Dorothy Stratten was born into the world as Dorothy Hoogstratten. At the tender young age of 17, Dorothy was spotted in a Vancouver, Canada, Dairy Queen scooping up double servings of ice cream by one primo sleaze bag, Paul Snider. Nine years her elder, Snider took note of the beautiful service girl’s face and figure and believed he could make a fortune off her. He was right.
Snider began an intense courtship with Hoogstratten and they soon became a couple. He also convinced her she was perfect Playboy material and that she would become famous if only she would shed her clothes.
At first, the inhibited girl-next-door declined; however, Snider, ever the ultimate huckster, convinced her it would be a brilliant move. Hoogstratten eventually acquiesced and Snider snapped away. He shipped the nude photographs to Playboy in Los Angeles, Calif. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner took an immediate liking to young Ms. Hoogstratten. He sent for her two days after seeing her pinups.
In no time, Dorothy Hoogstratten, rechristened Dorothy Stratten, became the celebrity du jour around the Playboy Mansion and Hefner’s right-hand girl. Snider believed he should be in on the action as well, since it was his bright idea to submit Dorothy’s photos to the magazine. Snider introduced himself to everyone as Dorothy’s manager. Hefner despised the loathsome, oily character and let young Dorothy know how he felt about her boyfriend.
Hefner did everything he could to capitalize on the beautiful young woman with her innocent looks and sinful body. He made Dorothy the "October 1979 Playmate." She was eventually picked as the "Playmate of the Year" and later pushed for the "Playmate of the Quarter-Century." She was on top of the T&A heap in no time.
Paul Snider, on the other hand, was left behind.
As Dorothy’s star shone brighter, Hefner began to introduce her to the upper echelons of Hollywood society. One of the key figures in Dorothy’s life, film director Peter Bogdanovich, met Dorothy at a party at the Playboy Mansion thrown by Hefner. Bogdanovich, a famous and lauded director of such films as Paper Moon, What’s Up, Doc? and The Last Picture Show, had recently ended a relationship with another young blond model/aspiring actress named Cybill Shepherd.
Stratten and Bogdanovich hit it off in a big way. He was eager to help her break into films with a serious acting role. Stratten had recently played a small role as a sexy robot in the low-budget sci-fi flick Galaxina. The role was not a huge stretch for her. Bogdanovich, however, wanted the world to see that his new girlfriend was more than just a pretty face with an amazing body.
