Hugh Hefner
{{Pp-pc}}{{Short description|American magazine publisher (1926–2017)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = Hugh Hefner Glamourcon 2010.jpg
| caption = Hefner in 2010
| birth_name = Hugh Marston Hefner
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|04|09}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|09|27|1926|04|09}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting_place = Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/news/2017/09/28/hugh-hefner-buried-marilyn-monroe/ |title=Hugh Hefner will be buried next to first Playboy cover star Marilyn Monroe: He made the purchase back in 1992 |date=September 28, 2017 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-date=February 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214170541/https://ew.com/news/2017/09/28/hugh-hefner-buried-marilyn-monroe/ |url-status=dead }}
| other_names = Hef
| alma_mater = University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (BA)
Northwestern University (dropped out)
| occupation = {{hlist|Businessman|magazine publisher}}
| title = Editor-in-chief of Playboy
Chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises
| years_active = 1953–2017
| spouses = {{ubl|{{marriage|Mildred Williams|1949|1959|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|Kimberley Conrad|1989|2010|reason=divorced}}|{{marriage|Crystal Harris|2012}}}}
| partner = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|See list}}|Barbi Benton (1969–1976)||Sondra Theodore (1976–1981)|Carrie Leigh (1983–1988)|Brande Roderick (1999–2000)|Holly Madison (2001–2008)|Bridget Marquardt (2002–2009)|Izabella St. James (2002–2004)|Kendra Wilkinson (2004–2008)}}
| children = 4, including Christie and Cooper
| website =
}}
Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the Playboy brand into a world network of Playboy Clubs. He also resided in luxury mansions where Playboy Playmates shared his wild partying life, fueling media interest.
Early life and education
Hefner was born in Chicago on April 9, 1926,{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521|title=Hugh Hefner Biography|publisher=Biography.com (FYI/A&E Networks)|access-date=June 22, 2015|archive-date=May 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517230629/http://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521|url-status=live}} the first child of accountant Glenn Lucius Hefner (1896–1976) and his wife Grace Caroline (Swanson) Hefner (1895–1997) who worked as a teacher. His parents were from Nebraska.{{Cite book |last=Watts |first=Steven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m5b_eM3twmEC |title=Mr Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream |date=March 23, 2009 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-470-50137-5 |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |page=22 |language=en |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404163835/https://books.google.com/books?id=m5b_eM3twmEC |url-status=live }}Algis Valiunas, [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/the-playboy-and-his-western-world-15430 "The Playboy and His Western World"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531021809/http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/the-playboy-and-his-western-world-15430|date=May 31, 2010}} He had a younger brother named Keith (1929–2016).[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2001/03/hugh-hefner-200103 "Hugh Hefner's Roaring 70s"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108142035/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2001/03/hugh-hefner-200103 |date=January 8, 2020 }}, Vanity Fair. February 2001.Roger Ebert [https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hugh-hefner-just-a-typical-methodist-kid "Hugh Hefner: Just A Typical Methodist Kid" (1967)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226054936/https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hugh-hefner-just-a-typical-methodist-kid |date=February 26, 2020 }}; accessed July 14, 2018.{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/article/hugh-hefner-brother-keith-dies-age-87|title=Keith Hefner Dead: Hugh Hefner's Brother Dies at 87|date=April 8, 2016|publisher=People|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-date=May 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515235248/http://www.people.com/article/hugh-hefner-brother-keith-dies-age-87|url-status=live}} His mother was of Swedish ancestry, and his father was German and English.{{cite news|last=Mullen|first=William|title=Hef|work=Spokane Chronicle|date=August 8, 1984|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MMUSAAAAIBAJ&pg=5884,1491659&dq=william-mullen|access-date=July 23, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news|last=Roberts|first=Gary Boyd|title=#58 Royal Descents, Notable Kin, and Printed Sources|publisher=New England Ancestors|url=http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_gbr58.asp|access-date=July 23, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114060744/http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_gbr58.asp|archive-date=January 14, 2009}}
Hefner was a descendant of Plymouth governor William Bradford through his father's line.{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112823,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224205342/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1112823,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 24, 2007|magazine=Time|title=Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner tells how he created an identity in order to fulfill his dreams|date=October 2, 2005}}{{cite news|url=https://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|first=Michael|last=Quintanilla|title=Stylemaker/Hugh Hefner. The king of swingers reenters the singles scene|date=February 5, 1999|access-date=July 6, 2017|archive-date=July 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725093831/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|url-status=dead}} He described his family as "conservative, Midwestern, Methodist".[http://jezebel.com/5594680/hugh-hefner-on-his-role-in-fighting-segregation Hugh Hefner On His Role In Fighting Segregation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726125931/http://jezebel.com/5594680/hugh-hefner-on-his-role-in-fighting-segregation |date=July 26, 2010 }}. Jezebel.com (July 23, 2010). Retrieved on May 3, 2012. His mother had wanted him to become a missionary.{{cite news|title=Hugh Hefner dies|url=https://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21729969-founder-playboy-empire-was-91-hugh-hefner-died-september-27th|newspaper=The Economist|date=October 5, 2017|access-date=October 6, 2017|archive-date=October 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006115032/https://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21729969-founder-playboy-empire-was-91-hugh-hefner-died-september-27th|url-status=live}}
Hefner attended Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High School, then served from 1944 to 1946 as a United States Army writer for a military newspaper. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a double minor in creative writing and art, having earned his degree in two and a half years. In the spring of 1950, he took a semester of graduate courses in sociology at Northwestern University, but he dropped out soon after.[http://www.playboyenterprises.com/home/content.cfm?content=t_template&packet=00061D22-C172-1C7A-9B578304E50A011A&MmenuFlag=profile Hugh M. Hefner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902212301/http://www.playboyenterprises.com/home/content.cfm?content=t_template&packet=00061D22-C172-1C7A-9B578304E50A011A&MmenuFlag=profile |date=September 2, 2014 }} Playboy Enterprises; retrieved January 2, 2009.
Career
In January 1952, Hefner left his job as a copywriter for Esquire after he was denied a $5 raise. In 1953, he took out a mortgage loan of $600 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 first issue was published in December 1953 and featured Marilyn Monroe from a 1949 nude calendar shoot she did under a pseudonym.{{Cite web|title=Marilyn Monroe Didn't Actually Pose for the First Issue of Playboy|url=https://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-playboy-first-issue-didnt-pose|last=Witter|first=Brad|website=Biography|language=en-us|access-date=May 22, 2020|archive-date=February 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219232306/https://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-playboy-first-issue-didnt-pose|url-status=live}} That first issue sold more than 50,000 copies, but Monroe was not paid by Playboy or Hefner for the photos.[http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/famousentrepreneurs/p/hughhefner.htm Hugh Hefner: The Ultimate Lifestyle Entrepreneur] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051018200611/http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/famousentrepreneurs/p/hughhefner.htm |date=October 18, 2005 }}. Entrepreneurs.about.com. Retrieved on May 3, 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/09/28/marilyn-monroe-helped-launch-hugh-hefners-career-but-they-never-even-met/|title=Marilyn Monroe helped launch Hugh Hefner's career. But they never even met.|work=washingtonpost.com|access-date=Dec 27, 2022|archive-date=May 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527053320/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/09/28/marilyn-monroe-helped-launch-hugh-hefners-career-but-they-never-even-met/|url-status=live}} (Hefner never met Monroe, but he bought the crypt next to hers at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in 1992 for $75,000.){{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/magazine/06Hefner-t.html | title = How Hef Got His Groove Back | date = February 3, 2011 | author = Charles McGrath | work = The New York Times | access-date = February 24, 2017 | archive-date = January 25, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170125113341/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/magazine/06Hefner-t.html | url-status = live }}[http://www.seeing-stars.com/Buried2/PierceBros5.shtml Westwood Village Memorial Cemetery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929095703/http://www.seeing-stars.com/Buried2/PierceBros5.shtml |date=September 29, 2007 }}. Seeing-Stars.com.
Esquire magazine rejected Charles Beaumont's science fiction story "The Crooked Man" in 1955, so Hefner agreed to publish it in Playboy. The story highlighted straight men being persecuted in a world where homosexuality was the norm. The magazine received angry letters, so Hefner responded, "If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society then the reverse was wrong, too."[http://www.advocate.com/news/daily-news/2009/08/28/hugh-hefner-gay-rights-pioneer "Hugh Hefner, Gay Rights Pioneer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529011523/http://www.advocate.com/news/daily-news/2009/08/28/hugh-hefner-gay-rights-pioneer |date=May 29, 2012 }}, advocate.com In 1961, Hefner watched Dick Gregory perform at the Herman Roberts Show Bar in Chicago, and he hired Gregory to work at the Chicago Playboy Club. Gregory attributed the launch of his career to that night.{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/page/ct-perspec-page-dick-gregory-civil-rights-0823-story.html|title=Column: Dick Gregory understood the political power of comedy|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=August 22, 2017|access-date=September 27, 2017|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928145911/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/page/ct-perspec-page-dick-gregory-civil-rights-0823-story.html|url-status=live}}
Hefner promoted a bon vivant lifestyle in his magazine and in the television shows that he hosted, Playboy's Penthouse (1959–1960) and Playboy After Dark (1969–1970).{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521|title=Hugh Hefner|website=Biography.com|access-date=November 7, 2017|archive-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115200152/https://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521|url-status=live}} He was also the chief creative officer of Playboy Enterprises, the publishing group which operates the magazine.[http://www.playboyenterprises.com/home/content.cfm?content=t_officers&ArtTypeID=CorpOfficers&MmenuFlag=profile&SmenuFlag=sub_corp_profile_officers_o Corporate Officers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074216/http://www.playboyenterprises.com/home/content.cfm?content=t_officers&ArtTypeID=CorpOfficers&MmenuFlag=profile&SmenuFlag=sub_corp_profile_officers_o |date=September 24, 2015 }}, Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
On June 4, 1963, Hefner was arrested for promoting obscene literature after he published an issue of Playboy featuring nude shots of Jayne Mansfield in bed with a man present.{{cite book | last = Pitzulo | first = Carrie | title = Bachelors and Bunnies: The Sexual Politics of Playboy | publisher = University of Chicago Press | year = 2011 | page = [https://archive.org/details/bachelorsbunnies00pitz/page/66 66] | isbn = 978-0-226-67006-5 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/bachelorsbunnies00pitz/page/66 }} The case went to trial and resulted in a hung jury.[http://www.biography.com/articles/Hugh-Hefner-9333521?part=1 Hugh Hefner Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613035146/http://www.biography.com/articles/Hugh-Hefner-9333521?part=1 |date=June 13, 2011 }}. biography.com.
In the 1960s, Hefner created "private key" clubs that were racially diverse.{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521|title=Hugh Hefner|website=Biography|language=en-us|access-date=April 30, 2018|archive-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115200152/https://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521|url-status=live}} During the civil rights movement in 1966, Hefner sent Alex Haley to interview American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell, much to Rockwell's shock because Haley was black. Rockwell agreed to meet with Haley only after gaining assurance that he was not Jewish, although Rockwell kept a handgun on the table throughout the interview.{{cite news|last=Hearn|first=Michael Patrick|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/books/review/alex-haley-hamilton-college-autobiography-of-malcolm-x-roots.html|title=Alex Haley Taught America About Race — and a Young Man How to Write|work=The New York Times|date=December 17, 2021|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120081659/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/books/review/alex-haley-hamilton-college-autobiography-of-malcolm-x-roots.html|url-status=live}} In Roots: The Next Generations (1979), the interview was recreated with James Earl Jones as Haley and Marlon Brando as Rockwell.{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/25/archives/tv-end-of-roots-ii-delineates-60s.html|title=TV: End of 'Roots II' Delineates 60's|work=The New York Times|date=February 25, 1979|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127013509/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/25/archives/tv-end-of-roots-ii-delineates-60s.html|url-status=live}} Haley had also interviewed Malcolm X in 1963 and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1966 for the newly established 1962 "playboy interview".{{cite press release|title=American Icon and Playboy Founder, Hugh M. Hefner, Has Died|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-icon-and-playboy-founder-hugh-m-hefner-has-died-300527267.html|publisher=PR Newswire|access-date=September 28, 2017|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928032950/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-icon-and-playboy-founder-hugh-m-hefner-has-died-300527267.html|url-status=live}}
In 1970, Hefner stated that "militant feminists" are "unalterably opposed to the romantic boy-girl society that Playboy promotes" and ordered an article in his magazine against them.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/sep/28/hugh-hefner-playboy-founder-91-dark-side|title=Effusive Hugh Hefner tributes ignore Playboy founder's dark side|last=Redden|first=Molly|date=September 29, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian |language=en|access-date=September 29, 2017|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928230223/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/sep/28/hugh-hefner-playboy-founder-91-dark-side|url-status=live}}
In his later years, Hefner's star dimmed, but he remained a well-known personality, often appearing in cameo roles. In the 1993 The Simpsons episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled", Hefner voiced himself.{{cite web |date=February 17, 2012 |title="The Simpsons" guests stars over the years |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-simpsons-guests-stars-over-the-years/3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929000402/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-simpsons-guests-stars-over-the-years/3/ |archive-date=September 29, 2017 |access-date=February 20, 2018 |website=CBS News}}{{cite web |date=April 8, 2016 |title=The Original Playboy: A Timeline of the Life and Accomplishments of Hugh M. Hefner |url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/hugh-hefner-timeline |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019213026/http://www.playboy.com/articles/hugh-hefner-timeline |archive-date=October 19, 2016 |access-date=October 19, 2016}} In 1999, Hefner financed the Clara Bow documentary Discovering the It Girl. "Nobody has what Clara had," he said. "She defined an era and made her mark on the nation".Variety, June 7, 1999 Hefner guest-starred as himself in the 2000 Sex and the City episode "Sex and Another City".{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/09/28/hugh-hefner-as-himself-5-times-the-playboy-founder-made-memorable-tv-cameos/|title=Playboy on TV: 5 memorable Hugh Hefner cameos|date=September 28, 2017|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-date=December 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230140802/https://ew.com/tv/2017/09/28/hugh-hefner-as-himself-5-times-the-playboy-founder-made-memorable-tv-cameos/|url-status=live}} In 2005, he guest-starred on the HBO shows Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage. He guest-starred as himself in a 2006 episode of Seth Green's Robot Chicken on the late-night programming block Adult Swim. In the 2007 Family Guy episode "Airport '07", he voiced himself. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television and made several movie appearances as himself. In 2009, he was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his performance as himself in Miss March. On his official Twitter account, he joked about this nomination: "Maybe I didn't understand the character."{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/hughhefner/status/8637804425|title=Hugh Hefner on Twitter|access-date=October 19, 2016|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305041355/https://twitter.com/hughhefner/status/8637804425|url-status=live}}
Brigitte Berman's documentary 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.[http://www.hughhefnerplayboyactivistrebel.com/ Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115195240/http://hughhefnerplayboyactivistrebel.com/ |date=January 15, 2021 }}. Hughhefnerplayboyactivistrebel.com (December 7, 2010). Retrieved on May 3, 2012. 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/celebrity/hugh-hefner-playboy-magazine-founder-and-star-of-girls-next-door-dies-at-91/ar-AAsyeDX?li=BBnbfcL|title=Hugh Hefner, Playboy Magazine Founder and Star of Girls Next Door, Dies at 91|publisher=MSN|date=September 27, 2017|access-date=September 27, 2017|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928150228/http://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/celebrity/hugh-hefner-playboy-magazine-founder-and-star-of-girls-next-door-dies-at-91/ar-AAsyeDX?li=BBnbfcL|url-status=live}} Hefner also made a voice-only appearance as himself in the 2011 film Hop.
In 2012, Hefner announced that his youngest son Cooper would succeed him as the public face of Playboy.{{cite news | title= Playboy's Hugh Hefner and son Talk Succession | work= The Wall Street Journal | url= http://live.wsj.com/video/playboy-hugh-hefner-and-son-talk-succession/6D8B6BA4-6808-4772-AF48-68D7EF9366E6.html | date= November 29, 2012 | access-date= September 18, 2013 | archive-date= November 15, 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131115124547/http://live.wsj.com/video/playboy-hugh-hefner-and-son-talk-succession/6D8B6BA4-6808-4772-AF48-68D7EF9366E6.html | url-status= live }}
Personal life
File:Hefner 1978.jpg movie F.I.S.T. in 1978]]
File:Holly Madison 6.jpg (left) and Bridget Marquardt in 2007]]
Hefner was known to friends and family simply as "Hef".[https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/hugh-hefner-pictured-looking-frail-11264866 "Final pictures show frail Hugh Hefner on a zimmer frame at Playboy Mansion shortly before his death"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523011141/https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/hugh-hefner-pictured-looking-frail-11264866 |date=May 23, 2018 }}. Daily Mirror. He married Northwestern University student Mildred ("Millie") Williams in 1949. They had a daughter named Christie (b. 1952) and a son, David (b. 1955).[https://web.archive.org/web/20110607104438/http://www.playboy.com/worldofplayboy/hmh/timeline/pre50s-content.html Playboy Time Line]. playboy.com Before the wedding, Mildred confessed that she 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 have sex with other women, out of guilt for her own infidelity and in the hope that it would preserve their marriage. The couple divorced in 1959.[http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a42510/things-you-never-knew-about-hugh-hefner/ "12 Things You Never Knew About Hugh Hefner"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112111315/http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a42510/things-you-never-knew-about-hugh-hefner/ |date=January 12, 2016 }}. June 25, 2015. Cosmopolitan.[http://magazine.foxnews.com/celebrity/many-loves-hugh-hefner "The Many Loves of Hugh Hefner"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405214437/http://magazine.foxnews.com/celebrity/many-loves-hugh-hefner |date=April 5, 2016 }}. Fox News.
Hefner remade himself as a bon vivant and man about town, a lifestyle that he promoted in his magazine and TV shows. He admitted to being "'involved' with maybe eleven out of twelve months' worth of Playmates" during some years.Acocella, Joan [https://web.archive.org/web/20100811192831/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/03/20/060320crbo_books "The Girls Next Door"], The New Yorker, March 20, 2006 Donna Michelle, Marilyn Cole, Lillian Müller, Shannon Tweed, Barbi Benton, Karen Christy, Sondra Theodore, and Carrie Leigh were a few of his many lovers; Leigh filed a $35 million palimony suit against him.{{cite web |last1=Rapattoni |first1=Linda |title=Playboy publisher sues former live-in girlfriend |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/03/09/Playboy-publisher-sues-former-live-in-girlfriend/3628573886800/ |website=UPI |access-date=20 September 2020 |language=en |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203074648/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/03/09/Playboy-publisher-sues-former-live-in-girlfriend/3628573886800/ |url-status=live }} In 1971, he acknowledged that he experimented in bisexuality.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5020806.stm | work=BBC News | title=Faces of the week | date=May 26, 2006 | access-date=February 20, 2007 | archive-date=February 3, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203172834/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5020806.stm | url-status=live }} Also in 1971, he established a second residence in Los Angeles with the acquisition of Playboy Mansion West, and moved there permanently from Chicago in 1975.{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hugh-hefner-returns-to-halls-and-haunts-of-a-chicago-childhood|title=Hugh Hefner Returns to Halls and Haunts of a Chicago Childhood|publisher=RogerEbert.com|access-date=September 27, 2017|date=October 18, 1992|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928103510/http://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hugh-hefner-returns-to-halls-and-haunts-of-a-chicago-childhood|url-status=live}}
On March 7, 1985, Hefner had a minor stroke at age 58, whereupon he re-evaluated his lifestyle, making several changes. He toned down the wild, all-night parties, and his daughter Christie took over the operation of Playboy's commercial operations in 1988. The following year, he married Playmate of the Year Kimberley Conrad; they were 36 years apart in age. The couple had sons Marston Glenn (b. 1990) and Cooper (b. 1991).[http://www.tv.com/cooper-hefner/person/545473/summary.html Cooper Hefner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702211604/http://www.tv.com/cooper-hefner/person/545473/summary.html |date=July 2, 2010 }}. TV.com The E! True Hollywood Story profile noted that the Playboy Mansion had been transformed into a family-friendly homestead. He and Conrad separated in 1998, after which she moved into the house next door to the mansion.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-hefner-a-history-romance-216259|title=Hugh Hefner: A History of Romance|date=July 27, 2011|access-date=September 27, 2017|work=The Hollywood Reporter|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928104523/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-hefner-a-history-romance-216259|url-status=live}} Hefner filed for divorce from Conrad in 2009 after an 11-year separation, citing irreconcilable differences.{{cite news| url=https://people.com/celebrity/hugh-hefner-finally-files-for-divorce/| title=Hugh Hefner Finally Files for Divorce| work=People| access-date=September 9, 2009| archive-date=September 12, 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912032905/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20303278,00.html| url-status=live}} He stated that he only remained nominally married to her for the sake of their children,{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE58874L20090909|title=Hugh Hefner files for divorce from wife|access-date=September 9, 2009|date=September 9, 2009|work=Reuters|archive-date=September 14, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914052603/http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE58874L20090909|url-status=live}} and their youngest child had just turned 18. The divorce was finalized in 2010.
Hefner became known for moving an ever-changing coterie of young women into the Playboy Mansion, including twins Mandy and Sandy Bentley. He dated as many as seven women concurrently. He also dated Brande Roderick, Izabella St. James, Tina Marie Jordan, Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson. Madison, Wilkinson, and Marquardt appeared on The Girls Next Door depicting their lives at the Playboy Mansion. In October 2008, all three of them decided to leave the mansion.{{cite web|url=https://www.buddytv.com/a-new-boy-for-former-girl-next-door/ |title=A New Boy for Former 'Girl Next Door' |last=Gonzalez |first=Maria |website=BuddyTV.com |date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808075922/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/the-girls-next-door/a-new-boy-for-former-girl-next-26275.aspx |archive-date=August 8, 2017}}
In January 2009, Hefner began a relationship with Crystal Harris;{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/01/06/2009-01-06_meet_playboy_founder_hugh_hefners_other_.html|title=Meet Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's other girlfriend, Crystal Harris|work=Daily News|publisher=Daily News, L.P.|location=New York|first=Korin|last=Miller|date=January 5, 2009|access-date=January 11, 2016|archive-date=January 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118012638/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/01/06/2009-01-06_meet_playboy_founder_hugh_hefners_other_.html|url-status=live}} she joined the Shannon Twins after his previous "number one girlfriend" Holly Madison had ended their seven-year relationship.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/10/07/2008-10-07_girls_next_doors_holly_madison_splits_wi.html|title='Girls Next Door's' Holly Madison splits with Playboy Hugh Hefner|location=New York|work=Daily News|publisher=Daily News, L.P.|first=Korin|last=Miller|date=October 7, 2008|access-date=January 11, 2016|archive-date=January 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124213505/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/10/07/2008-10-07_girls_next_doors_holly_madison_splits_wi.html|url-status=live}} On December 24, 2010, he became engaged to Harris,{{cite news|last=Simao|first=Paul|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-hefner-idUSTRE6BP0EO20101226|title=Hugh Hefner Acknowledges Engagement on Twitter|work=Reuters|date=December 26, 2010|access-date=January 11, 2016|archive-date=January 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127075211/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-hefner-idUSTRE6BP0EO20101226|url-status=live}} but she broke off their engagement on June 14, 2011, five days before their planned wedding.{{cite web|url=https://www.tmz.com/PERSON/CRYSTAL-HARRIS/?adid=sidebarwidget-saga-1|author=|work=TMZ|publisher=Time Warner|title=Crystal Harris|access-date=January 11, 2016|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127013510/https://www.tmz.com/people/crystal-harris/|url-status=live}} The July issue of Playboy reached store shelves and customers' homes within days of the wedding date; it featured Harris on the cover, and in a photo spread as well. The headline on the cover read "Introducing America's Princess, Mrs. Crystal Hefner".{{cite magazine|magazine=Playboy|title=Cover|date=July 2011}} Hefner and Harris subsequently reconciled and married on December 31, 2012.{{cite news|url=http://people.com/celebrity/hugh-hefner-marries-crystal-harris-at-playboy-mansion/|title=Hugh Hefner Marries Crystal Harris|work=People|date=January 1, 2013|first=Maggie|last=Coughlan|access-date=September 28, 2017|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929001058/http://people.com/celebrity/hugh-hefner-marries-crystal-harris-at-playboy-mansion/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-hughhefner-marriage-idUSBRE8BU0G620130101|title=Playboy founder Hugh Hefner marries his "runaway bride"|date=January 1, 2013|access-date=July 5, 2021|archive-date=March 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301181447/https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-hughhefner-marriage-idUSBRE8BU0G620130101|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-hefner-crystal-harris-wed-407386|title=Hugh Hefner, Crystal Harris Wed at Playboy Mansion|date=December 31, 2012|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215151514/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-hefner-crystal-harris-wed-407386|url-status=live}}{{cite news | title = Hugh Hefner, Crystal Harris finally marry on New Year's Eve | work = Los Angeles Times | url = https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-hugh-hefner-crystal-harris-married-20130102,0,4435404.story | date = January 2, 2013 | first = Christie | last = D'Zurilla | access-date = September 18, 2013 | archive-date = January 20, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130120122743/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-hugh-hefner-crystal-harris-married-20130102,0,4435404.story | url-status = live }}
Hefner was very distantly related to the 41st and 43rd presidents of the United States, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, respectively.{{cite web | url=https://www.insider.com/celebrities-related-to-us-presidents?amp | title=Celebrities who are related to US presidents | website=Insider.com | access-date=July 31, 2022 | archive-date=June 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606065309/https://www.insider.com/celebrities-related-to-us-presidents?amp | url-status=live }} Hefner's brother Keith died at age 87 on April 8, 2016, one day before Hefner's 90th birthday.{{cite web|title=Keith Hefner Dead: Hugh Hefner's Brother Dies at 87|url=http://people.com/tv/keith-hefner-dead-hugh-hefners-brother-dies-at-87/|website=People|access-date=September 28, 2017|date=April 8, 2016|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928145950/http://people.com/tv/keith-hefner-dead-hugh-hefners-brother-dies-at-87/|url-status=live}}
Playboy Mansion
{{Main|Playboy Mansion}}
File:Playboy Mansion North Side 2007.jpg
In January 2016, the Playboy Mansion was put on the market for $200 million, on condition that Hugh Hefner would continue to work and live in the mansion.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hp-death-do-us-part-deals-20170114-story.html|title=LA Times: Buy a home now, move in after the seller dies|access-date=May 18, 2020|date=January 12, 2017|archive-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215102924/https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hp-death-do-us-part-deals-20170114-story.html|url-status=live}} Later that year it was sold to Daren Metropoulos, a principal at private equity firm Metropoulos & Company, for $100 million. Metropoulos planned to reconnect the Playboy Mansion property with a neighboring estate that he purchased in 2009, combining the two for a 7.3-acre (3-hectare) compound as his own private residence.{{cite news|title=Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion sells for $100 million|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-playboy-mansion-idUSKCN10R2FT|website=Reuters|date=August 16, 2016|access-date=August 17, 2016|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127013510/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-playboy-mansion-idUSKCN10R2FT|url-status=live}}
In May 2017, Eugena Washington was the last Playmate of the Year to be announced by Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion.{{cite news |url=https://www.tmz.com/2017/09/29/hugh-hefner-back-infection-declining-health/ |title=Hugh Hefner Crippling Back Infection Started Decline in Health |date=September 29, 2017 |work=TMZ |access-date=November 11, 2017 |archive-date=November 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112081014/http://www.tmz.com/2017/09/29/hugh-hefner-back-infection-declining-health/ |url-status=live }}
Politics and philanthropy
File:Tom Bradley, Otis Chandler, and Hugh Hefner, 1980.jpg and Otis Chandler, 1980]]
In 1964, Hefner established the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation to "facilitate individual rights in our democratic society".{{Cite web |last=Museum |first=American Writers |date=April 9, 2019 |title=Typewriter Tuesday: Hugh Hefner |url=https://americanwritersmuseum.org/typewriter-tuesday-hugh-hefner/ |access-date=December 10, 2024 |website=The American Writers Museum |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2016 |title=Here's What You Need To Know About Hef and His Philanthropy {{!}} Inside Philanthropy |url=https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2016-1-12-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-hef-and-his-philanthropy-html |access-date=December 10, 2024 |website=insidephilanthropy.com |language=en-US}} The foundation funded Marty Goddard's prototype of the rape kit as part of its efforts to support women's empowerment.{{Cite news |last=Mosley |first=Tonya |date=16 January 2025 |title=A Woman Invented the Rape Kit. So Why Was a Man Given Credit for It? |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/01/16/nx-s1-5256205/rape-kit-history-marty-goddard-pagan-kennedy |access-date=16 January 2025 |work=NPR}} Additionally, the Hugh M. 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."Playboy Enterprises, Inc., "[http://www.playboyenterprises.com/home/content.cfm?content=t_title_as_division&ArtTypeID=0008B752-BBD0-1C76-8FEA8304E50A010D&packet=0001F2B3-75D2-1C7A-9B578304E50A011A&MmenuFlag=foundation&viewMe=1 Playboy Foundation – Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074230/http://www.playboyenterprises.com/home/content.cfm?content=t_title_as_division&ArtTypeID=0008B752-BBD0-1C76-8FEA8304E50A010D&packet=0001F2B3-75D2-1C7A-9B578304E50A011A&MmenuFlag=foundation&viewMe=1|date=September 24, 2015}}". Accessed July 12, 2011.
Hefner debated The Playboy Philosophy with William F. Buckley Jr., on Firing Line in Episode 26, recorded on September 12, 1966.{{cite web|last1=Teachout|first1=Terry|url=https://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/2019/02/snapshot-hugh-hefner-is-interviewed-by-william-f-buckley-jr.html|title=Snapshot: Hugh Hefner is interviewed by William F. Buckley, Jr.|website=About Last Night|date=February 20, 2019|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125134945/https://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/2019/02/snapshot-hugh-hefner-is-interviewed-by-william-f-buckley-jr.html|url-status=live}}
Hefner donated and raised money for the Democratic Party.[http://www.newsmeat.com/media_political_donations/Hugh_Hefner.php Hugh Hefner's Federal Campaign Contribution Report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231082551/http://newsmeat.com/media_political_donations/Hugh_Hefner.php|date=December 31, 2009}} In 2011, he referred to himself as an independent due to dissatisfaction with both the Democratic and Republican parties.{{cite tweet|user=hughhefner|author=Hefner, Hugh|number=97538784245190656|date=July 30, 2011|title=My parents were Republican, I'm a registered Democrat, but these days I'm an Independent, not happy with either Party.}} Nonetheless, in 2012, he supported Barack Obama's reelection campaign.{{cite tweet|user=hughhefner|author=Hefner, Hugh|number=266050407208460288 |date=November 7, 2012|title=While I was playing dominoes with the girls, we got the news that Obama had been re-elected. We're celebrating at the Mansion.}}
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 contributed $27,000 (or 1/9 of the total restoration costs) by purchasing the letter Y in a ceremonial auction.{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article7109871.ece|title=Hugh Hefner saves iconic Hollywood sign|newspaper=Times Online|date=April 27, 2010|access-date=December 26, 2010|location=London, UK|archive-date=June 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615170010/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article7109871.ece|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodsign.org/history-10.html|title=The History of the Sign: 1978: A Sign is Reborn|publisher=Hollywood Sign|access-date=December 26, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125131602/http://www.hollywoodsign.org/history-10.html|archive-date=November 25, 2010}}
Hefner stated in a 2000 interview with Playboy, "It's perfectly clear to me that religion is a myth. It's something we have invented to explain the inexplicable."{{cite web |title=Hugh Hefner - Freedom From Religion Foundation |url=https://ffrf.org/ftod-cr/item/23179-hugh-hefner |website=ffrf.org |date=April 9, 1980 |access-date=September 4, 2023 |language=en-gb |archive-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904074911/https://ffrf.org/ftod-cr/item/23179-hugh-hefner |url-status=live }} Lee Strobel, a Christian author who interviewed Hefner regarding his theological positions, later described Hefner as having a "very minimalistic, deistic view of God."{{cite web |last1=Hallowell |first1=Billy |title=Lee Strobel Details Conversation He Had With Hugh Hefner About God, Gospel |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/lee-strobel-details-conversation-he-had-with-hugh-hefner-about-god-gospel.html |website=The Christian Post |access-date=September 4, 2023 |date=October 7, 2017 |archive-date=September 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904074911/https://www.christianpost.com/news/lee-strobel-details-conversation-he-had-with-hugh-hefner-about-god-gospel.html |url-status=live }}
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.[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-11-15-hefner-USC_N.htm Hefner Gives $2M to USC Film School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322050718/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-11-15-hefner-USC_N.htm |date=March 22, 2016 }} Associated Press, November 16, 2007. In 2007, the university's audiovisual archive at the Norris Theater received a donation from Hefner and was renamed to the Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive in his honor.{{cite news|last1=Zollinger|first1=John|title=Legendary Publisher Hugh Hefner Donates $2 Million to the School of Cinematic Arts|agency=University of Southern California|publisher=School of Cinematic Arts News|date=November 15, 2007|url=http://cinema.usc.edu/news/article.cfm?id=9686|access-date=March 9, 2015|archive-date=February 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226063444/http://cinema.usc.edu/news/article.cfm?id=9686|url-status=live}}
Both through his charitable foundation and individually, Hefner also contributed to charities and other organizations outside the sphere of politics and publishing, throwing fundraiser events for Much Love Animal Rescue as well as Generation Rescue,{{cite web|url=http://celebrityhalo.blogspot.com/2008/10/hugh-hefner-jenny-mccarthy-fund-autism.html|title=Hugh Hefner & Jenny McCarthy Fund Autism Research|work=Celebrity Halo|date=October 2008|access-date=December 29, 2008|archive-date=July 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708030807/http://celebrityhalo.blogspot.com/2008/10/hugh-hefner-jenny-mccarthy-fund-autism.html|url-status=live}} an anti-vaccinationist 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 vista of the Hollywood Sign. Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, an endangered subspecies of marsh rabbit, is named after him in honor of financial support that he provided.{{cite news |date=February 11, 2009 |title=My True Love Gave To Me ... A Bat Species! |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/09/tech/main4657330.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002081736/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/09/tech/main4657330.shtml |archive-date=October 2, 2013 |access-date=March 30, 2012 |newspaper=CBS News}}{{cite web |title=Lower Keys Rabbit |url=http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/MSRPPDFs/LowerKeysRabbit.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606130811/http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/MSRPPDFs/LowerKeysRabbit.pdf |archive-date=June 6, 2013 |access-date=March 30, 2012 |publisher=United States Fish and Wildlife Service}}{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2012 |title=Interview with Hugh Hefner—the Publishing Icon with a Marsh Rabbit for a Namesake |url=https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2012/11/03/interview-with-hugh-hefner-the-publishing-icon-with-a-marsh-rabbit-for-a-namesake/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106052919/https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2012/11/03/interview-with-hugh-hefner-the-publishing-icon-with-a-marsh-rabbit-for-a-namesake/ |archive-date=January 6, 2020 |access-date=April 8, 2020 |website=National Geographic Society Newsroom}}
On November 18, 2010, Children of the Night founder and president Lois Lee presented Hefner with the organization's first-ever Founder's Hero of the Heart Award in appreciation for his unwavering dedication, commitment and generosity.{{cite book|title=2010 founder's hero of the heart Award|date=November 18, 2010|url=http://www.childrenofthenight.org/pdf/Hugh_Hefner_Founders_Hero_of_the_Heart_Award.pdf|access-date=May 9, 2015|archive-date=October 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014162304/http://www.childrenofthenight.org/pdf/Hugh_Hefner_Founders_Hero_of_the_Heart_Award.pdf|url-status=live}}
The Barbi Twins, who are among a notable cohort of celebrity Playmates, including Pamela Anderson and Hefner's third wife Crystal Harris, praised the publishing icon for providing centerfolds and extended members of the Playboy family with a platform for activism and advocacy on behalf of animal populations in need.{{Cite web|url=https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/03/18/hugh-hefner-easters-bunny-hugger/|title=Hugh Hefner: Easter's Bunny Hugger|date=March 18, 2013|website=National Geographic Society Newsroom|access-date=April 8, 2020|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127013511/https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/?redirect=404|url-status=live}}
Hefner supported legalizing same-sex marriage, calling it "a fight for all our rights. Without it, we will turn back the sexual revolution and return to an earlier, puritanical time."{{cite news|title=Playboy founder Hugh Hefner writes passionate plea in support of gay marriage|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/playboy-founder-hugh-hefner-writes-passionate-plea-support-gay-marriage-article-1.1142988|access-date=August 23, 2012|newspaper=NYDailyNews.com|date=August 23, 2012|archive-date=August 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825031729/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/playboy-founder-hugh-hefner-writes-passionate-plea-support-gay-marriage-article-1.1142988|url-status=live}}
Death
Hefner died at the Playboy Mansion on September 27, 2017, at the age of 91.{{cite news|last1=Mansnerus|first1=Laura|title=Hugh Hefner, Who Built Playboy Empire and Embodied It, Dies at 91|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/obituaries/hugh-hefner-dead.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/27/obituaries/hugh-hefner-dead.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=The New York Times|access-date=September 28, 2017|date=September 27, 2017}}{{cbignore}}{{cite news|last1=Schudel|first1=Matt|title=Hugh Hefner, visionary editor who created Playboy magazine, dies at 91|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/hugh-hefner-visionary-editor-who-created-playboy-magazine-dies-at-91/2017/09/27/d1504e06-a3fc-11e7-b14f-f41773cd5a14_story.html|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=September 28, 2017|date=September 27, 2017|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530192436/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/hugh-hefner-founder-of-playboy-magazine-dies-at-91/2017/09/27/0560ae1a-a3fe-11e7-ade1-76d061d56efa_story.html|url-status=live}} The cause was sepsis brought on by an E. coli infection.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-cardiac-arrest-infections-listed-as-1507056312-htmlstory.html|title=Cardiac arrest, infections listed as causes of Hugh Hefner's death|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=October 3, 2017|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-date=October 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003233431/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-cardiac-arrest-infections-listed-as-1507056312-htmlstory.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/hugh-hefner-death-revealed-article-1.3538790|title=Hugh Hefner's Cause of Death Revealed|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=October 3, 2017|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-date=October 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003232715/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/hugh-hefner-death-revealed-article-1.3538790|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=http://people.com/tv/hugh-hefner-death-e-coli/|title=Hugh Hefner: Drug-Resistant E. Coli Infection Contributed to Death|magazine=People|access-date=October 4, 2017|date=October 3, 2017|archive-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004004337/http://people.com/tv/hugh-hefner-death-e-coli/|url-status=live}}
He is interred at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, in the crypt beside Marilyn Monroe, for which he paid $75,000 in 1992. "Spending eternity next to Marilyn is an opportunity too sweet to pass up," Hefner had told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.{{cite web |last1=Gottlieb |first1=Jeff |title=For sale: eternity with Marilyn Monroe |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-14-me-marilyn14-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 7, 2020 |date=August 14, 2009 |archive-date=June 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607074125/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-14-me-marilyn14-story.html |url-status=live }}
Reputation
Suzanne Moore wrote in The Guardian that Hefner threatened to file a lawsuit against her for calling him a "pimp". Defending her position, Moore argued that "he was a man who bought and sold women to other men". She further stated that "part of Hefner's business acumen was to make the selling of female flesh respectable and hip, to make soft porn acceptable."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/28/hugh-hefner-pimp-sue-playboy-mansion|title=I called Hugh Hefner a pimp, he threatened to sue. But that's what he was|date=September 28, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian |language=en|access-date=September 29, 2017|author=Suzanne Moore|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929014523/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/28/hugh-hefner-pimp-sue-playboy-mansion|url-status=live}} Julie Bindel argued in The Independent that Hefner "caused immeasurable damage by turning porn—and therefore the buying and selling of women's bodies—into a legitimate business."{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hugh-hefner-dead-death-playboy-mansion-bunny-women-misogynist-predatory-enemy-a7972046.html|title=Hugh Hefner was the ultimate enemy of women—no feminist anywhere will shed a tear at his death|date=September 28, 2017|newspaper=The Independent|language=en|access-date=September 29, 2017|author=Julie Bindel|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929045733/http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hugh-hefner-dead-death-playboy-mansion-bunny-women-misogynist-predatory-enemy-a7972046.html|url-status=live}}
Robin Abcarian wrote in the Los Angeles Times, quoting Wendy Hamilton, that Hefner "probably did more to mainstream the exploitation of women's bodies than any other figure in American history," adding that he "managed to convince many women that taking off their clothes for men's pleasure was not just empowering, but a worthy goal in itself." She further stated that Hefner "embodied the aesthetic notion that images of women—and women themselves—exist to please men."{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-hefner-20170929-story.html |last=Abcarian |first=Robin |date=September 28, 2017 |title=California Journal: Hugh Hefner preached sexual liberation, but he never stopped exploiting women's bodies |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507025334/https://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-hefner-20170929-story.html |url-status=live }}
Hefner's former girlfriend Holly Madison said that he "would encourage competition—and body image issues—between his multiple live-in girlfriends. His legacy is full of evidence of the exploitation of women for professional gain."{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/opinions/hugh-hefner-legacy-has-a-dark-side-drexler/index.html|title=Hugh Hefner's legacy has a dark side|last=Drexler|first=Peggy|date=September 29, 2017|publisher=CNN |access-date=September 29, 2017|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929005755/http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/opinions/hugh-hefner-legacy-has-a-dark-side-drexler/index.html|url-status=live}} Ed Stetzer wrote in Christianity Today that Hefner would have the residence systematically cleaned whenever Christie Hefner visited in order "to keep the realities from his own daughter".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/september/hugh-hefner-mourning-and-legacies.html|title=Hugh Hefner, Mourning, and Legacies: Beyond the Pipe and the Robe|date=September 28, 2017|magazine=Christianity Today|language=en|access-date=September 29, 2017|author=Ed Stetzer|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127022845/https://churchleaders.com/ed-stetzer|url-status=live}} Stetzer further lamented the consequences of Hefner's role as a "general" of the "sexual revolution":
{{blockquote|It's hard to fathom that anyone would have known what this would have turned into. Parents growing up today are fighting to keep their children pure. Spouses are fighting to keep their marriages intact. And many enslaved and trapped in the adult entertainment industry have been figuratively and literally stripped not only of their clothes, but their very value as people made in the image of God. If this does not concern us, what will?}}
A 12-part television documentary series, Secrets of Playboy, debuted on A&E January 24, 2022, in which Hefner's former male and female employees and partners made claims of systematic sexual misconduct and manipulation, recreational and manipulative drug use, peer pressure, sextortion, blackmail, rape, forced and violent anal sex, sexual assault without consent and/or while victims were in a state of drug-induced stupor or unconsciousness, spying, videotaping without consent, and illegal sex with minors by Hefner and his celebrity friends and guests at the Playboy Mansion and other locations.{{cite news|last=Lowry|first=Brian|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/24/entertainment/secrets-of-playboy-review/index.html|title='Secrets of Playboy' pulls back the curtain on the dark side of Hugh Hefner's empire|work=CNN |date=January 24, 2022|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125024926/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/24/entertainment/secrets-of-playboy-review/index.html|url-status=live}} The PLBY group, now publicly owned, distanced itself from Hefner in a statement released shortly before the first episode was broadcast, saying, "Today's Playboy is not Hugh Hefner's Playboy. We trust and validate these women and their stories and we strongly support those individuals who have come forward to share their experiences."{{cite news|last=Ensor|first=Jodie|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/01/24/playboy-backs-bunnies-disturbing-hugh-hefner-allegations-emerge/|title=Playboy distances itself from Hugh Hefner as Bunnies describe culture of druggings and abuse|work=The Telegraph|location=London|date=January 24, 2022|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=January 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124214658/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/01/24/playboy-backs-bunnies-disturbing-hugh-hefner-allegations-emerge/|url-status=live}}
In January 2024, Hefner's widow Crystal, who previously brushed away criticism, wrote a memoir where she alleged she experienced a hostile environment while at the Playboy Mansion, even claiming that she was "imprisoned" while there.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/jan/28/crystal-hefner-interview-playboy-mansion-hugh-hefner-wife-only-say-good-things|title='I had to play mind games to survive': Crystal Hefner on life in the Playboy Mansion|first=Eva|last=Wiseman|work=The Guardian |date=January 29, 2024|access-date=February 3, 2024|archive-date=February 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203062548/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/jan/28/crystal-hefner-interview-playboy-mansion-hugh-hefner-wife-only-say-good-things|url-status=live}}{{cite news | last1 = Kaplan | first1 = Ilana | title = A Former Bunny Puts the Mansion Far Behind Her | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/17/style/crystal-hefner-playboy-only-say-good-things.html | access-date = February 3, 2024 | work = The New York Times | date = January 18, 2024 | page = D4 | url-access = subscription | archive-date = February 1, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240201141202/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/17/style/crystal-hefner-playboy-only-say-good-things.html | url-status = live }}
Depictions
The Amazon original series American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story was released in April 2017. It stars Matt Whelan in the title role, along with Emmett Skilton and Chelsie Preston Crayford. The ten episodes are a combination of interviews, archival footage (including moments found in Hefner's vast personal collection), and cinematic re-enactments that cover the launch of the magazine as well as the next six decades of Hefner's personal life and career. The series was filmed in Auckland.{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11693991|title=Secrecy surrounds Hugh Hefner TV Show Shot in Auckland|publisher=The New Zealand Herald |date=August 15, 2016|access-date=22 April 2018|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327102133/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11693991|url-status=live}}
In October 2017, Playboy Enterprises announced that a Hugh Hefner biopic directed by Brett Ratner with the screenplay by Jeff Nathanson was greenlit with Jared Leto rumored to play Hefner.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41485999|title=Jared Leto to star in Hugh Hefner biopic|work=BBC News |date=October 3, 2017|access-date=July 21, 2018|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019211134/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41485999|url-status=live}} In November 2017, it was indefinitely put on hold following sexual harassment allegations against Ratner, and Leto's representatives stated that reports of him being attached to the film at any point were false.{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Zinski|url=https://screenrant.com/brett-ratner-hugh-hefner-biopic-delayed/|title=Brett Ratner's Hugh Hefner Biopic is Dead in the Water|website=Screen Rant|date=November 1, 2017|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-date=November 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102015844/https://screenrant.com/brett-ratner-hugh-hefner-biopic-delayed/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=7241|title=Samsung BioLogics annual sales up 30% on contract research growth|date=January 23, 2020|publisher=Korea Biomedical Review|access-date=July 29, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728201904/http://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=7241|url-status=live}}{{cite web|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|date=November 1, 2017|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/jared-leto-not-playing-hugh-hefner-in-brett-ratner-movie-after-sexual-harassment-allegations-1202199559/|title=Playboy Pic Dead: Jared Leto Says He Never Intended To Play Hugh Hefner|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=July 29, 2020|archive-date=June 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612131344/https://deadline.com/2017/11/jared-leto-not-playing-hugh-hefner-in-brett-ratner-movie-after-sexual-harassment-allegations-1202199559/|url-status=live}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Film !Year !Film !Role !Notes |
| 1981
| |
| 1982
| |
| 1987
| |
| 2005
|Himself |Archive footage |
| 2008
|Himself | |
| 2009
|Himself | |
| 2011
|Hop | |
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Television !Year !Show !Role !Notes |
| 1969–1970
| |
| 1974
|Episode: One for the Bunny |
| 1977
| |
| rowspan="2" |1993
|Episode: Fresh Prince After Dark |
| The Simpsons
|Episode: Krusty Gets Kancelled |
| 1993
|Episode: Broadcast Nudes |
| 1996
|Episode: What a Day for a Daydream, credited as Hugh M. Hefner |
| 2000
|Himself | |
| 2003
|Himself | |
| rowspan="2" |2005
|Episode: Aquamansion |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm
|Episode: The Smoking Jacket |
| rowspan="3" |2006
|Himself |Episode: The Real |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
|Himself | |
| Robot Chicken
|Episode: Drippy Pony |
| 2007
|Episode: Airport '07 |
| class="wikitable"
|+Music Videos !Year !Title !Artist !Role !Notes |
| 2000
|cameo |
| 2005
| |
Books
- {{cite book |last1=Hefner |first1=Hugh Marston |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=akprmQEACAAJ |title=The Playboy Philosophy |publisher=HMH Publishing Company |year=1963 |language=en}}
Further reading
- {{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Russell |year=1985 |title=Bunny: The Real Story of Playboy |location=London |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |isbn=978-0-03-063748-3}}
- {{Cite book |last=St. James |first=Izabella |year=2006 |title=Bunny Tales: Behind Closed Doors at the Playboy Mansion |edition=Reprint (2009) |location=Philadelphia |publisher=Running Press |isbn=978-0-7624-3230-1}}
- {{Cite book |last1=Vile |first1=John R. |year=2009 |last2=Hudson |first2=David L. |last3=Schultz |first3=David Andrew |title=Encyclopedia of the First Amendment |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=CQ Press |page=564 |isbn=978-0-87289-311-5}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://www.hmhfoundation.org/ Hugh M. Hefner Foundation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705023249/https://www.hmhfoundation.org/ |date=July 5, 2023 }}
- [https://www.playboy.com/read/hef-the-politician "Hef the Politician: Playboy's History in Politics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705023250/https://www.playboy.com/read/hef-the-politician |date=July 5, 2023 }} on Playboy.com
- {{IMDb name}}
- [https://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521 Hugh Hefner on Biography.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115200152/https://www.biography.com/people/hugh-hefner-9333521 |date=November 15, 2017 }}
- {{The Interviews name}}
{{Playboy}}
{{Sexual revolution}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Society|United States}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hefner, Hugh}}
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