Is Barbi Benton Still Alive
Barbi Benton is still very much alive and working in show business. She married George Gradow in 1979 and has two children, Ariana and Alexander. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Aspen. She’s also an interior decorator. She started out as a model, but soon changed to Barbi Benton at the behest of her then-husband Hugh Hefner. She released eight albums and continues to be active in the show business and music industry.
Benton was born in New York City, but she and her family moved to Sacramento when she was just a young child. She took several different lessons in the city, including scuba diving and acting. During her high school years, she also did some modeling. She later attended the University of California, Los Angeles, but she later decided against her dream of becoming a veterinarian. The sight of blood was just too unappealing for her.
Barbi Benton has been known for her flamboyant style and sexy image for decades. She has been the cover girl of Playboy magazine three times and regularly appeared in its pages. Her last cover was in December 1985, nine years after her divorce from George Gradow. During this time, Barbi also made appearances on several television shows and started a career as a singer-songwriter. She’s also an accomplished actress and has recorded five albums.
Since the end of the Hee Haw series, Benton has been concentrating on her acting career. She starred in the short-lived ABC-TV comedy Sugar Time!, in which she starred as an aspiring female rock band. Later, she was cast in the horror movie Hospital Massacre (1982).
Benton was an extra in the 1970 German film The Naughty Cheerleader. She later became co-host of the popular TV show Playboy After Dark. After she dated Hefner, she was encouraged to change her name to a more “marketable” and “American” one. She was also featured on the cover of Playboy in July 1969.
Barbi Benton first began modeling when she was sixteen. Within two years, she was already a Playboy model. She landed several television commercials and appeared with Hugh Hefner, who later became her husband. In addition to her advertising career, Barbi Benton appeared in countless photo shoots for the magazine. However, she never achieved her goal of being Playmate of the Month.
After making her film debut in 1971, Barbi Benton went on to star in a number of films, including The American Beauty Contest and Hospital Massacre. She also starred in the fantasy action film Deathstalker in 1983. While she enjoyed a great deal of success in Hollywood, her real success came in her television work. She was a star in the hit series Hee Haw and went on to play several other memorable roles.
Aside from her acting career, Barbi Benton has also had a successful recording career. She had a top-five country singles hit in 1975 with her song “It’s My Way.” Benton produced her final album in 1979. She composed, sang, and played piano on the tracks. In 1976, Benton’s song “Ain’t That Just the Way” became a major hit in Sweden. Later, the song was covered by Lutricia McNeal.