Bettie Mae Page (born April 22, 1923 in Nashville), became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos. Her first Playboy centerfold was in the January 1955 issue. She faded into obscurity in the 60, converted to Christianity and returned to Nashville, unaware of a growing cult following. After a divorce, she moved to Los Angeles sometime in the late 1970's and lived a quiet life.
In a 1993 telephone interview with Robin Leach, Bettie revealed that she was unaware of her resurgence, telling him that she was "penniless and infamous."
In a late-1990s interview, Page stated she would not allow any current pictures of her to be shown because of concerns about her weight. She finally engaged legal help to recoup some of the royalties due for the hundreds of her images.
Bulletin: Los Angeles, December 12, 2008: Bettie Page dies in LA after heart attack
The most famous 1950s pin-up girl Bettie Page has died, in a coma at a Los Angeles hospital. Bettie was 85.
Page was placed on life support last week after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles and never regained consciousness, said her agent, Mark Roesler. He said he and Page's family agreed to remove life support.
Before the heart attack, Page had been hospitalized for three weeks in critical condition with pneumonia.
Actress Gretchen Mol portrayed her in 2005's "The Notorious Bettie Page" and Paige Richards had the role in 2004's
"Bettie Page: Dark Angel." Page herself took part in the 1998 documentary "Betty Page: Pinup Queen."
Page, a secretary turned model, is credited with helping set the stage for the sexual revolution of the rebellious 1960s. She attracted national attention with magazine photographs of her sensuous figure that were tacked up on walls across the country. Her photos included a centerfold in the January 1955 issue of then-fledgling Playboy magazine, as well as controversial sadomasochistic poses. In 1951, Page fell under the influence of a photographer and his sister who specialized in S&M. They cut her hair into the dark bangs that became her signature and posed her in spiked heels and little else. She was photographed with a whip in her hand, and in one session she was spread-eagled between two trees, her feet dangling. "I thought my arms and legs would come out of their sockets," she said later.
Page later spent decades away from the public eye, and during that time battled mental illness and became a born-again Christian. After resurfacing in the 1990s, she granted interviews, but refused to allow her picture to be taken.
Her photos included a centerfold in the January 1955 issue of then-fledgling Playboy magazine, as well as controversial sadomasochistic poses.
"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 on Thursday. "She was a very dear person."
Hefner said he last saw Page when he held a screening of "The Notorious Bettie Page" at the Playboy Mansion.
He said she objected to the fact that the film referred to her as "notorious," but "we explained to her that it referred to the troubled times she had and was a good way to sell a movie."
Looking back on the career that followed, she told Playboy in 1998: "I never thought it was shameful. I felt normal. It's just that it was much better than pounding a typewriter eight hours a day, which gets monotonous."
Nudity didn't bother her, she said, explaining: "God approves of nudity. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they were naked as jaybirds."
Julie's first major film role, for which she was billed as "Julie Newmeyer", was as one of the brides in Seven Brides for SevenBrothers (1954). Her 90-second Broadway appearance as the leggy "Stupefyin' Jones" in the musical Li'l Abner in 1956 led to a reprise in the 1959 film version.
Newmar also appeared on Broadway in the non-musical 1961 play, The Marriage-Go-Round, which starred Claudette Colbert and won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. Later she appeared on stage with Anthony Newley in a national tour of Stop the World - I Want to Get Off and as "Lola" in Damn Yankees!
Newmar also appeared on Broadway in the non-musical 1961 play, The Marriage-Go-Round, which starred Claudette Colbert. She re-developed the stock character role of the sexy Swedish vixen and won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. Later she appeared on stage with Anthony Newley in a national tour of Stop the World - I Want to Get Off and as "Lola" in Damn Yankees!.
Julie Newmar will probably always be best-known for her 13-episode recurring role on the 1960s TV Batman, as the "purrfect" villainess, Catwoman.
Much of Newmar's fame stems from her television career, especially her roles in certain well-remembered television series. Newmar starred as "Rhoda the Robot" in the short-lived TV series MyLiving Doll (1964-1965). The 1995 film To WongFoo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar pays homage to the actress; Newmar herself makes a cameo appearance near the film's end.
