Dorothy Stratten

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Birth Name: Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten

Born: 28 February 1960 Died: 14 August 1980

Country of origin: Canada

Height: 5' 9"

Lists

121 votes

i was murdered/assassinated (28 items)
list by Severin Severin

Published 14 years, 9 months ago

23 comments

101 votes

Gone, but not forgotten (2081 items)
list by Agent Kermit D. Fonz

Published 1 year, 8 months ago

10 comments

96 votes

Immortal Beauty (Die Young Stay Pretty) (36 items)
list by SFG¿mystic

Published 13 years, 9 months ago

7 comments

43 votes

Babes of Buck Rogers (41 items)
list by redrobin

Published 11 years, 7 months ago

42 votes

Most Beautiful Women EVER (...Ever) (333 items)
list by Avid Admirer

Published 12 years, 1 month ago

6 comments

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Dorothy Stratten Videos

"Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party" (1979) - Part 2 - Richard Dawson, Hugh Hefner

483 Views

Added 8 years ago

"Once Upon A Dorothy."

422 Views

Added 8 years ago

Dorothy Stratten rare interview from 1980

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Added 8 years ago

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Photos

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Description: Dorothy Stratten was born Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten on February 28, 1960 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Vancouver, but kept out of trouble and went through the motions of school. While not a beauty as a child, nor early teen, Stratten came into her own out of high school and attracted the attention of Paul Snider, a promoter and wannabe star. He started dating her and after seeing an advertisement for Playboy's 25th Anniversary Playmate search in 1978, convinced her to pose for photos. Playboy saw the potential in Stratten and flew her out to Los Angeles, California, where she becam Dorothy Stratten was born Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten on February 28, 1960 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Vancouver, but kept out of trouble and went through the motions of school. While not a beauty as a child, nor early teen, Stratten came into her own out of high school and attracted the attention of Paul Snider, a promoter and wannabe star. He started dating her and after seeing an advertisement for Playboy's 25th Anniversary Playmate search in 1978, convinced her to pose for photos. Playboy saw the potential in Stratten and flew her out to Los Angeles, California, where she became a candidate. Although she lost out to Candy Loving, Stratten was made a Playmate in the August 1979 issue of Playboy. Soon after, she was pressured into marrying Snider, who had a Svengali-like influence on her.

After her centerfold came out, Stratten found work in a few movies, notably Americathon (1979) and Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979), as well as being the object of Richard Dawson's affection in an ABC-TV special shot at the Playboy mansion. Clearly, her star was on the rise. In 1980, it was revealed that Stratten would be tabbed as the Playmate of the Year by Playboy publisher and founder Hugh Hefner. While this was one of the crowning achievements of her career, things were not going well in her marriage to Snider. He bothered her on the set of the movie Galaxina (1980) and when Snider found out she was developing more than a friendly relationship with director Peter Bogdanovich, Snider grew increasingly frustrated.

After a separation, Snider bought a shotgun and talked Stratten into coming to the apartment they used to share in West Los Angeles. Snider tied her up, sexually assaulted her and put the shotgun next to her face and pulled the trigger. Snider then turned the shotgun on himself to complete the murder-suicide. Since her death, Stratten has become something of a minor cult fixture, and has had two (one a television) movies, a song, and a couple of books written about her. The last movie she was in, They All Laughed (1981), was released after her death.

Sister: Louise Stratten (nee Hoogstraten)

Spouse: Paul Snider (1 June 1979-14 August 1980, her death)

Dated director/actor Peter Bogdanovich. Bogdanovich married Dorothy's younger sister Louise Stratten.

Dorothy Stratten was a Canadian model and actress who found fame as the Playboy Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and subsequently Playmate of the Year for 1980.

However, Stratten is remembered for the circumstances of her murder at age 20 by her estranged husband, an act that was the basis of films: 'Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story' (1981)& 'Star 80' (1983).

Died: West Los Angeles, California, USA by shooting - murdered by her estranged husband. ... (more)