Claudia Jennings

Mary Eileen Chesterton (December 20, 1949 – October 3, 1979),[1] known professionally as Claudia Jennings, was an American actress and model. Jennings was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for November 1969 and also Playmate of the Year for 1970. During the 1970s, she was called the "Queen of B movies".[3]

Claudia Jennings
Playboy centerfold appearance
November 1969
Preceded byJean Bell
Succeeded byGloria Root
Playboy Playmate of the Year
1970
Preceded byConnie Kreski
Succeeded bySharon Clark
Personal details
BornMary Eileen Chesterton
(1949-12-20)December 20, 1949
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.[1]
DiedOctober 3, 1979(1979-10-03) (aged 29)[1][2]
Malibu, California, U.S.
MeasurementsBust: 35"[1]
Waist: 23"
Hips: 36"
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Weight115 lb (52 kg; 8.2 st)

Career

Mary Eileen Chesterton (known as "Mimi" to friends and family) was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1949, later moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and then to Evanston, Illinois, where she graduated from high school. She worked as a receptionist at Playboy and then posed for the magazine in 1969, for which she adopted the name Claudia Jennings. Her original pictorial was photographed by Pompeo Posar.[1]

After her appearances in Playboy, Jennings became an actress in exploitation movies and in television. In 1973, she had a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch episode titled "Adios, Johnny Bravo". Jennings auditioned for the role as Kate Jackson's replacement on the hit television show Charlie's Angels, but the role was awarded to Shelley Hack.[4]

Death

On October 3, 1979, Jennings died in an automobile collision on the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California. She was 29.[2][3]

Jennings was featured in a 2000 episode of E! True Hollywood Story in which several of her friends and acquaintances were interviewed. The episode was made without the cooperation of her family, who considered the show too "tabloid" in style.[5]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1971 Jud Sunny
1971 The Love Machine Darlene
1972 Trampa mortal
1972 The Stepmother Rita
1972 Unholy Rollers Karen Walker
1973 Group Marriage Elaine
1973 40 Carats Gabriella
1974 Willy & Scratch Jennifer
1974 Truck Stop Women Rose
1974 The Single Girls Allison
1974 'Gator Bait Desiree Thibodeau
1976 The Man Who Fell to Earth Peters' Wife
1976 Sisters of Death Judy
1976 The Great Texas Dynamite Chase Candy Morgan
1977 Moonshine County Express Betty Hammer
1978 Deathsport Deneer
1979 Fast Company Sammy

Television
Year Title Role Episode
1971 Ironside Maralyn "The Professionals"
1973 Barnaby Jones Denise Frazer "To Denise, with Love and Murder"
1973 The Brady Bunch Tami Cutler "Adios, Johnny Bravo"
1974 The F.B.I. Judith Grinnell "Deadly Ambition"
1974 Cannon Leona Wilson / Susan Williams "Bobby Loved Me", "Lady in Red"
1974 The Manhunter Peggy "The Truck Murders"
1975 Movin' On Ann "Ransom"
1975 Caribe Jean Benedict "School for Killers"
1976 The Streets of San Francisco Evie "Underground"
1978 Lucan Debbie Kern[6] "Nightmare"
1979 240-Robert Barbara Rice "Bank Job"

See also

References
  1. "Playmate data". Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  2. Doviak, Scott Von (September 18, 2015). Hick Flicks: The Rise and Fall of Redneck Cinema. ISBN 9780786482122. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  3. 'B' movie queen dies in crash, Chicago Tribune, October 4, 1979
  4. Brode, Douglas (2003). Boys and Toys: Ultimate Action-Adventure Movies. ISBN 9780806523811. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  5. Albert Williams, But She Was A Cheerleader, Chicago Reader, September 21, 2000
  6. "Claudia Jennings". IMDb. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
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