Hugh Marston Hefner Biography

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Majority owner, Editor-in-chief, and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises

"Well my market strategy was to put together a magazine that I myself would enjoy as a reader. I edited the magazine for myself. it was a handbook for the urban male."
- Hugh Hefner

Full name: Hugh Marston Hefner
Famous for: Majority owner, Editor-in-chief, and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises
Hefner details: Born - April 9, 1926 Live - United States of America



Early Life

Hugh Marston Hefner was born April 9, 1926 in Chiago Illinios and is the Founder of media group Playboy. Research suggests Hugh grew up in a very typical Methodist home with little affection of any kind. He attend Sayre Elementary and Steinmetz High before serving in the US Army during the closing months of WWII.

Hefner has stated that he entered the army a virgin and left the army a virgin. He eventually lost his virginity aged 22. Upon his release, he achieved a major in psycology at the University of Illinois and began a relationship with Mildred Williams. On June 25th 1949 they married, and Mildred gave birth to two children; Christie and David Paul. In 1959 they divorced.

Despite spending less than three years in college before graduating, Hefner found time to edit Shaft, and sold cartoons to magazines. His first salaried job was with a firm that produced and printed cardboard cartons. After later serving in both the subscription department and as a copywriter for Esquire, he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise.

Birth of Playboy

He moved on to Children's Activities, then took his biggest gamble in 1953 by loaning his furniture for $400 and raising $10,000 from 45 investors - including $1,000 from his mother ("Not because she believed in the venture, but because she believed in her son."). Playboy was born.

Hefner claims he hatched the idea for Playboy while in college, and that the name for the magazine came from his decision that his "baby" should have the name he "knew he was himself". In truth, the original working title of his magazine was Stag Party but Hefner was forced to change it to avoid a trademark conflict with the existing Stag Magazine.

The name "Playboy" was suggested by a friend, Eldon Sellers, with Hefner noting that rabbits were the "playboys" of the animal world. Cartoonist Arv Miller remodeled the stag in a smoking jacket to a rabbit in a smoking jacket and the transformation was complete.

From his experience in advertising, Hefner saw the need to package sexuality into aspirational categories, to tell a story about it that placed men in the narrative itself in a way that was not just acceptable but desirable. In launching Playboy, perhaps the smartest thing Hefner did was to reinvent himself as an urbane sophisticate who enjoyed the company of young women.

The first issue of the magazine arrived in December 1953 (with no date on the cover), and had a nude photo of Marilyn Monroe inside. Hefner had purchased the rights to the photos for a mere $200, then watched his investment sell nearly 54,000 copies. During its first three years, other material in the magazine consisted of reprints from other magazines, but then became strictly original.

Hefner saw his first brush with the law come in 1958 when he, a teenager named Elizabeth Ann Roberts, and her mother were arrested in Chicago after photos of Roberts appeared in Playboy. After authorities realized that Hefner had been told she was 18 years old, charges of contributing to the delinquency of a child were dropped.

At its peak, Playboy sold more than 1,200,000 issues each month. Hefner's concept exploded as a variety of different avenues opened up, such as a late night television program, a club and a casino.

From his experience in advertising, Hefner saw the need to package sexuality into aspirational categories, to tell a story about it that placed men in the narrative itself in a way that was not just acceptable but desirable. In launching Playboy, perhaps the smartest thing Hefner did was to reinvent himself as an urbane sophisticate who enjoyed the company of young women.

Hugh Hefner resides in the Playboy Mansion with his 5 girlfriends. The 22,000 square foot (1,951 square meter) house is described as being in the "Gothic-Tudor" style by Forbes magazine, and sits on 5.3 acres. It was acquired by Playboy in 1971 for about $1.2 million. The mansion has 22 rooms and some of its include a wine cellar, a game room, a private zoo and aviary (and related pet cemetery), tennis courts, a waterfall and a large area (including a patio and barbecue area, the famous grotto, a sauna and a bathhouse). It became famous during the 1970s because of Hefner's lavish parties.