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. She subsequently pursued a career in acting, and was known as the "Queen of B movies".[3] She died in an automobile accident in 1979.
| 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 (aged 29)[1][2] Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] |
Career
editMary Eileen Chesterton (known as "Mimi" to friends and family) was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1949, later moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then Richmond, Indiana. When her family moved from Richmond to Evanston, Illinois, as a result of her father becoming the advertising director with Skilsaw, she transferred at the start of her sophomore year to Evanston Township High School (ETHS) where she graduated in 1968. She was featured in a silent, plotless movie titled after her nickname which was shot on Super 8 film by fellow ETHS classmate Todd McCarthy. She worked as a receptionist at Playboy and then posed for the magazine in 1969. She adopted the name Claudia Jennings because she didn't want to embarrass her family and that she thought "Mimi" sounded too girlish.[4][citation needed] Her original pictorial was photographed by Pompeo Posar.[1] She was Playmate of the Year in 1970, and was awarded a pink Mercury Capri.[5]
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.[6]
Death
editOn 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.[7]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 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
edit| 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[8] | "Nightmare" |
| 1979 | 240-Robert | Barbara Rice | "Bank Job" |
See also
edit
Further reading
edit- Claudia Jennings –The Authorized Biography. Midnight Marquee Publishing, 2018, by Eric Jonathan Karell [ISBN missing]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Playmate data". Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ^ a b Doviak, Scott Von (2015). Hick Flicks: The Rise and Fall of Redneck Cinema. McFarland. ISBN 9780786482122. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ a b 'B' movie queen dies in crash, Chicago Tribune, October 4, 1979
- ^ Williams, Albert. "But She Was A Cheerleader," Reader (Chicago, IL), September 21, 2000. Retrieved September 2, 2021
- ^ CC Easter Bunny Special: The Cars Of The Playboy Bunnies Of The Year 1964 – 1988, Curbside Classic, March 27 2016
- ^ Brode, Douglas (2003). Boys and Toys: Ultimate Action-Adventure Movies. Citadel Press. 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
edit- Bass, Ari (July 21, 2000). "Claudia Jennings Lost Highway". Femme Fetales. Vol. 9, no. 2. p. 39.
- Claudia Jennings at IMDb