Barbara Lynn Klein, better known as Barbi Benton, is an American actress, model, and singer who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.
Benton had a big effect on the entertainment business when she was at her best. She was known for her stunning looks and many talents.
She was interested in the arts and modeling from a young age.
She started modeling when she was only 16 years old, and her features and charm immediately made her famous.
Her time as a model opened the door for her to work in the entertainment sector.
Benton got a job with Playboy to participate on their entertainment show Playboy After Dark while he was 18 years old and still in college at UCLA.
She was an extra on the show at first, but when presenter Hugh Hefner fell in love with Benton, her role swiftly changed to co-host. After filming two episodes, Hefner asked the young woman to go out with him.
When asked, she reportedly told the then-42-year-old Hefner, “I don’t know; I’ve never dated anyone older than 24.” Hefner said, “That’s okay, I haven’t either.”
The two started dating, and their relationship lasted for a few years. Benton became the focus of the Playboy business.
Hefner convinced her to alter her name from Barbara Klein to Barbi Benton, which was more “marketable.”
Benton (initially credited as Barbi Klein) appeared on the cover of Playboy four times: July 1969, March 1970, May 1972, and December 1985, and in additional nude photo layouts in the December 1973 and January 1975 issues.
Though she was featured in a number of photo-essays, she was never a Playmate of the Month.
She landed a spot on television’s Hee Haw doing short comedy sketches, and often appeared as a dancer on some of the last series of the Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In shows, and subsequently enjoyed a career as a country singer.
Barbi Benton worked in music in addition to her work on TV and as a model. In the 1970s, she put out a number of albums, such as “Barbi Doll” and “Ain’t That Just the Way.”
In 1979, Baribi married real estate developer George Gradow. They have two kids together.
Benton’s choice to leave the entertainment business to spend more time with her family was a big change in her life.
Benton stayed out of the public eye as she got older, putting her family life ahead of her career in the spotlight.
(Photo credit: Pinterest / Wikimedia Commons).
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