Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner, born April 9, 1926 is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.
Hefner was born in Chicago, Illinois, being the elder of two sons born to Grace Caroline (née Swanson; 1895–1997) and Glenn Lucius Hefner (1896–1976), both teachers.Hefner's mother was of Swedish descent and his father had German and English ancestry. On his father's side, Hefner is a direct descendant of Plymouth governor William Bradford. He has described his family as "conservative, Midwest, Methodist. He went to Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High School, then served as a writer for a military newspaper in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946. He later graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a B.A. in psychology with a double minor in creative writing and art in 1949, earning his degree in two and a half years. After graduation, he took a semester of graduate courses in sociology at Northwestern University but dropped out soon after.
Career
Working as a copywriter for Esquire, he left in January 1952 after being denied a $5 raise. In 1953, he mortgaged his furniture, generating a bank loan of $600 (or $800 — he cannot recall which) and raised $8,000 from 45 investors — including $1,000 from his mother ("Not because she believed in the venture," he told E! in 2006, "but because she believed in her son.") — to launch Playboy, which was initially going to be called Stag Party. The undated first issue, published in December 1953, featured Marilyn Monroe from her 1949 nude calendar shoot and sold over 50,000 copies. (Hefner, who never met Monroe, bought the crypt next to hers at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.)
After it was rejected by Esquire magazine in 1955, Hefner agreed to publish in Playboy the Charles Beaumont science fiction short story, "The Crooked Man", about straight men being persecuted in a world where homosexuality was the norm. After receiving angry letters to the magazine, Hefner wrote a response to criticism where he said, "If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society then the reverse was wrong, too."
On June 4, 1963, Hefner was arrested for selling obscene literature after an issue of Playboy featuring nude shots of Jayne Mansfield was released.[citation needed] A jury was unable to reach a verdict.
His former secretary, Bobbie Arnstein, was found dead in a Chicago hotel room after an overdose of drugs in January 1975. Hefner called a press conference to allege that she had been driven to suicide by narcotics agents and federal officers. Hefner further claimed the government was out to get him because of Playboy's philosophy and its advocacy of more liberal drug laws.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for television and has made several movie appearances as himself. In 2009, he received a "worst supporting actor" nomination for a Razzie award for his performance in Miss March.
A documentary by Brigitte Berman, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, was released on July 30, 2010. He had previously granted full access to documentary filmmaker and television producer Kevin Burns for the A&E Biography special Hugh Hefner: American Playboy in 1996.
Hefner and Burns later collaborated on numerous other television projects, most notably on The Girls Next Door, a reality series that ran for six seasons (2005–2009) and 90 episodes.
In 1999, Hefner financed the Clara Bow documentary, Discovering the It Girl. "Nobody has what Clara had. She defined an era and made her mark on the nation," he stated.
Personal life
Hefner married Northwestern University student Mildred Williams (born March 10, 1926) in 1949. They had two children, Christie (born November 8, 1952) and David (born August 30, 1955). Before the wedding, Mildred confessed that she had had an affair while he was away in the Army. He called the admission "the most devastating moment of my life." A 2006 E! True Hollywood Story profile of Hefner revealed that Mildred allowed him to sleep with other women, out of guilt for her infidelity and in the hopes that it would preserve their marriage. They divorced in 1959.
Hefner remade himself as a bon viveur and man about town, a lifestyle he promoted in his magazine and two TV shows he hosted, Playboy's Penthouse (1959–1960) and Playboy After Dark (1969–1970). He admitted to being "'involved' with maybe eleven out of twelve months' worth of Playmates" during some of these years.[19] Donna Michelle, Marilyn Cole, Lillian Müller, Shannon Tweed, Brande Roderick, Barbi Benton, Karen Christy, Sondra Theodore, and Carrie Leigh — who filed a $35 million palimony suit against him — were a few of his many lovers. In 1971, he acknowledged that he experimented in bisexuality. He moved from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Hefner had a minor stroke in 1985 at age 59. After re-evaluating his lifestyle, he made several changes. The wild, all-night parties were toned down significantly and in 1988, daughter Christie began to run the Playboy empire. The following year, he married Playmate of the Year Kimberley Conrad. The couple had two sons, Marston Glenn (born April 9, 1990) and Cooper Bradford (born September 4, 1991).The E! True Hollywood Story profile noted that the notorious Playboy Mansion had been transformed into a family-friendly homestead. After he and Conrad separated in 1998, Conrad moved into a house next door to the mansion.
Hefner then began to move an ever-changing coterie of young women into the mansion, even dating up to seven girls at once, among them, Brande Roderick, Izabella St. James, Tina Marie Jordan, Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson. The reality television series The Girls Next Door depicted the lives of Madison, Wilkinson and Marquardt at the Playboy Mansion. In October 2008, all three girls made the choice to leave the mansion. Hefner was quick to rebound and soon began dating his new "Number One" girlfriend, Crystal Harris, along with 20-year-old identical twin and models Kristina and Karissa Shannon. The relationship with the twins ended in January 2010. After an 11-year separation, Hefner filed for divorce from Conrad stating irreconcilable differences.Hefner has said that he only remained married to her for the sake of his children, and his youngest child had just turned 18. The divorce was finalized in March 2010.On December 24, 2010, Hefner presented an engagement ring to Crystal Harris, publicly announcing the proposal the following day. Hefner and Harris had planned to marry June 18, 2011. Harris called off the wedding just 5 days before they were due to be wed.
Politics and philanthropy
The Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award was created by Christie Hefner "to honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the vital effort to protect and enhance First Amendment rights for Americans.
He has donated and raised money for the Democratic Party. However, he has more recently referred to himself as an Independent due to disillusionment with both the Democratic and Republican Parties.
In 1978, Hefner helped organize fund-raising efforts that led to the restoration of the Hollywood Sign. He hosted a gala fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion and personally contributed $27,000 (or 1/9 of the total restoration costs) by purchasing the letter Y in a ceremonial auction.
Hefner donated $100,000 to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts to create a course called "Censorship in Cinema," and $2 million to endow a chair for the study of American film.
Both through his charitable foundation and individually, Hefner also contributes to charities outside the sphere of politics and publishing, throwing fundraiser events for Much Love Animal Rescue as well as Generation Rescue, a controversial autism campaign organization supported by Jenny McCarthy.
On April 26, 2010, Hefner donated the last $900,000 sought by a conservation group for a land purchase needed to stop the development of the famed vista of the Hollywood Sign.
Sylvilagus palustris hefneri, an endangered species of Marsh rabbit, is named after him in honor of financial support that he provided.
Hugh Hefner has let his ex-fiancee Crystal Harris move back into the Playboy Mansion, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned!
After being unceremoniously dumped just a week before his wedding by Crystal, who snuck out of the Playboy Mansion and fled into the arms of another man, Hef has forgiven her and welcomed her home with open arms.
"Crystal begged Hef to let her come back," a source exclusively told RadarOnline.com. "He surprisingly doesn't have any hard feelings against her, so he let her move back into the Mansion.
While E! News has yet to confirm the initial report by RadarOnline that the magazine mogul and his onetime fiancée are actually shacking up again, evidence does seem to be mounting.
Take some of their tweets, for example.
"Home is where the heart is, Harris wrote, later adding, "Happy to be back home at the Playboy Mansion with @hughhefner and our puppy Charlie. I missed all the love and laughs."
And Hefner himself, posted, "Getting back together with Crystal Harris shouldn't be a big surprise, since I have a history of remaining close to former girlfriends."
However, the "getting back together" part might only be referring to the fact that Harris came over to dine and nothing more.
"Shera & my other Mansion girlfriends welcomed Crystal here at dinner on Tuesday night, before playing games together," Hefner tweeted.
Of course, regardless of whether or not the two are living under one roof, Hefner's feelings for his former flame apparently continue to burn.
"He loved Crystal more than he had loved any woman in a very long time, that's why he was willing to marry her when there were so many women before her who he couldn't properly commit to," a source told E! News. "She had a hold on him that he has never been able to shake. And so it's of no surprise to me that he would get close to her again. He can't help himself. He has a deep connection to her.
Brendan Rodgers, born 26 January 1973 is a Northern Irish former footballer turned manager.
Rodgers began his career as a footballer at Ballymena United before moving to Reading, where an injury forced him to retire at the age of 20. He stayed at Reading as a youth team coach before José Mourinho invited him to join Chelsea as the manager of their youth team in 2004. He was promoted to reserve team manager in 2006. In November 2008, he was appointed manager of Watford, before moving back to Reading as manager following the resignation of Steve Coppell in June 2009. He left the club by mutual consent in December 2009, and returned to management with Swansea City in July 2010. The following year, he led Swansea City to become the first Welsh team to win promotion to the Premier League, and guided them to 11th in their debut season.
As a player, Rodgers began his career in Northern Ireland as a defender for Ballymena United. He made twelve league appearances in three years before being signed by Reading at the age of 18, where he played in the reserves. His playing career was cut short at the age of 20 due to a genetic knee condition.
Managerial career
Watford
On 24 November 2008, Rodgers was appointed manager of Championship side Watford. It was his first managerial position, following on from spells in charge of the Reading youth team and Chelsea reserves. Watford won only two of their first ten league games, and were in the relegation zone by January. However, Watford's form dramatically improved, and Rodgers was able to guide them to finish 13th.
Reading
After Steve Coppell resigned as Reading manager, Rodgers quickly became the favourite to replace him. He later distanced himself from leaving Watford, stating his "concentration is fully on Watford". and that those linking him with other clubs were questioning his integrity. Rodgers agreed a deal to become the manager of Reading on 5 June 2009, after a compensation package of an initial £500,000 had been agreed, which rose to £1 million. The Watford Supporters' Trust stated that Rodgers' reputation was "severely damaged" in the eyes of the supporters, but the Trust did "thank Brendan for his efforts last season and wish him well for the future". On 11 August 2009, Rodgers got his first win as Reading manager with a 5–1 win over League Two team Burton Albion in the League Cup first round. Despite a good start, a very disappointing string of results followed, leading to Rodgers leaving Reading by mutual consent on 16 December 2009.
Swansea City
Rodgers was appointed as the manager of Championship side Swansea City on 16 July 2010. He got off to a winning start, and results were very positive, leading to Rodgers being awarded the Championship Manager of the Month Award for February 2011, after Swansea winning five out of the six league games they played that month, whilst keeping four clean sheets. By 25 April 2011, Rogers had managed to secure Swansea City's place in the Championship Play-Offs for promotion into the Premier League with a convincing 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town at the Liberty Stadium. On 16 May 2011, Rodgers led Swansea to the Play-Off Final after overcoming Nottingham Forest. He faced his old club Reading at Wembley on 30 May 2011, in a game which Swansea won 4-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Scott Sinclair, meaning Swansea became the first Welsh team to gain promotion to the Premier League.
Rodgers' first win as a Premier League manager came on 17 September 2011, when Swansea beat West Bromwich Albion 3–0 at the Liberty Stadium. Despite many predicting before the season began that Swansea were favourites to be relegated, their impressive season continued, as they picked up points against Liverpool, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, keeping them well above the relegation zone. In January 2012, Swansea claimed their first away win of the season at Aston Villa, a month which saw them beat Arsenal 3–2 at home and hold Chelsea to a 1–1 away draw, which earned Rodgers his first Premier League Manager of the Month Award.In February 2012, Rodgers signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract to keep him at the club until July 2015. Swansea eventually finished 11th in their debut season in the Premier League.
Personal life
Rodgers is married and has two children – a daughter and a son. His son Anton, who was born on his father's 20th birthday in 1993, is also a professional footballer with Brighton & Hove Albion. Anton played for Reading academy before moving in 2004 to the Chelsea academy where he signed scholarship forms in summer 2009, but was released in 2011. Brendan also has a daughter Mischa. He speaks Spanish and is learning Italian. In June 2011, in honour of his mother, who died in 2010, and his father, who died of cancer on 10 September 2011, Rodgers joined a team representing the Football League to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Among the team was the man Rodgers succeeded as Watford manager, Aidy Boothroyd. His nickname is "Buck Rodgers", after the Buck Rogers character with a similar name.
Liverpool's two-week search for a new manager is likely to be concluded later today once owners Fenway Sports Group come up with acceptable compensation to take Brendan Rodgers from Swansea.
The Carnlough man was offered the job yesterday and his south Wales club have reluctantly allowed him to leave even though he only signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal in February.
However, the safety net of that contract means Swansea are likely to receive a pay-off of between £4million-£5million once terms are agreed in the next few hours.
Rodgers (39) is expected to sign a three-year contract and be presented as the successor to Kenny Dalglish on Friday.
Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins admitted he could not stand in the Northern Irishman's way, although he will insist on driving a hard financial bargain with the Reds.
"Following on from discussions with Liverpool's owners, Brendan has informed us that he would like to take up their offer to manage Liverpool," said Jenkins in a statement.
Most of this is just unfair. Can we be sure Martinez would have guided Swansea to 11th place in the Premier League table?
Would he have produced such dramatic improvement in players whose métier seemed to be the second and even third tiers? Maybe, but Rodgers should not have to surrender any credit for the inspiring nature of Swansea’s Barcelona-based system.
If this is how Liverpool end up playing, with the ball always passed from defence and great fluidity and enterprise in midfield, then they will have taken an evolutionary leap. But stylistic reinvention is never instant.
Fenway have returned to their founding principles of faith in youth and long-term thinking. For that to work they will have to resist the disaffection of fans who have lost touch with the reality of Liverpool’s league position.
The emperor Dalglish will no longer be gazing down from the stands. Or not as saviour-in-waiting, anyway. However much he wanted the job when Hodgson was appointed, he will respect Rodgers’ position and will not imagine himself riding to the rescue for a third time.
The job has changed entirely. Liverpool overpaid for Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing: a problem Rodgers has inherited.
At Swansea he relied on technique and aspiration to transform Championship players into Premier League artistes. This time he will either have to purge expensive acquisitions from Dalglish’s time or persuade them to buy into his Spanish methodology.
Carroll is not a Swansea kind of player. Unless he abandons his religion Rodgers will not want Liverpool to play through a target man. In South Wales, Danny Graham was more of a David Villa type.
There is also the familiar need for Rodgers to bring Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher onside. These elder statesmen remain the bridge to the future as well as the past. They can help Rodgers push through his changes just as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes support Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
The brightest vision is of Rodgers lending Liverpool a new identity and purpose. But for him to have any chance the club’s following must avoid the 12-game premature grumbling syndrome that brings so many managers down. Once this starts it becomes self-fulfilling.
