She Had Hollywood at Her Feet — Then Chose Another Path

Long before she became a recognizable face in magazines and on movie screens, a young woman from Long Island was already discovering the discipline and determination that the modeling world demanded. Born on March 3, 1966, in Riverhead, New York, she grew up with an early connection to fashion and fitness. Her mother had experience as a model, allowing her to see firsthand the world … Continue reading She Had Hollywood at Her Feet — Then Chose Another Path

She Wrote the World’s Most Famous Revenge Song—But Only One Man Knows Which Verse Is About Him

He heard the song and immediately assumed it was about him. That reaction was almost too perfect. The lyrics described a magnetic, self-absorbed man who entered a party as though he were stepping onto a yacht. He admired himself in the mirror, captivated women and abandoned them once their devotion became inconvenient. For more than half a century, listeners have tried to identify him. Was … Continue reading She Wrote the World’s Most Famous Revenge Song—But Only One Man Knows Which Verse Is About Him

She Posed as a Smiling Stewardess—Then the Airline Discovered Her Secret and Fired Her

The uniform suggested a glamorous life above the clouds. With a small cap positioned over her dark hair and a bright smile aimed toward the camera, she appeared to be the perfect 1950s stewardess—poised, adventurous and ready to travel anywhere. But the photograph concealed two secrets. She did not actually work aboard the aircraft. And when the airline discovered where her more revealing pictures had … Continue reading She Posed as a Smiling Stewardess—Then the Airline Discovered Her Secret and Fired Her

She Earned a Fortune Wearing Bunny Ears—Then Left Hollywood to Work for a Rock Shock Legend and a Notorious Adult Star

She dreamed of spaceships, distant planets and becoming a movie star. What she could not have imagined was that her own life would eventually sound stranger than some of the science-fiction stories she loved: a nightclub dancer discovered by an empire, a centerfold paid to embody the new American fantasy, a highly paid Bunny, a beach-movie beauty—and later, an employee of both a rock-music provocateur … Continue reading She Earned a Fortune Wearing Bunny Ears—Then Left Hollywood to Work for a Rock Shock Legend and a Notorious Adult Star

The Blonde Hidden Behind 1980’s Most Famous Cover—Then She Quietly Walked Away From the Fantasy

The woman on the cover was already a sensation. With her unforgettable braids, sun-kissed beauty and sudden rise to international fame, Bo Derek made the August 1980 issue nearly impossible to ignore. Yet behind that famous cover waited another blonde—a California-born mystery whose appearance would earn her a place in pop-culture history. For one dazzling month, she became the dream millions of readers unfolded. Then … Continue reading The Blonde Hidden Behind 1980’s Most Famous Cover—Then She Quietly Walked Away From the Fantasy

The Pittsburgh Secretary Who Suddenly Became a 1960s Sensation

Long before the photographs, magazine covers, and glamorous nightlife of the early 1960s, there was a young woman growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, far from the center of the entertainment world. Born on September 11, 1939, she came of age during a period when America was changing rapidly. The postwar years were creating new opportunities for women, while television, magazines, and Hollywood were beginning to … Continue reading The Pittsburgh Secretary Who Suddenly Became a 1960s Sensation

She Grew Up in Front of Millions—Then Turned One of Her Biggest Insecurities Into an Empire That Changed Her Life

Before she was old enough to drive, millions of strangers already knew her face. They watched her grow up inside an unusually famous family, surrounded by cameras, enormous homes, celebrity scandals and the constant pressure of being compared with older sisters who had already become cultural phenomena. At first, she seemed almost like a background character. The quiet younger sister. The teenager appearing in family … Continue reading She Grew Up in Front of Millions—Then Turned One of Her Biggest Insecurities Into an Empire That Changed Her Life