About
Hugh Marston Hefner was born in Chicago in 1926. After serving in the U.S. Army and earning a degree in psychology, he founded Playboy in 1953. The magazine, which combined glamour photography, interviews, and literary works by major authors, became a global empire. Hefner used it as a platform for free expression, establishing foundations and awards to defend the First Amendment. He was also a television producer and host. He died in Los Angeles in 2017.
* 1926-04-09 — † 2017-09-27
Major works
- Playboy (1953)magazine
- Playboy's Penthouse (1959)television series
- Playboy After Dark (1969)television series
- The Girls Next Door (2006)reality television series
Key milestones
- 1953Founded Playboy magazine; the first issue sold over 50,000 copies.
- 1963Arrested on obscenity charges over photos of Jayne Mansfield; the trial ended in a hung jury.
- 1964Established the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation, which funded First Amendment litigation and contributed to the legal groundwork for Roe v. Wade.
Themes
Freedom of expressionFirst AmendmentMedia and popular cultureEntrepreneurshipLifestyle
Sources: britannica.com · firstamendment.mtsu.edu · bbc.co.uk