Classic Centerfold: Anna Nichole Smith

Playboy centerfoldappearance
May 1992
Birthplace
Houston, Texas
Birthdate
November 28, 1967 (age 39)
Measurements
38"DD - 26" - 38"
Height
5'11"
Weight
140 lbs
Preceded by
Cady Cantrell
Succeeded by
Angela Melini
Playmate of the Year(PMOY) for
1993
PMOY preceded by
Corinna Harney

Anna Nicole Smith (born November 28, 1967) is an American model, actress and buxom blonde celebrity, who first gained popularity as Playboy magazine's 1993 Playmate of the Year.
Her highly publicized marriage to entrepreneur J. Howard Marshall, 63 years her senior, resulted in a lengthy and ongoing legal battle over his estate following his death, though she reportedly never lived with him.[1] Her case, Marshall v. Marshall, reached the U.S. Supreme Court in February, 2006, on a technical question of federal jurisdiction.
Her career and public image subsequently suffered as her weight gain and antics were reported in supermarket tabloids and in her short-lived reality television show. More recently, Smith slimmed down and became the spokeswoman for the weight loss product TrimSpa.

She was born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Donald Eugene Hogan (born July 12, 1947) and Virgie Mae Tabers (born July 12, 1951). Her half-sisters are Donna Hogan and Amy Hogan.
When she was very young, Vickie's family moved to Mexia, a small town 79 miles (127 km) south of Dallas. Her father then left the family; he and Virgie were divorced November 4, 1969. Vickie was raised by her mother and maternal aunt, Elaine. Virgie, who was married previously to Mr. Tacker, was subsequently married to Mr. Hart and to Mr. Arthur. She worked as a law enforcement officer for 28 years.
While growing up, Vickie told others she wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe. She completed grade school, but failed her freshman year in high school, and never progressed past an eighth grade education. Vickie worked as a waitress and morning cook at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken in Mexia where she met Billy Wayne Smith, who was the cook at the restaurant. They were married April 4, 1985. She was then age 17 and he was 16. The next year, she gave birth to their son, Daniel Wayne Smith (January 22, 1986 – September 10, 2006). She and Billy separated in 1987 and were officially divorced February 3, 1993, in Houston. Vickie moved back to Houston with Daniel when he was a year old.
Initially she found employment at Walmart and later as a waitress at the Red Lobster, but she could not make enough money to support herself and Daniel. Oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall and Vickie began their relationship in October 1991, when they met at Gigi's in Houston, Texas, during her day shift as an exotic dancer. Within a week of their meeting, J. Howard told Vickie that he was going to marry her, and his monetary gifts allowed her to stop dancing. She had just started taking voice and modeling lessons when she met J. Howard
With Marshall’s money, Smith had cosmetic surgery to increase her breast size, and paid for photographers, publicists, wardrobe, living expenses, hair and make-up stylists, bodyguards, talent agents, attorneys, and a host of additional support staff.

Ellis' career took off after appearing on the cover of the March 1992 issue Playboy magazine wearing a low-cut evening gown. She secured a contract to replace supermodel Claudia Schiffer in the Guess? jeans ad campaign in a series of sultry black and white photographs. Guess? capitalized on Smith's strong resemblance to sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and even put her in Jayne-inspired photo sessions. Smith then posed nude for Playboy as the May 1992 centerfold (under the name Vickie Smith). Smith was subsequently called "the next Marilyn Monroe" in press reports, a comparison she encouraged by wearing a hair style reminiscent of Monroe's, as well as her trademark white dress. Smith was chosen to be the 1993 Playmate of the Year. She finally settled on the name Anna Nicole Smith by the time of her PMOY pictorial. Smith once did a nude Playboy layout in Jayne Mansfield's famous "Pink Palace" mansion.
In the August 22, 1994 edition of New York magazine, Smith was used as the cover model for an article called "white trash nation". She appears in the photo squatting down eating chips dressed in a short skirt and cowboy boots. In October 1994, her lawyer initiated a five million dollar lawsuit against the magazine claiming that the photo used was unauthorized and that the article had damaged her reputation.

Appearances in Playboy special editions
Playboy's more to love Playmate Vol. 9 June 1993 - cover.
Playboy's Nudes December 1993 - page 4.
Playboy's Bathing Beauties March 1994 - Stephen Wayda, page 5.
Playboy's Wet & Wild Playmates September 1994 - pages 6-7.
Playboy's Nudes November 1994.
Playboy's Supermodels February 1995.
Playboy's Nude Celebrities June 1995.
Playboy's Playmate Tests November 1998.
Playboy's Celebrating Centerfolds Vol. 1 December 1998 - pages 48-49.
Playboy's Sexy 100 February 2003 - cover.