Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her pin-up photos. Often referred to as the "Queen of Pinups", her jet black hair, blue eyes, and trademark fringe (bangs) have influenced artists for generations.Page was "Miss January 1955", one of the earliest Playmates of the Month for Playboy magazine. "I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society," Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told the Associated Press.In 1959, Page converted to evangelical Christianity and went on to work for Billy Graham. The latter part of her life was marked by depression, violent mood swings, and several years in a state psychiatric hospital. After years of obscurity, she experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s.
[3/11/06, interview in the Los Angeles Times, on being called "The Notorious Bettie Page"] Notorious? That's not flattering at all. They should have used another word.
2
[3/11/06, interview in the Los Angeles Times] Young women say I helped them come out of their shells, and 13 rock groups have written songs about me. One song has these lyrics all the way through, "I love Bettie Page. I love Bettie Page. I love Bettie Page.".
3
[3/11/06, interview in the Los Angeles Times, on her second husband] Six weeks into the marriage, on New Year's Eve 1959, I wanted to go dancing with him at a nightclub. He said he'd rather get drunk with his brothers.
4
[3/11/06, interview in the Los Angeles Times, on her mother's younger lover making a pass at her] My mother nearly murdered me over that, then made me live with my father. So I couldn't review my exam notes, which were at home. Because of that, I got beat out of graduating valedictorian by a quarter of a grade point and lost my dream of getting a scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University. It was the worst disappointment of my life.
5
[3/11/06, interview in the Los Angeles Times, on her mother] All I ever wanted was a mother who paid attention to me. She didn't want girls. She thought we were trouble. She didn't help with homework or teach me to sew or cook. She didn't go to the school plays I was in or go to my high school graduation. When I started menstruating at 13, I thought I was dying because she never taught me anything about that.
6
Being in the nude isn't a disgrace unless you're being promiscuous about it. After all, when God created Adam and Eve, they were stark naked. And in the Garden of Eden, God was probably naked as a jaybird too!
7
I don't know what they mean by an icon. I never thought of myself as being that. It seems strange to me. I was just modeling, thinking of as many different poses as possible. I made more money modeling than being a secretary. I had a lot of free time. You could go back to work after an absence of a few months. I couldn't do that as a secretary.
8
I love to swim in the nude and roam around the house in the nude. You're just as free as a bird!
9
The only person I did bondage for was Irving Klaw and his sister Paula Klaw. Usually, they would shoot four or five models every Saturday. He wouldn't pay for the regular pictures unless we did some bondage. So I did bondage shots to get paid for the other photos.
10
I'm very sorry that when I turned my life over to the Lord Jesus in January 1959, I threw out all my netstockings, bikinis--some from Frederick's of Hollywood.
11
No, I stopped coloring my hair in October 1978. I was no longer working as a secretary, I was no longer working out in public. I didn't color my hair, it is grey now. In fact, I'm worried I'm losing it. Big gobs come out. Used to be it took me two hours to dry my big gob of hair.
12
No, I don't think my fans want to see me old and fat. I've got to get another 20-25 lbs. off somehow--remember me as I looked when I was younger. I get sad when I see my favorite movie stars when they're old. Who wants to see Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau now as The Odd Couple (1968)? Jack Lemmon is a fan of mine.
13
I was never one who was squeamish about nudity. I don't believe in being promiscuous about it, but several times I thought of going to a nudist colony.
14
I never kept up with the fashions. I believed in wearing what I thought looked good on me.
15
My favorite actress of all times is Bette Davis in Dark Victory (1939). I have seen it six or seven times and I still cry.
16
[Jerry Tibbs was] the one who got me wearing bangs. For years, I had my hair parted down the middle in a ponytail, tucked down around the sides. But he said to me, "Bettie, you've got a very high forehead. I think you'd look good if you cut some bangs to cover it." Well, I went and cut the bangs, and I've been wearing them ever since. They say it's my trademark.
17
It makes me feel wonderful that people still care for me... that I have so many fans among young people, who write to me and tell me I have been an inspiration.
18
I never was the girl next door.
19
I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer. I wasn't trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn't think of myself as liberated, and I don't believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn't know any other way to be, or any other way to live.
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Fact
1
Did not start modeling until she was 27 years old.
2
Following her death, she was interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles, California.
3
She was a cousin of Mena Suvari's mother, and was also the great-aunt of comedian/writer Benjy Bronk.
4
Became a born-again Christian in the 1960s and served as a Baptist missionary to Angola.
5
Indirectly caused rather an uproar when a Seattle homeowner had a mural of Bettie painted on the side of his home, facing Interstate 5.
6
Had a great dislike for profanity.
7
While she was posing, she was studying drama at a theater workshop. She worked hard to lose her southern accent because it was keeping her from getting more mainstream work.
8
In the 1950s, the United States Congress called her to testify to explain the photos in which she appeared. While she never appeared before the committee (she was excused), the negatives of dozens of her photos were destroyed by court order. The negatives that survived were illegal to print for many years.
9
Played the guitar and piano.
10
Attended and graduated from Peabody College with her Bachelor's degree.
11
Was one of six children of Walter Roy Page and Edna Mae Pirtle.
12
Saw her popularity increase in the 1980s with the publication of a comic, The Betty Pages. She is now recognised as something of an icon.
13
Was close friends with Hugh M. Hefner who was a huge fan of hers. She appeared in the first issue of his magazine, Playboy magazine.
14
After she retreated from the public eye, Bettie was plagued by mental problems and stabbed three people. She was sentenced to a mental institution as punishment.
15
She was given a screen test by 20th Century Fox but was never signed by the studio.
16
Her photos were the inspiration for the leading lady of the Rocketeer comics, basis for the film The Rocketeer (1991).
17
The exact location of her residence was a closely guarded secret, but in the Los Angeles area.
18
While in later life, she licensed the use of her name to promote various collectibles (such as figurines, T-shirts, and books of her pin-up photos), she herself did not make public appearances, stating "I want people to remember me the way I was.".
19
After she faded from public view in the 1960s, many conflicting rumors about her fate circulated. In reality, she unsuccesssfully tried to live a domestic married life, and then later entered a religious seminary, briefly working as a Christian missionary.
20
Playboy Playmate of the Month January 1955.
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Frankenpimp
2009
special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Beyond the Centerfold
2015
Documentary
Herself
Bettie Page Reveals All
2012
Documentary
Herself
Dance of Passion
2001
Short
Herself (as Betty Page)
Betty Page: Pin Up Queen
1998
Video documentary
Herself
E! True Hollywood Story
1998
TV Series documentary
Herself
Teaserama
1955
Documentary
Herself (as Betty Page)
Varietease
1954
Documentary
Herself (as Betty Page)
Striporama
1953
Herself (as Betty Page)
Betty's Hat Dance
1953
Short
Herself (as Betty Page)
Teaser Girl in High Heels
1950
Short
Herself (as Betty Page)
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Love Lust
2012
TV Series documentary
Herself
Under the Influence... Of Tease!
2009
Video documentary short
Herself
Bettie Page: The Girl in the Leopard Print Bikini
2004
Video documentary
Herself
Striptease: The Greatest Exotic Dancers of All Time
$1.4 Million
