Claudia Jennings
Mary Eileen Chesterton (December 20, 1949 – October 3, 1979),[1] known professionally as Claudia Jennings, was an American actress and model. Jennings was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for November 1969 and also Playmate of the Year for 1970. During the 1970s, she was called the "Queen of B movies".[3]
Claudia Jennings | |
---|---|
Playboy centerfold appearance | |
November 1969 | |
Preceded by | Jean Bell |
Succeeded by | Gloria Root |
Playboy Playmate of the Year | |
1970 | |
Preceded by | Connie Kreski |
Succeeded by | Sharon Clark |
Personal details | |
Born | Mary Eileen Chesterton December 20, 1949 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.[1] |
Died | October 3, 1979 29)[1][2] Malibu, California, U.S. | (aged
Measurements | Bust: 35"[1] Waist: 23" Hips: 36" |
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] |
Weight | 115 lb (52 kg; 8.2 st) |
Career
Mary Eileen Chesterton (known as "Mimi" to friends and family) was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1949, later moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and then to Evanston, Illinois, where she graduated from high school. She worked as a receptionist at Playboy and then posed for the magazine in 1969, for which she adopted the name Claudia Jennings. Her original pictorial was photographed by Pompeo Posar.[1]
After her appearances in Playboy, Jennings became an actress in exploitation movies and in television. In 1973, she had a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch episode titled "Adios, Johnny Bravo". Jennings auditioned for the role as Kate Jackson's replacement on the hit television show Charlie's Angels, but the role was awarded to Shelley Hack.[4]
Death
On October 3, 1979, Jennings died in an automobile collision on the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California. She was 29.[2][3]
Jennings was featured in a 2000 episode of E! True Hollywood Story in which several of her friends and acquaintances were interviewed. The episode was made without the cooperation of her family, who considered the show too "tabloid" in style.[5]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | Jud | Sunny | |
1971 | The Love Machine | Darlene | |
1972 | Trampa mortal | ||
1972 | The Stepmother | Rita | |
1972 | Unholy Rollers | Karen Walker | |
1973 | Group Marriage | Elaine | |
1973 | 40 Carats | Gabriella | |
1974 | Willy & Scratch | Jennifer | |
1974 | Truck Stop Women | Rose | |
1974 | The Single Girls | Allison | |
1974 | 'Gator Bait | Desiree Thibodeau | |
1976 | The Man Who Fell to Earth | Peters' Wife | |
1976 | Sisters of Death | Judy | |
1976 | The Great Texas Dynamite Chase | Candy Morgan | |
1977 | Moonshine County Express | Betty Hammer | |
1978 | Deathsport | Deneer | |
1979 | Fast Company | Sammy |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Episode |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | Ironside | Maralyn | "The Professionals" |
1973 | Barnaby Jones | Denise Frazer | "To Denise, with Love and Murder" |
1973 | The Brady Bunch | Tami Cutler | "Adios, Johnny Bravo" |
1974 | The F.B.I. | Judith Grinnell | "Deadly Ambition" |
1974 | Cannon | Leona Wilson / Susan Williams | "Bobby Loved Me", "Lady in Red" |
1974 | The Manhunter | Peggy | "The Truck Murders" |
1975 | Movin' On | Ann | "Ransom" |
1975 | Caribe | Jean Benedict | "School for Killers" |
1976 | The Streets of San Francisco | Evie | "Underground" |
1978 | Lucan | Debbie Kern[6] | "Nightmare" |
1979 | 240-Robert | Barbara Rice | "Bank Job" |
References
- "Playmate data". Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- Doviak, Scott Von (September 18, 2015). Hick Flicks: The Rise and Fall of Redneck Cinema. ISBN 9780786482122. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- 'B' movie queen dies in crash, Chicago Tribune, October 4, 1979
- Brode, Douglas (2003). Boys and Toys: Ultimate Action-Adventure Movies. ISBN 9780806523811. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- Albert Williams, But She Was A Cheerleader, Chicago Reader, September 21, 2000
- "Claudia Jennings". IMDb. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
External links
- Bass, Ari (July 21, 2000). "Claudia Jennings Lost Highway". Femme Fetales. Vol. 9 no. 2. p. 39.
- Claudia Jennings at Playboy Wiki
- Claudia Jennings at IMDb
- Claudia Jennings at Find a Grave