Born 1950 as Barbara Lynn Klein in New York City, Barbi Benton began to model at the age of 16, and at age 18 took a job with Playboy to appear on their entertainment show Playboy After Dark. She appeared on the cover of Playboy four times: July 1969, March 1970, May 1972, and December 1985. Though she was featured in a number of photo-essays, she was never a Playmate of the Month. She landed a spot on television’s Hee Haw doing short comedy sketches, and subsequently enjoyed a career as a country singer.
Benton also began acting, and appeared in the West German comedy film The Naughty Cheerleader (1970), before appearing as a featured repeat performer on a number of popular television series, including The Bobby Vinton Show in 1976, The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.
Benton lived with Hefner from 1969 until 1976 and is known for discovering the Playboy Mansion West, where Hefner resided until his death in 2017. Years later, when the television series The Girls Next Door visited her in Aspen, Colorado, she expressed gratitude that the two had remained friends.
Benton left Hee Haw after four seasons to concentrate on a more Hollywood-oriented career. She also starred in the short-lived 1977 ABC-TV comedy series Sugar Time! and in films including the slasher Hospital Massacre (1982).
Benton achieved some success as a recording artist. Her record “Brass Buckles” (1975) was a top-five hit on Billboard’s country singles chart. She has recorded eight albums, the last of which she personally produced in 1979, and also composed the songs, sang them, and played piano. One of her better-known songs was “Ain’t That Just the Way” (1976).
Take a look at these fabulous photos to see portrait of a young Barbi Benton in the 1970s and 1980s.
