Barbi Benton

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Barbi Benton (born January 28, 1950 as Barbara Klein).^[1] is an American model, actress and singer. She became famous for being the girlfriend of Playboy founder and publisher Hugh Hefner. She was featured on the Playboy cover several times.

Early life

Benton was born January 28, 1950 in New York City, New York. 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.

Shortly after meeting Hefner, at his suggestion, she changed her name to Barbi Benton.

Benton was Hefner's girlfriend and lived with him from 1969-1976. She also became a recording artist, a Las Vegas performer and a movie actress, with credits including Deathstalker, The Naughty Cheerleader and Hospital Massacre.

Besides the Hefner connection, Benton is best known for her years as a regular on the country music series Hee Haw, appearing in comic skits with other cast members. 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.

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.

Family

Benton married George Gradow, a successful real estate developer on October 14, 1979.^[1] The couple have two children, Alexander Benton Gradow (born August 23, 1986) and a daughter, Ariana (born 1988). For many years, they split their time between their homes in Aspen, Colorado and Los Angeles. 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).^[2]

Discography

Albums

Singles

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.
• Doug Henning's World of Magic V (TV 1980), as herself, acting as an assistant in the "sawing a woman in half" illusion.
• 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).
• The Girls Next Door (TV, 2008), as herself in "Kickin' Aspen"
• The Girls Next Door (TV, 2009), as herself in "The Wheel World"

Theater appearances

• I love my life (1982). The semi-autobiographical play was held January 1982 at the La Mirada Civic Theatre in California.^{[citation needed]}. It closed after a handful of performances.

References

External links

• Barbi Benton at the Internet Movie Database