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Hugh Hefner

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:

Hugh Marston Hefner

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Hugh Hefner
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(born April 9, 1926, Chicago, Ill., U.S.) U.S. magazine publisher and entrepreneur. After serving in the U.S. Army (194446), he attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 1949. In 1953 he founded Playboy, a magazine for men. Playboy's intellectually respectable articles and its forthright philosophy of hedonism made it a seminal influence on the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Hefner later expanded his enterprise into nightclubs and other entertainment media.

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Gale Encyclopedia of Biography:

Hugh Hefner

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Hugh Hefner (born 1926), founder and publisher of "Playboy" magazine, helped usher in a new era of openness in American Culture.

When Playboy first hit the newsstands in 1953, it represented a new openness about sexuality that was beginning to influence American life. The magazine, which was the brainchild of a would-be cartoonist from Chicago named Hugh Hefner, was originally to be called "Stag Party," but Hefner, who wanted to suggest sophistication as well as high living and wild parties, eventually settled on Playboy. Hefner hoped to make his magazine the equal of others that featured female nudity as well as articles, such as Esquire, for which Hefner had also worked and which had recently stopped featuring suggestive photography.

Marilyn Monroe

Playboy was an instant sensation, mainly because Hefner had shrewdly purchased a nude photograph of actress Marilyn Monroe; it had been taken before her success in Hollywood, and Hefner used it as the centerfold of his first issue. Monroe was a star by the time the magazine was published, and the first issue sold out quickly. That issue included an editorial by Hefner that espoused the Playboy philosophy that was to become familiar over the years:

We like our apartment. We enjoy mixing up cocktails and an hors d'oeuvre or two, putting a little mood music on the phonograph and inviting in a female acquaintance for a quiet discussion on Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, sex. … If we are able to give the American male a few extra laughs and a little diversion from the anxieties of the Atomic Age, we'll feel we've justified our existence.

Trappings of Success

The immediate success of the magazine prompted Hefner to establish a proper office and staff for the magazine, and as of the fourth issue the Playboy empire was officially under way. Hefner's devotion to the magazine in its early years precipitated the breakup of his marriage: Hefner and his wife Millie were separated in 1957 and divorced in 1959. As he and his wife became increasingly estranged, Hefner and his associates began to embody the life-style about which they wrote, having almost weekly parties at the Playboy editorial offices. When the success of the magazine came to the attention of the mainstream public, Hefner was happy to portray himself as the playboy his magazine described. In 1959 he even hosted the television series "Playboy's Penthouse," a weekly talk show set in a bachelor pad, featuring plenty of the magazine's "playmates" and celebrities such as comedian Lenny Bruce and singers Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole.

Pursuit of Pleasure

For Hefner, his magazine and image were responses to the new mood of the country. He felt that the puritan ethic was eroding and that the pursuit of pleasure and material gain was the way of life for many Americans. As Hefner has been quoted, "If you had to sum up the idea of Playboy, it is antipuritanism. Not just in regard to sex, but the whole range of play and pleasure." For many the Playboy philosophy proved to be a welcome antidote from the repressive atmosphere of the 1950s. Over the years it has continued to have its followers, and Hefner's small magazine for men has become an empire extending well beyond magazine publishing.

New Directions

In the 1990s, the glamorous life-style at the Playboy Mansion began to change. After suffering a minor stroke in 1985, Hefner reevaluated his life and made several dramatic modifications to his life-style. Gone were the all-night pool-side parties, replaced with more restrained celebrations, and in 1988, Hefner turned over the business operations of Playboy Enterprises to his daughter Christie, one of two children he had with his first wife. After a second marriage to a former Playmate of the Year produced two sons, Hefner continued to enjoy his new role as a husband and father.

He also decided to focus on electronic communication, particularly the Internet, to promote his magazine. In 1996 Hefner told Associated Press writer Jeff Wilson, "We're extremely popular on the Internet and are going to be launching a pay site. You can actually get an electronic version of the magazine and go through archival things. We are also launching a Playmate fan club in which you can get information, download images and communicate with Playmates from all through the decades." But as a parent himself, Hefner believes that parents should be empowered with a device to block their children from viewing certain Internet features.

Columbia Encyclopedia:

Hugh Marston Hefner

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Hefner, Hugh Marston, 1926-, American publisher and businessman, b. Chicago. Raised according to strict Methodist principles, Hefner reacted by launching (1953) Playboy, a magazine for men that features photographs of nude women, advice on hedonistic living, stories and articles by well-known writers, and high-quality interviews. The magazine was successful internationally in the 1960s and 70s, and it spawned related businesses, such as nightclubs, hotels, and casinos. By 1986, however, most of these divisions had failed. Hefner's daughter Christie has been chief executive of Playboy Enterprises since 1988.

Bibliography

See E. Fraterrigo, Playboy and the Making of the Good Life in Modern America (2009).

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Hugh Hefner

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Hugh Hefner

Hugh Hefner attending Glamourcon #50, Long Beach, CA on November 13, 2010
Born Hugh Marston Hefner
(1926-04-09) April 9, 1926 (age 86)
Chicago, Illinois
Residence Playboy Mansion, Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Education Steinmetz High School
Alma mater University of Illinois (B.A.)
Northwestern University
Known for Editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises
Home town Chicago, Illinois
Political party Independent
Board member of Playboy Enterprises
Spouse Mildred Williams
(m.1949–1959; divorced)
Kimberley Conrad
(m.1989–2010; divorced)
Partner Barbi Benton
(1969–1976)
Brande Roderick
(2000–2001)
Tina Marie Jordan
(2001–2002)
Holly Madison
(2003–2008)
Crystal Harris
(2009–2011)
Children Christie Hefner (born 1952)
David Hefner (born 1955)
Marston Hefner (born 1990)
Cooper Hefner (born 1991)
Website
Playboy.com

Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner (born April 9, 1926) is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.[1]

Contents

Early life

Hefner was born in Chicago, Illinois, the elder of two sons born to Grace Caroline (née Swanson; 1895–1997) and Glenn Lucius Hefner (1896–1976), both teachers.[2][3] Hefner's mother was of Swedish descent and his father had German and English ancestry.[4][5] On his father's side, Hefner is a direct descendant of Plymouth governor William Bradford.[6][7] He has described his family as "conservative, Midwest, Methodist."[8] He went to Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High School, then served as a writer for a military newspaper in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946. He later graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a B.A. in psychology with a double minor in creative writing and art in 1949, earning his degree in two and a half years. After graduation, he took a semester of graduate courses in sociology at Northwestern University but dropped out soon after.[9]

Career

Working as a copywriter for Esquire, he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. In 1953, he mortgaged his furniture, generating a bank loan of $600 (or $800 — he cannot recall which) and raised $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, which was initially going to be called Stag Party. The undated first issue, published in December 1953, featured Marilyn Monroe from her 1949 nude calendar shoot and sold over 50,000 copies.[10] (Hefner, who never met Monroe, bought the crypt next to hers at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.[11][12])

After it was rejected by Esquire magazine in 1955, Hefner agreed to publish in Playboy the Charles Beaumont science fiction short story, "The Crooked Man", about straight men being persecuted in a world where homosexuality was the norm. After receiving angry letters to the magazine, Hefner wrote a response to criticism where he said, "If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society then the reverse was wrong, too."

On June 4, 1963, Hefner was arrested for selling obscene literature after an issue of Playboy featuring nude shots of Jayne Mansfield was released.[citation needed] A jury was unable to reach a verdict.[13]

His former secretary, Bobbie Arnstein, was found dead in a Chicago hotel room after an overdose of drugs in January 1975. Hefner called a press conference to allege that she had been driven to suicide by narcotics agents and federal officers. Hefner further claimed the government was out to get him because of Playboy's philosophy and its advocacy of more liberal drug laws.[14][15]

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television and has made several movie appearances as himself. In 2009, he received a "worst supporting actor" nomination for a Razzie award for his performance in Miss March.

A documentary by Brigitte Berman, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, was released on July 30, 2010. He had previously granted full access to documentary filmmaker and television producer Kevin Burns for the A&E Biography special Hugh Hefner: American Playboy in 1996.[16]

Hefner and Burns later collaborated on numerous other television projects, most notably on The Girls Next Door, a reality series that ran for six seasons (2005–2009) and 90 episodes.

In 1999, Hefner financed the Clara Bow documentary, Discovering the It Girl. "Nobody has what Clara had. She defined an era and made her mark on the nation," he stated.[17]

Personal life

Hefner married Northwestern University student Mildred Williams (born March 10, 1926) in 1949. They had two children, Christie (born November 8, 1952) and David (born August 30, 1955).[18] Before the wedding, Mildred confessed that she had had an affair while he was away in the Army. He called the admission "the most devastating moment of my life." A 2006 E! True Hollywood Story profile of Hefner revealed that Mildred allowed him to sleep with other women, out of guilt for her infidelity and in the hopes that it would preserve their marriage. They divorced in 1959.[citation needed]

Hefner remade himself as a bon viveur and man about town, a lifestyle he promoted in his magazine and two TV shows he hosted, Playboy's Penthouse (1959–1960) and Playboy After Dark (1969–1970). He admitted to being "'involved' with maybe eleven out of twelve months' worth of Playmates" during some of these years.[19] Donna Michelle, Marilyn Cole, Lillian Müller, Shannon Tweed, Brande Roderick, Barbi Benton, Karen Christy, Sondra Theodore, and Carrie Leigh — who filed a $35 million palimony suit against him — were a few of his many lovers. In 1971, he acknowledged that he experimented in bisexuality.[20] He moved from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Hefner had a minor stroke in 1985 at age 59. After re-evaluating his lifestyle, he made several changes. The wild, all-night parties were toned down significantly and in 1988, daughter Christie began to run the Playboy empire. The following year, he married Playmate of the Year Kimberley Conrad. The couple had two sons, Marston Glenn (born April 9, 1990) and Cooper Bradford (born September 4, 1991).[21] The E! True Hollywood Story profile noted that the notorious Playboy Mansion had been transformed into a family-friendly homestead. After he and Conrad separated in 1998, Conrad moved into a house next door to the mansion.

Hefner then began to move an ever-changing coterie of young women into the mansion, even dating up to seven girls at once, among them, Brande Roderick, Izabella St. James, Tina Marie Jordan, Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson. The reality television series The Girls Next Door depicted the lives of Madison, Wilkinson and Marquardt at the Playboy Mansion.[22] In October 2008, all three girls made the choice to leave the mansion. Hefner was quick to rebound and soon began dating his new "Number One" girlfriend, Crystal Harris,[23] along with 20-year-old identical twin and models Kristina and Karissa Shannon.[24] The relationship with the twins ended in January 2010.[25] After an 11-year separation, Hefner filed for divorce from Conrad stating irreconcilable differences.[26] Hefner has said that he only remained married to her for the sake of his children,[27] and his youngest child had just turned 18.[21] The divorce was finalized in March 2010.[28] On December 24, 2010, Hefner presented an engagement ring to Crystal Harris, publicly announcing the proposal the following day.[11] Hefner and Harris had planned to marry June 18, 2011.[29][30] Harris called off the wedding just 5 days before they were due to be wed.[31]

Politics and philanthropy

The Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award was created by Christie Hefner "to honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the vital effort to protect and enhance First Amendment rights for Americans."[32]

He has donated and raised money for the Democratic Party.[33] However, he has more recently referred to himself as an Independent due to disillusionment with both the Democratic and Republican Parties.[34]

In 1978, Hefner helped organize fund-raising efforts that led to the restoration of the Hollywood Sign. He hosted a gala fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion and personally contributed $27,000 (or 1/9 of the total restoration costs) by purchasing the letter Y in a ceremonial auction.[35][36]

Hefner donated $100,000 to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts to create a course called "Censorship in Cinema," and $2 million to endow a chair for the study of American film.[37]

Both through his charitable foundation and individually, Hefner also contributes to charities outside the sphere of politics and publishing, throwing fundraiser events for Much Love Animal Rescue as well as Generation Rescue,[38] a controversial autism campaign organization supported by Jenny McCarthy.

On April 26, 2010, Hefner donated the last $900,000 sought by a conservation group for a land purchase needed to stop the development of the famed vista of the Hollywood Sign.[35]

Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, an endangered species of Marsh rabbit, is named after him in honor of financial support that he provided.[39][40]

References

  1. ^ Corporate Officers. Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
  2. ^ "Mr Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream". Steven Watts. Google Books. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  3. ^ Algis Valiunas, "The Playboy and His Western World". May 2010.
  4. ^ Mullen, William (August 8, 1984). "Hef". Spokane Chronicle. http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=MMUSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qPkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5884,1491659&dq=william-mullen&hl=en. Retrieved July 23, 2010. 
  5. ^ Roberts, Gary Boyd. "#58 Royal Descents, Notable Kin, and Printed Sources". New England Ancestors. http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_gbr58.asp. Retrieved July 23, 2010. 
  6. ^ "Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner tells how he created an identity in order to fulfill his dreams". Time. October 2, 2005. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112823,00.html. 
  7. ^ Quintanilla, Michael (February 5, 1999). "STYLEMAKER / Hugh Hefner. The king of swingers reenters the singles scene.; Pajama Party". http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/38763405.html?dids=38763405:38763405&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+05%2C+1999&author=MICHAEL+QUINTANILLA&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=STYLEMAKER+%2F+Hugh+Hefner.+The+king+of+swingers+reenters+the+singles+scene.%3B+Pajama+Party&pqatl=google. 
  8. ^ Hugh Hefner On His Role In Fighting Segregation. Jezebel.com (2010-07-23). Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  9. ^ Hugh M. Hefner Playboy Enterprises. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  10. ^ Hugh Hefner: The Ultimate Lifestyle Entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs.about.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  11. ^ a b Charles McGrath (February 3, 2011). "How Hef Got His Groove Back". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/magazine/06Hefner-t.html. 
  12. ^ Westwood Village Memorial Cemetery. Seeing-Stars.com.
  13. ^ Hugh Hefner Biography. biography.com.
  14. ^ David Cotner (October 2, 2008). "The life and times of an alpha male". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/02/entertainment/et-book2. Retrieved January 17, 2009. 
  15. ^ Roger Ebert (October 23, 1992). "Hugh Hefner: Once upon a time". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19921023/REVIEWS/210230302/1023. Retrieved January 17, 2009. 
  16. ^ Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel. Hughhefnerplayboyactivistrebel.com (2010-12-07). Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  17. ^ Variety, June 7, 1999
  18. ^ Playboy Time Line. playboy.com
  19. ^ Acocella, Joan "The Girls Next Door", The New Yorker, March 20, 2006
  20. ^ "Faces of the week". BBC News. May 26, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5020806.stm. 
  21. ^ a b Cooper Hefner. TV.com
  22. ^ A New Boy for Former 'Girl Next Door'. BuddyTV.com. February 10, 2009
  23. ^ Korin Miller Meet Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's other girlfriend, Crystal Harris. NYdailynews. January 5, 2009
  24. ^ Party's over for Playboy king Hugh Hefner, The Age October 18, 2008. Accessed October 30, 2008
  25. ^ Strip Scribbles: What’s next for Hef after divorce, Shannon twins?. Lasvegassun.com (2010-02-15). Retrieved on 2012-05-03.
  26. ^ "Hugh Hefner Finally Files for Divorce". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20303278,00.html. Retrieved September 9, 2009. 
  27. ^ "Hugh Hefner files for divorce from wife". Reuters. September 9, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE58874L20090909. Retrieved September 9, 2009. 
  28. ^ "Hefner's divorce finalised in March". www.express.co.uk. February 10, 2010. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/157359/Hefner-s-divorce-finalised-in-March. Retrieved November 16, 2010. 
  29. ^ "Reuters: Hugh Hefner Acknowledges Engagement on Twitter". December 26, 2010. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BP0EO20101226. Retrieved December 26, 2010. 
  30. ^ Hugh Hefner Gets Engaged During Philadelphia Blizzard on MusicMonday. December 27, 2010.
  31. ^ "Hugh Hefner's Fiancée Calls Off Wedding—Just Five Days Out!". June 14, 2011. http://uk.eonline.com/uberblog/b247178_hugh_hefners_fianceacutee_calls_off.html?cmpid=sn-000000-twitterfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=twitterfeed&utm_campaign=twitterfeed_topstories&dlvrit=48939. Retrieved June 14, 2011. 
  32. ^ Playboy Enterprises, Inc., "Playboy Foundation – Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards". Accessed 12 July 2011.
  33. ^ Hugh Hefner's Federal Campaign Contribution Report. NewsMeat.com.
  34. ^ [1] Twitter.
  35. ^ a b "Hugh Hefner saves iconic Hollywood sign". London: Times Online. April 27, 2010. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article7109871.ece. Retrieved December 26, 2010. 
  36. ^ "The History of the Sign: 1978: A Sign is Reborn". Hollywood Sign. http://www.hollywoodsign.org/history-10.html. Retrieved December 26, 2010. 
  37. ^ AP.Google.com, Hefner Gives $2M to USC Film School Associated Press, November 16, 2007.[dead link]
  38. ^ "Hugh Hefner & Jenny McCarthy Fund Autism Research". Celebrity Halo. October 2008. http://celebrityhalo.blogspot.com/2008/10/hugh-hefner-jenny-mccarthy-fund-autism.html. Retrieved December 29, 2008. 
  39. ^ "My True Love Gave To Me … A Bat Species!". CBS News. 11 February 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/09/tech/main4657330.shtml. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 
  40. ^ "Lower Keys Rabbit". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/MSRPPDFs/LowerKeysRabbit.pdf. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 

Further reading

  • Watts, Steven (2008). Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-69059-7.
  • Miller, Russell (1985). Bunny: The Real Story of Playboy. London: Corgi. ISBN 0-03-063748-1.
  • St. James, Izabella (2006). Bunny Tales: Behind Closed Doors at the Playboy Mansion. Philadelphia: Running Press. ISBN 0-7624-2739-6
  • Hefner, Veronika and Jurij Toplak (2009). Hefner, Hugh. In: Vile, John R., Hudson, David L., and Schultz, David Andrew (Eds.). Encyclopedia of the First Amendment. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, p. 564.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hugh Hefner
Key people
Christie Hefner (former Chairman and CEO) · Hugh Hefner (Editor-in-Chief, CCO and Founder)
Business
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Miscellaneous
Annual Revenue: decrease $215 million USD (FY 2010) · Employees: 547 (full time) · Stock Symbol: NYSE: PLA, PLAA · Website: PlayboyEnterprises.com

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