaches of Later, Tina Marie Jordan became Hefner's "primary" girlfriend, and he quickly selected more young blondes for a changing posse of usually seven, one of whom was Holly Madison who joined in 2001. Tina Marie Jordan (born August 21, 1972) is an American Glamour model and Actress. Holly Madison (born December 23 1979 is an American glamour model and Television personality, best known for appearing as Hugh Hefner 's Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Shortly after Playboy's 50th anniversary, five of the girlfriends, including Izabella St. James, left, leaving Holly and Bridget Marquardt to tend to Hefner. Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy Izabella St James (born Izabella Katarina Kasprzyk on September 25, 1975 in Kraków, Poland) is a writer actress and a former girlfriend of Bridget Christina Sandmeier (born September 25 1973 better known as Bridget Marquardt, is an American Television personality, Glamor model

Hefner celebrating his 80th birthday with Kendra and Bridget in Munich, April 2006.

In 2004 Kendra Wilkinson (also blonde, aged 18) was asked to move into the Mansion to become girlfriend number 3. Kendra Leigh Wilkinson (born June 12 1985 in San Diego, California) is an American Television personality and Glamour model. The 2005-07 E! reality television series The Girls Next Door follows these three girlfriends, Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson in their life with Hef around the Mansion and on travel. Reality television is a genre of Television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations documents actual events and usually features ordinary The Girls Next Door, also known as The Girls of the Playboy Mansion, is an American Reality television series broadcast on the Holly Madison (born December 23 1979 is an American glamour model and Television personality, best known for appearing as Hugh Hefner 's Bridget Christina Sandmeier (born September 25 1973 better known as Bridget Marquardt, is an American Television personality, Glamor model Kendra Leigh Wilkinson (born June 12 1985 in San Diego, California) is an American Television personality and Glamour model.

In 2008, Hefner made news when he offered a magazine pictorial to 15 year old Miley Cyrus. Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23 1992 is an American Actress and Singer-songwriter. Hefner said she was a "pretty lady" but would have to wait until she was 18 to appear in the magazine. ^[7]

An urban legend persists about Hefner and the Playmate of the Month related to markings on the front covers of the magazine. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them For the word "playmate" in the common sense see its definition in Wiktionary. From 1955 to 1979 (except for a six month gap in 1976), the "P" in Playboy had a number of stars printed in or around the letter. The legend claims that this was either a rating that Hefner gave to the Playmate according to how attractive she was, the number of times that Hefner had slept with her, or how good she was in bed. Another rumor was that if the stars were inside the "P", Hefner had slept with the Playmate, while if they were outside, he didn't sleep with her. In reality, the stars, which ranged in number between zero and twelve, were solely used to indicate the domestic or international advertising region for that particular printing.

Hefner has donated millions of dollars to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television (CNTV is a Film school within the University of Southern California In 1992, he gave USD $100,000 to create a course, Censorship in Cinema; in 1995 he donated $1. 5 million to endow the Hugh M. Hefner Chair for the Study of American Film; and in 2007 he donated $2 million for a central exhibition space in the school's new headquarters complex. ^[8]

Hefner has 4 children: Christie Hefner (born November 8, 1952) and David Hefner (born August 30, 1955) with Mildred Williams, and Marston Hefner (born 9 April 1990) and Cooper Hefner (born 4 September 1991) with Kimberley Conrad. Christie Ann Hefner, CEO (born November 8, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois) is the Chairman and Chief executive officer Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Kimberley Conrad (born August 6 1962 is an American model and actress.

Politics

Hefner has always espoused a shared liberal/libertarian stance in his editorials and in his life. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the On June 4, 1963, Hefner was arrested for selling obscene literature after an issue of Playboy featuring nude shots of actress Jayne Mansfield was released. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Jayne Mansfield (April 19 1933 – June 29 1967 was an American actress working both on Broadway and in Hollywood. Six months later, a jury was unable to reach a verdict.

His former secretary, Bobbie Arnstein, was found dead in a Chicago hotel room at the age of 34 after an overdose of drugs in January 1975. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Hefner called a press conference to allege that she had been driven to suicide by narcotics agents and federal officers. Hefner, whose mansions in Chicago and Beverly Hills had come under the scrutiny of federal agents because of alleged drugs parties, claimed the Government was out to get him because of Playboy's philosophy and its advocacy of more liberal drug laws. Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy Incidentally, Hefner insists to this day that no illegal drugs are allowed on the grounds of any of his mansions, and has stated that anyone found to have brought illegal drugs onto the grounds, or used them while on the grounds, is subjected to immediate and permanent expulsion from the Playboy Mansions. ^[9]

The Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards were created by daughter Christie in 1979 "to honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the vital effort to protect and enhance First Amendment rights for Americans. The Hugh M Hefner First Amendment Awards are given to people who a panel of judges believes have made significant contributions to the protection and enhancement of the rights enshrined Christie Ann Hefner, CEO (born November 8, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois) is the Chairman and Chief executive officer "

Hefner and his family have donated and raised great amounts of money for the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ^[10]

Health

Hefner suffered a mild stroke in 1985. A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions due to a disturbance in the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain ^[11]

Hefner in pop culture

• Has a subspecies of Cottontail rabbit named in his honor (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri).
• He is the sponsor for the letter 'Y' in the famous Hollywood Sign in Hollywood. The Hollywood Sign is a famous Landmark in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles California, spelling out the name of the area in high white letters In 1978 he also threw a 'Playboy Party' at the mansion in order to raise money for the renovation of the sign.
• He has made numerous cameo appearances in film, including Beverly Hills Cop II and Mel Brooks's film History of the World, Part I. Beverly Hills Cop II is a 1987 action-comedy Film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Tony Scott. Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American director, Writer, Composer, Lyricist History of the World Part I is a 1981 Film written produced and directed by Mel Brooks. He has also made guest appearances on the television series The Bernie Mac Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Family Guy, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Saturday Night Live, Sex and the City, and The Simpsons. The Bernie Mac Show is a half-hour American sitcom featuring the antics of late comedian Bernie Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American Sitcom starring Seinfeld writer co-creator and executive producer Larry David as himself and Entourage is an Emmy Award -winning HBO original series created by Doug Ellin that chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase — a Family Guy is an animated American television sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane that airs on Fox and regularly on other The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an award winning American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10 1990 to May 20 1996 Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Sex and the City was an American Cable television program The original run of the show was broadcast on HBO from 1998 until 2004 for a He also appeared in the Weezer music video "Beverly Hills," which was filmed at the Playboy Mansion. Weezer (ˈwizɚ is an American Alternative rock band from Los Angeles California formed in 1992 " Beverly Hills " is the first single from Weezer's fifth album Make Believe.
• Hefner makes regular appearances on his girlfriends' reality TV show The Girls Next Door, which is filmed at the Playboy Mansion. The Girls Next Door, also known as The Girls of the Playboy Mansion, is an American Reality television series broadcast on the The Playboy Mansion (also known as the Playboy Mansion West out of reference to the original Playboy Mansion that was located in Chicago at 1340 N
• Hefner was parodied by Stan Lee in the 2008 film Iron Man. Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Iron Man is a 2008 Superhero film

References

Further reading

• Miller, Russell (1985). Russell Miller is an award-winning British journalist and author of fifteen books Bunny: The Real Story of Playboy. London: Corgi. ISBN 0-03-063748-1.

External links

• Profile of Hefner from Playboy Enterprises corporate site
• Hugh M. Hefner at the Internet Movie Database
• Hugh Hefner: The Ultimate Lifestyle Entrepreneur (About.com Entrepreneurs
• "Brilliant Careers: Hugh Hefner" (Salon.com, December 28, 1999)
• World Wrestling Entertainment interviews Hugh Hefner (March 14,2007)