Dorothy Stratten

Born in Vancouver, BC, Canada, she grew up in a rough neighborhood, and worked at a local Dairy Queen. She began to come into her own as a model in her late teens, appearing on a TV episode of Fantasy Island in 1978. Paul Snider, a promoter, began dating her and convinced her to pose for nude photographs, while attempting to get her selected as Playboy's 25th Anniversary Playmate. Although she lost out to Candy Loving, she was made Playmate of the month for August 1979. Soon afterwards, she married Paul Snider, who wanted more control over her personal life as well as professional life. After the centerfold was published, she found work in films, including "Skatetown, U.S.A." (1979), "Autumn Born" (1979), and "Americathon" (1979), and her big break came with the lead role in "Galaxina" (1980).

Clearly she was a rising star. In 1980, Playboy announced that Stratton would be the 1980 Playmate of the Year. Meanwhile, things were not going well with her marriage. Snider was present on the set of Galaxina, interfering with her acting, and when he discovered she was developing a close relationship with director Peter Bogdonavich, Snider and Stratton separated. Snider remained in their Los Angeles apartment, and Stratton moved in with Peter Bogdonavich in Bel Air. Snider then hired a private detective to follow her around and report on her activities. One evening, Snider convinced her to come to their apartment, where he tied her up and put a shotgun to her head, pulling the trigger. He then turned the gun on himself.

Since her death, she has been the subject of a number of movies and TV stories, including two by Playboy, and one on "E! True Hollywood Stories". In the 1983 film "Star 80" about her life, the murder scene was filmed in the actual apartment where she died. On her Playmate data sheet, she listed "jealous people" as her major turn-off. Later, Peter Bogdanovich married her younger sister, Louise Stratten.