Credited as being the biggest Playboy Playmate of the Year in terms of height, weight, and measurements, former-model-turned-actress Anna Nicole Smith was, in the mid-'90s, the epitome of the classic voluptuous blonde. Drawing comparisons to such legendary beauties as Marilyn Monroe due to her penchant for white dresses and sleepy bedroom eyes, the one-time Guess? model courted controversy for both her marriage to an elderly billionaire and the heated lawsuit pertaining to his estate following his death.
Born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston, TX (she moved to Mexia, TX, as a teenager), Smith's ascent to fame began when she was chosen as May 1992's Playboy Playmate of the Month. Voted Playmate of the Year shortly thereafter, the plus-sized platinum-blonde soon appeared in a pair of Playboy videos before making her feature debut in 1994's The Hudsucker Proxy. Following an appearance in that same year's Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, Smith continued her association with the legendary men's magazine by appearing in a series of videos in addition to producing and starring in the steamy action thriller Skyscraper (1995). In 1987, Smith separated from her first husband Billy Smith, with whom she had one son; the couple later divorced and Anna Nicole married oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall in June 1994. Following Marshall's death in August the following year, Smith embarked on a heated legal battle with the former billionaire's remaining family in which she was ultimately rewarded 88 million dollars. Though she faded from the spotlight moving into the new millennium, Smith reemerged when, following the success of the MTV reality series The Osbournes, she was approached by E! Entertainment Television to be the subject of a similar series. The Anna Nicole Show debuted to general critical malaise in August 2002. Against all odds, the show remained on the air for the better part of two seasons, thanks largely to the morbid curiosity of viewers who found it virtually impossible look away from the disaster that seemed to be unfolding right before their very eyes.
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