Claudia Jennings
| Claudia Jennings | |
|---|---|
| Playboy centerfold appearance | |
| November 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Jean Bell |
| Succeeded by | Gloria Root |
| Playboy Playmate of the Year | |
| 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Connie Kreski |
| Succeeded by | Sharon Clark |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mary Eileen Chesterton December 20, 1949 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.[1] |
| Died |
October 3, 1979 (aged 29)[1][2] Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Measurements |
Bust: 35"[1] Waist: 23" Hips: 36" |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] |
| Weight | 115 lb (52 kg; 8.2 st) |
Claudia Jennings (Mary Eileen Chesterton, December 20, 1949, Saint Paul, Minnesota – October 3, 1979, Malibu, California)[1] was an American actress. Jennings was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for November 1969 and also Playmate of the Year for 1970. During the seventies she was considered the "queen of B movies".[3]
Career
Mary Eileen Chesterton (known as "Mimi" to friends and family) was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1949, later moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and then to Evanston, Illinois, where she graduated high school. She worked as a receptionist at Playboy before posing for the magazine in 1969, for which she adopted the name Claudia Jennings.[4] Her original pictorial was photographed by Pompeo Posar.[1] After her appearances in Playboy, Jennings became an actress in 1970s "exploitation" movies and in television. In 1973, she had a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch episode, "Adios, Johnny Bravo." Jennings auditioned for the role as Kate Jackson's replacement on the hit television show Charlie's Angels, but the role was awarded to Shelley Hack.[5]
Death
On October 3, 1979, Jennings died in an automobile collision on the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California. She was 29.[2][3]
Jennings featured in a 2000 episode of E! True Hollywood Story in which several of her friends and acquantances were interviewed. The episode was made without the co-operation of her family, who considered the show too "tabloid" in style.[6]
Filmography
- Jud (a.k.a. Savage Soldier) (1971) .... Sunny
- The Love Machine (1971) .... Darlene
- The Stepmother (1972) .... Rita
- Unholy Rollers (1972) .... Karen Walker
- Group Marriage (1972) .... Elaine
- 40 Carats (1973) .... Gabriella
- The Single Girls (1973) .... Allison
- Truck Stop Women (1974) .... Rose
- 'Gator Bait (1974) .... Desiree Thibodeau
- The Man Who Fell to Earth (1975) .... Peter's Wife (uncredited)
- Sisters of Death (1976) .... Judy
- Moonshine County Express (1977) .... Betty Hammer
- The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1977) .... Candy Morgan
- Deathsport (1978) .... Deneer
- Fast Company (1979) .... Sammy
Notable TV appearances
- Barnaby Jones – "To Denise, with Love and Murder" (1973)
- The Brady Bunch – "Adios, Johnny Bravo" (1973)
- The F.B.I. – "Deadly Ambition" (1974)
- Cannon "Lady in Red" (1974), and "Bobby Loved Me" (1974)
- Movin' On – "Ann's Party" (1974)
- Caribe – "School for Killers" (1975)
- The Streets of San Francisco – "Underground" (1976)
- Lucan – "Nightmare" (1978)
- 240-Robert – "Bank Job" (1979)
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Playmate data". Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- 1 2 Hick Flicks: The Rise and Fall of Redneck Cinema. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- 1 2 'B' movie queen dies in crash, Chicago Tribune, October 4, 1979
- ↑ Rollings, Grant (May 9, 2007). "The curse of the Playmates". The Sun. London. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ↑ Boys and Toys: Ultimate Action-Adventure Movies. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ↑ Albert Williams, But She Was A Cheerleader, Chicago Reader, September 21, 2000
External links
- Claudia Jennings at Playboy Wiki
- Claudia Jennings at the Internet Movie Database
- Claudia Jennings at Find a Grave