Biography
Hugh Hefner is an American journalist, publisher and founder of the popular Playboy magazine, and simply a lover of beautiful women, who began a new era of sexual revolution in the world of media.
Hugh Hefner was born on April 9, 1926 in the cultural capital of the Midwest, in the historically famous city of Chicago, located in Illinois. Hugh is rumored to be the cousin of former United States President George W. Bush.
Hugh Hefner
It cannot be said that Hefner had a happy childhood: the boy grew up and was brought up in an average and strict family. It is ironic that the parents of the famous publisher - Grace Caroline Swanson and Glenn Lucius Hefner - were zealous guardians of Puritanism and adhered to the strict morals prescribed in the Protestant religion.
For example, the Puritans led a reclusive lifestyle, limited their needs, worked hard and condemned intimate relationships, believing that intimacy between a man and a woman was necessary solely for the continuation of the human race. Hefner recalled that there was a taboo on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages in the family, because his mother and father unanimously repeated the memorized phrase: “God wants it this way!”
Hugh Hefner as a child
Hef (Hugh gave himself this nickname as a child) admitted that Hefner Sr.’s love for the Almighty was so great that sometimes the man even turned to the local pastor for advice on the smallest everyday issues. It is not surprising that the God-fearing husband and wife raised the future creator of Playboy according to religious rules. They controlled every step of their first-born, trying to promote a selfless and ascetic life for the boy. Pious parents forbade Hef to make friends, because they believed that new acquaintances would not lead to anything good.
Hugh Hefner in his youth
Therefore, when the neighboring boys played in the yard from morning to evening, young Hugh watched them through the window and dreamed of spending at least a day without the strict supervision of adults. Hefner was also forbidden to go to the cinema, since, according to Glenn and Grace, passion for films was equated with a sin, despite the fact that the American film industry of that time had an ethical “Hays Code”, according to which films that undermined the moral foundations of viewers were impermissible .
Young Hefner was saved from monotonous boredom by the books he read voraciously. At the insistence of Grace, Hugh studied the works of the school curriculum, but the boy managed to secretly smuggle in a book by the “king of horror” Edgar Allan Poe, which made an indelible impression on him. As Hef grew older, he studied the works of Alfred Kinsey and Sigmund Freud.
Hugh Hefner in the army
It is known that Hugh attended high school in Chicago. The teachers immediately noticed the guy’s love of literature and writing talent, so they prophesied a journalistic future for the young talent. However, the young man did not succeed in exact sciences due to a lack of diligence and perseverance.
After graduating from school in 1944, the future publisher was drafted into the army, where he worked as a war correspondent. There he realized that postcards with half-naked women were popular among soldiers. After completing his service, Hefner entered the University of Illinois to study psychology.
Family and childhood
Hugh was born in Chicago on April 9, 1926, into a family with strict child-rearing rules. The parents tried to instill in their son strict Puritan morals, which they themselves adhered to. A simple life, daily hard work, a complete ban on the use of tobacco and alcohol, condemnation of extramarital affairs - these were the principles that reigned in the Hefner family. Religious moral standards were of great importance to Hugh’s father and mother. The boy grew up under strict adult control. Even communication with peers was not approved; it was considered a dangerous and useless pastime. Hugh's parents forbade him from going to cinemas and other entertainment venues. From an early age, Hugh loved to read, mastering not only school literature, but also books on psychology, detective stories and popular novels.
Teachers noted his ability for languages, competent speech, and ability to express his thoughts colorfully.
After joining the army after school, Hugh began to engage in military journalism. It was there that he noticed how much the soldiers liked photos of beautiful girls in revealing outfits.
Publishing activities
Hefner's interest in publishing appeared during his student years, when the idea of Playboy magazine was born in the young man's mind. While studying, Hugh managed to work part-time at Shaft magazine, in a local art studio, and even published his own satirical comic book, That Town Toddlin, which tells the story of the life of big and noisy Chicago. But the guy quickly became bored with the creative profession of a comic book artist, so he got a job as an advertising manager at a local plastic packaging company.
Hugh Hefner in his youth
Later, in the winter of 1951, Hugh was the editor of the department of the famous men's magazine Esquire, which tells its readers about business, politics, fashion, etc. But Hefner had to give up his career in this publication, since his request for a salary increase was answered with a sharp refusal. After unsuccessful negotiations with the boss of Esquire, Hugh resigned as editor and began to pursue his dream with his own hands - the creation of Playboy.
"Playboy"
Playboy is a men's magazine published by Hugh Hefner and his colleagues since 1953. The publication with naked beauties, fictional articles and sensational photographs of Hollywood stars is still popular in many countries. The word "playboy" has become a household word for ladies' men, and the permanent logo of a rabbit with a bow tie is widely used by designers all over the world.
Hugh Hefner with Playboy logo
Few people know that Hugh Hefner's path to the periodical publication of his own magazine with erotic overtones was long and thorny. To fulfill his cherished dream, Hef worked part-time at a bank, where he received $600, and the remaining $9,000 he needed was borrowed from investors and borrowed from his own mother.
From the biography of the journalist it is known that he initially wanted to call his magazine Stag Party (from English - “Party of Stallions”, “Bachelor Party”), but for a long time he thought about what kind of girl would grace the cover of the glossy publication. But suddenly he came across an old army postcard with a naked Marilyn Monroe, who seemed to be winking at him from the picture.
Hugh Hefner with the first Playboy magazine
Inspired by the beauty of the famous blonde, Hugh came up with a new name for the magazine - Playboy, and a black and white photo of Monroe began to adorn the cover of the debut edition. Before the start of the circulation of the first issue of Playboy magazine (70,000 copies), Hugh was not sure that his publication would pass censorship and would be successful among the male audience. So, somewhat set up for failure, Hefner did not number the debut issue, highly doubting that it would be followed by a second.
But the success of Playboy was not long in coming: in the first week alone, a quarter of the circulation was sold, thus, the era of the “sexual revolution” had arrived in the mass media. Hefner himself never considered Playboy a sex magazine, because the publication with the rabbit was radically different from the pornographic publications of Hustler, Penthouse and Screw.
Erotica for Playboy magazine was just a beautiful wrapper: both fiction and interviews appeared on the pages of the gloss, and serious topics were discussed, for example, articles were published where Martin Luther King discussed the problems of segregation in America, and Fidel Castro spoke about the revolutionary struggle.
Also in the Playboy columns were published short stories by writers: Vladimir Nabokov, Stanislav Lem, Stephen King and other literary figures. It’s no secret that star beauties appeared on the pages of Hugh’s publication, who were not afraid to appear before readers “in all their glory.” These were Elizabeth Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Cindy Crawford and many other lovely ladies.
Hugh Hefner's Star Trek: Playboy and its success
In the early fifties, Hugh Hefner began raising money to create his own magazine.
He made about $600 from lending, borrowed $8,000 from several interested investors, and borrowed another $1,000 from his mother. Having collected the required amount, “Hef” got to work. Model Harris told why she left Hugh Hefner. The base name for the new publication was Stag Party, but Hefner later abandoned this brand, rightly believing that it could create unnecessary associations with the existing men's magazine Stag Magazine. From that moment, work began on a new brand, which very soon formed into the simple and laconic name Playboy. In December 1953, the first issues of the magazine appeared in all newspaper stores in the United States. The publication with the nude Marilyn Monroe was released in a circulation of 70 thousand copies, three quarters of which were sold out within the first week. Hugh Hefner did not even count on such stunning success.
Some time later a new release followed, followed by another. Thus, already in the mid-fifties, Playboy magazine became very famous among American buyers.
The erotic, bright and provocative magazine appealed to the taste of the local public, who had been living for several years in anticipation of a real sexual revolution. The grains fell into fertile soil, and a few years later, Hugh Hefner’s publication acquired truly legendary status.
Hugh Hefner is 85 The popularity of the magazine was strengthened by the publication of photographs of many American celebrities - Cindy Crawford, Sharon Stone, Naomi Campbell and others. Many lesser-known representatives of American show business even offered their erotic photographs to Hugh Hefner in order to similarly raise their ratings in the eyes of American men.
In the seventies and eighties, Playboy magazine became not just an erotic publication, but a real symbol of a beautiful life. Hugh Hefner himself tried his best to strengthen the popularity of his brainchild. Creating an aura of mysterious womanizer around himself, he excited the public with news of sex parties in his mansion, as well as many high-profile novels. They tried to imitate him, and therefore the brilliance and attractiveness of Playboy magazine did not fade over time. In the seventies, regional editorial offices of the magazine began to appear in different parts of the world. Currently, Playboy has its own editions in most countries of the world, including Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Estonia and many other countries in Eastern Europe.
Over the years, erotic photographs of many representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian stage appeared in Playboy magazine.
Personal life
It is no wonder that the creator of the erotic magazine was not deprived of the attention of women. The womanizer's first wife was his classmate Mildred Williams, whose marriage lasted 10 years. It is noteworthy that the piously raised Hugh and Millie did not enter into intimate relationships before their wedding.
Hugh Hefner with his wife Mildred Williams
Williams gave the journalist two children: in 1952, the lovers had a daughter, Christy, and in 1955, a son, David Paul, was born. In 1959, Hefner’s family idyll collapsed, and Millie, taking her son and daughter, filed for divorce, which was accompanied by a loud scandal: according to the slanderous words of Hefner’s ex-wife, the Playboy publisher was a domestic rapist and tyrant.
Hugh Hefner's mansion
After Williams left, Hugh lived the life of an eligible bachelor for 30 years and had promiscuous sex. It was only in 1989 that he tied the knot with model Kimberly Conrad, to whom he was married for about ten years. Since 2000, the insatiable “American Don Juan” has lived in a large cottage with seven beautiful girls, throwing loud parties.
Hugh Hefner with his wife Crystal Harris
In the winter of 2010, it became known that Hugh was preparing for a wedding with blonde Crystal Harris, but shortly before the celebration, Hefner announced on his Twitter account that Crystal had changed her mind. But in 2012, the 86-year-old seducer finally won the hand and heart of a 26-year-old beauty, and they got married.
Hugh Hefner's children
From his first two marriages, Hefner had four children - a daughter and three sons.
- Christie Anne Hefner (born November 8, 1952) was involved in the management of Playboy magazine for many years as the publishing executive. Now Hugh Hefner's daughter is interested in charity work.
- David Paul Hefner (born August 30, 1955) is a business and design professional. Hugh's eldest son never worked with his father.
- Marston Hefner (born April 9, 1990) is a writer and journalist.
- Cooper Bradford Hefner (born September 4, 1991), the youngest son of Hugh Hefner, is directly involved in the management of the publishing house, working as the creative director of Playboy.
Last years
Playboy editor-in-chief Corey Jones, with Hefner's permission, proposed modernizing the publication: removing completely naked girls from the pages of the gloss, in order to thus increase the target audience. But in 2020, the magazine returned to its original direction.
Hugh Hefner in 2017
Hefner continued to enjoy life in the mansion with his wife Crystal and, despite his advanced age, organized noisy parties. It is known that Hugh was an avid user of Instagram; on his official page you can see various photographs of old times and everyday life. Also in 2020, the documentary series “American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story” was released, telling how the millionaire made his fortune.
Seven tips from Hugh Hefner
In interviews, Hugh Hefner more than once mentioned his own life rules, which more than once helped him in difficult situations.
Hugh on the cover of a magazine
Here are some of them:
- Everyone has the right to make mistakes. Forgive failures of yourself and others.
- It is not eroticism that is truly indecent, but war, famine and murder. Don't deny yourself the simple pleasures of life.
- Be selfish, but in moderation.
- Love yourself. Self-sufficiency saves you from loneliness.
- Make the world a better place in every way possible.
- Life must have dreams and passion.
- Don't let others control you.
