-Barbi Benton is a former model, actress, and singer who came to prominence after engaging in a romantic relationship with Hugh Hefner in the mid 1970s.
-She is now living in semi-retirement and splitting her time between Aspen and Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
-Barbi began modeling in her teenage years and joined the Playboy empire at age 18, becoming a cover star for the magazine four times.
-She was an actress in the show “Hee Haw”, the film “X-Ray”, and the TV series “The Love Boat”.
-Barbi also had a music career, releasing five albums and earning a net worth of over $20 million.
Known for movies
Short Info
Net Worth | $20 million |
Date Of Birth | January 28, 1950 |
Spouse | George Gradow |
Fact | She recorded country and pop albums. |

Contents
- 1 Who is Barbi Benton?
- 2 Where Is Barbi Benton Now?
- 3 Barbi Benton Wiki- Age, Childhood, and Education
- 4 Career Beginnings
- 5 Rise to Prominence
- 6 Music Career
- 7 Barbi Benton Net Worth, Height, Weight, and Appearance
- 8 Barbi Benton Personal Life, Dating, Marriage, Children
- 9 Barbi Benton News
- 10 General Info
- 11 Family
- 12 Accomplishments
- 13 Social profile links
- 14 Quotes
- 15 Facts
- 16 Pictures
- 17 Movies
- 18 Awards
Who is Barbi Benton?
Barbi Benton is a former model, actress, and singer, who came to prominence after engaging in a romantic relationship with Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire. She enjoyed fame on and off television from the mid-‘70s until the end of the ‘80s, when she retired and focused on raising her children.
Where Is Barbi Benton Now?
Barbi has been in semi-retirement from show business since the late ‘80s, and has rarely appeared in the media.
From time to time she featured in a TV show to talk about her career and relationship with Hugh Hefner, including in “The Girls Next Door” (2005-2009), while her most recent appearance was in the show “Q ‘N A with Mikki and Shay” in 2014. She now enjoys her time with her husband and their children, splitting time between homes in Aspen and Los Angeles.
Barbi Benton Wiki- Age, Childhood, and Education
Barbara Lynn ‘Barbi’ Klein was born on the 28th January 1950, in New York, USA.
Of Jewish ancestry, she is the daughter of a father who was a gynecologist, although at first a military doctor, and a mother who worked as an investment counselor. The better part of her childhood Barbi spent in Sacramento, California, where she attended Rio Americano High School. Following her high school matriculation, Barbi enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied to become a veterinarian. However, once she saw blood, she realized that these studies weren’t fit for her, and she left the university.
Posted by Barbi Benton on Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Career Beginnings
Barbi was a teenage girl when she started modeling, and when she turned 18 years old she joined the Playboy empire, having taken a job as an extra in the show “Playboy After Dark”. Her role in the show quickly improved, as Hefner, who at the time was 42 years old, fell in love with her. He asked her out on a date, to which Barbi replied “I don’t know, I’ve never dated anyone over 24 before”, while Hugh had an answer to her reply, saying, “That’s all right, neither have I”.
Nevertheless, the two started a romance that would last for years, and was beneficial for both of them. Barbi’s first appearance on the cover of Playboy was in July 1969, and since then on three more covers, in March 1970, May 1972, and December 1985. Furthermore, she featured in nude photo layouts in the December 1973 and January 1975 issues.
Rise to Prominence
The romance between Hefner and Barbi lasted from 1969 until 1976; he was the one who instructed her to change the name and start performing as Barbi.
She continued her work with Playboy, and though she was never made a Playmate of the Month, she did a number of photo-essays for the magazine. Her best-known role was in the show “Hee Haw”, which lasted from 1972 until 1983, during which time she was at the peak of her fame. In addition, featuring in other shows and films, launching her acting career. She was Maxx Douglas in the TV comedy series “Sugar Time!” (1977-1978), in which she co-starred next to Didi Carr and Marianne Black, and from 1978 to 1982 featured in the comedy series “Fantasy Island”.
Furthermore, Barbi made six appearances in the TV series “The Love Boat”, from 1978 until 1987. She also featured in a number of other popular television shows before retirement, including her film debut portraying Susan Jeremy in the film “X-Ray” (1981), while the same year she appeared in the popular TV series “CHiPs”. Two years later she could be seen in the film “Deathstalker”, and her other credits include appearances in series “Murder, She Wrote” and “Riptide”, both in 1986.
Music Career
In addition to acting, modeling and her television appearances in quiz shows, Barbi in her prime was also a successful country singer.
She released five albums in total; her debut album “Barbi Doll” came out in 1975 through Playboy records, and reached No. 17 on the US Country chart. The same year her “Barbi Benton” album was released, which peaked at No. 18. Two more albums followed until the end of the ‘70s, “Something New”, and “Ain’t That Just the Way”, released in 1976 and 1978 respectively. After this she took a 10 year-long hiatus, returning with the album “Kinetic Voyage”, released through Takoma records.
Barbi Benton Net Worth, Height, Weight, and Appearance
Although her career ended over 30 years ago, Barbi earned a decent sum of money through her career, and she now enjoys a relatively luxurious life.
According to sources, her wealth has been estimated at over $20 million, as of mid-2020.
Barbi Benton stands at 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, while she weighs approximately 128lbs ~ 58kgs, and her vital statistics are 37-25-37, bra size 34C. She has blue eyes and dark brown hair.
Barbi Benton Personal Life, Dating, Marriage, Children
Barbi dated Hugh Hefner, and they remained good friends following their break up. His death hit her pretty hard, and she even talked about it in the media.
After her split from Hefner, Barbi met real estate developer George Gradow, and the two married on the 14th of October 1979. The couple has two children, Alexander born in 1986, and a daughter Ariana in 1988.
Barbi Benton News
As a constant inspiration for Hugh, she will be long-remembered as the one who persuaded Hefner to buy what became known as the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills in 1974. She is still occasonally featured in the media, remembered as one of the most influential playboy models of all time.
Although Barbi is no longer involved in the show business, she still earns a decent amount of money every month, as she is now an interior decorator.
General Info
Full Name | Barbi Benton |
Net Worth | $20 million |
Date Of Birth | January 28, 1950 |
Height | 1.6 m |
Profession | Pin-up model, Interior designer, Actor, Singer |
Education | Rio Americano High School |
Nationality | American |
Family
Spouse | George Gradow |
Children | Ariana Gradow, Alexander Benton Gradow |
Partner | Hugh Hefner |
Accomplishments
Awards | TV Land Entertainer Award |
Nominations | Academy of Country Music Award for New Female Vocalist of the Year |
Movies | Deathstalker, Hospital Massacre, The Third Girl from the Left, The Great American Beauty Contest, How Did a Nice Girl Like You Get Into This Business? |
TV Shows | Hee Haw, Sugar Time!, Playboy After Dark |
Social profile links
Quotes
# | Quote |
---|---|
1 | I believe that mink are raised for being turned into fur coats and if we didn't wear fur coats those little animals would never have been born. So is it better not to have been born or to have lived for a year or two to have been turned into a fur coat? I don't know. |
Facts
# | Fact |
---|---|
1 | Has became an Interior Decorator [2002] |
2 | Barbi recorded and released four albums for Playboy Records in the 1970's. |
3 | Her husband, George Gradow, is a real estate developer. |
4 | Her father was a military doctor and later physician. |
5 | Her first TV appearances were on the syndicated show, Playboy After Dark (1969), where she functioned as beau Hugh M. Hefner's co-host/sidekick. |
6 | Moved to Los Angeles when she was 16 and found some jobs modeling. Barbi met and started a relationship with Hugh M. Hefner in 1968, when she was only 18 years old. Hef was 42. |
7 | Is portrayed by Rebecca Herbst in Hefner: Unauthorized (1999) |
8 | Despite her love liaison with Playboy Magazine's Hugh M. Hefner, Benton never was a Playmate of the Month, though she did appear on some covers and in various pictorials |
9 | She recorded country and pop albums. |
10 | Has a son Alexander Benton Gradow (b. August 23, 1986) and a daughter, Ariana Gradow (b. 1988), with husband George Gradow. |
11 | Father is a doctor in Carmichael, California. |
12 | At least two spreads in Playboy. |
13 | (1969-1976) Lived with Hugh M. Hefner |
Pictures
Movies
Actress
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Love Boat | 1978-1987 | TV Series | Kiki Atwood, Spoiled Rich Girl / Barbi Benton / Cathy Somms / ... |
Riptide | 1986 | TV Series | Gina Potter |
Murder, She Wrote | 1986 | TV Series | Nurse Sue Beth |
The New Mike Hammer | 1984 | TV Series | Susan Lancaster |
Fox Mystery Theater | 1984 | TV Series | Caroline Trent |
Deathstalker | 1983 | Codille | |
Matt Houston | 1983 | TV Series | Ava |
Fantasy Island | 1978-1982 | TV Series | Courtney / Miss Winslow / Joan Michaels / ... |
X-Ray | 1981 | Susan Jeremy | |
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | 1981 | TV Series | Kitty Rhinestone |
CHiPs | 1981 | TV Series | Sal |
Charlie's Angels | 1980 | TV Series | Toni Green |
For the Love of It | 1980 | TV Movie | Anita |
When the Whistle Blows | 1980 | TV Series | Dixie Lee Griffin |
Vega$ | 1979 | TV Series | Holly |
Flying High | 1979 | TV Series | Joan |
Sugar Time! | 1977-1978 | TV Series | Maxx Douglas |
McCloud | 1975 | TV Series | Shannon Forbes |
The Third Girl from the Left | 1973 | TV Movie | Melanie |
The Great American Beauty Contest | 1973 | TV Movie | Miss Iowa |
Marcus Welby, M.D. | 1972 | TV Series | Liz |
Mir hat es immer Spaß gemacht | 1970 | Lynn Keefe (as Barbara Benton) |
Soundtrack
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | 1981 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
The Sonny and Cher Show | 1977 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
McCloud | 1975 | TV Series performer - 1 episode |
Composer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Schulmädchen '84 | 1984 |
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Q N' A with Mikki and Shay | 2014 | TV Series | Herself |
America's Book of Secrets | 2012 | TV Series | Herself |
The Girls Next Door | 2005-2009 | TV Series | Herself - Hef's Former Girlfriend / Herself - Hef's Ex-Girlfriend |
The 5th Annual TV Land Awards | 2007 | TV Special | Herself - Winner ("Entertainers Award") |
E! True Hollywood Story | 2006 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
Playboy: Celebrity Centerfolds | 2006 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
When Playboy Ruled the World | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
Playboy's 50th Anniversary Celebration | 2003 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
Playboy: Inside the Playboy Mansion | 2002 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
VH-1 Where Are They Now? | 2000 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
Hugh Hefner: American Playboy Revisited | 1998 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time | 1992 | Documentary | Herself |
The Starlight Annual Foundation Benefit | 1986 | TV Movie | Herself |
The Annual Friars Club Tribute Presents a Salute to Gene Kelly | 1985 | TV Movie | Herself |
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team | 1984 | TV Movie | Herself - Performer |
Pete's Place | 1983 | TV Series | Herself (1983) |
Lou Rawls Parade of Stars | 1983 | TV Series | Herself |
Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour | 1983 | TV Series | Herself |
Hee Haw | 1972-1983 | TV Series | Herself / Herself - Featured Singer |
Circus of the Stars #7 | 1982 | TV Special documentary | Herself - Trapeze Artist |
Magic with the Stars | 1982 | TV Movie | Herself |
The Alan Thicke Show | 1980-1981 | TV Series | Herself |
The 8th Annual American Music Awards | 1981 | TV Special | Herself |
Circus of the Stars #5 | 1980 | TV Special documentary | Herself |
Men Who Rate a 10 | 1980 | TV Special | Herself |
Horas doradas | 1980 | TV Series | Herself |
The Hollywood Squares | 1978-1980 | TV Series | Guest Appearance |
The Mike Douglas Show | 1975-1980 | TV Series | Herself - Singer / Actress / Herself - Ex-Playboy Bunny |
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1974-1980 | TV Series | Herself / Herself - Guest |
Circus of the Stars #4 | 1979 | TV Special documentary | Herself - Performer |
Sha Na Na | 1979 | TV Series | Herself |
Barbi Doll for Christmas | 1978 | TV Movie | Herself - Host / Performer |
America 2-Night | 1978 | TV Series | Herself |
Murder at the Mardi Gras | 1978 | TV Movie | Herself |
The 5th Annual American Music Awards | 1978 | TV Special | Herself |
The Sonny and Cher Show | 1977 | TV Series | Herself / Various Characters |
Dinah! | 1976 | TV Series | Herself |
The Norman Gunston Show | 1975 | TV Series | Herself |
New American Bandstand 1965 | 1975 | TV Series | Herself |
Nashville on the Road | 1975 | TV Series | Herself |
The David Frost Show | 1970 | TV Series | Herself |
Treffpunkt Airport | 1969 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
Playboy After Dark | 1969 | TV Series | Herself |
Archive Footage
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel | 2009 | Documentary | Herself (uncredited) |
The Girls Next Door | 2005-2006 | TV Series | Herself |
The Hee Haw Collection, Vol. 5 | 2006 | Video | Herself |
Barbarian | 2003 | Video uncredited | |
Playboy: The Party Continues | 2000 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
Awards
Won Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | Entertainer's Award | TV Land Awards | Hee Haw (1969) |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia