but I know I could never ever be compared to her.
But I’m sure gonna try. I just want
to make people smile and be happy.
I just want people to love me
before I die"
- Anna Nicole Smith
She was born Vickie Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967 in Houston, Texas. Anna Nicole was the daughter of Donald Eugene Hogan (born July 12, 1947) and Virgie Mae Tabers (born July 12, 1951),who were married on February 22, 1967. Her father then left the family and Smith was raised by her mother and maternal aunt, Elaine. Virgie was subsequently married to Donald R. Hart. While growing up, Vickie told others she wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe. She failed her freshman year at Mexia High School in Mexia, Texas, dropped out of her sophomore year, and never progressed past an eighth grade education.
While working as a waitress at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken in Mexia, she met Billy Wayne Smith, who was the cook at the restaurant. The couple married in 1985. She was only 17 and he was 16. The next year, she gave birth to their son, Daniel Wayne Smith. She and Billy separated in 1987 and she moved to Houston with one-year-old Daniel. Initially, she found employment at Wal-Mart and later as a waitress at Red Lobster. She then became a stripper at a nightclub in Houston.After a breast enlargement (Anna insisted on having two implants inserted into each breast) and some cosmetic surgery, Anna was ready for the big time, and ironically, headed in the same direction as Marilyn Monroe (her idol). She entered the Playboy Cover Contest, and appeared on the cover of the magazine at the age of 24. Two years later, Anna was crowned 1993's Playmate of the Year, which although is an honor in itself, led Anna to bigger and better things. Thanks to her Playboy appearance, Guess? president Paul Marciano, also responsible for the modeling careers of Eva Herzigova, Josie Maran and Shana Zadrick, saw Anna's potential and cast her as a Guess? model.
She made her big screen debut in the 1994 slapstick comedy, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, followed by an appearance in The Hudsucker Proxy, starring Tim Robbins.
If audiences didn't catch Anna in these films, they surely heard of her questionable marriage to oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II -- 60 years her senior -- on the 27th of June 1994. Anna remained low-profile with her wheelchair-bound husband, until Marshall's death in 1995.
In 1996, the former Playmate filed for bankruptcy, after a former female assistant sued her for sexual harassment (she would have had to pay $850,000 U.S.). Although Marshall had left Anna with an inheritance, his heirs claimed that she could not receive what he left her, accusing her of mistreating him in his last few days and not marrying him for the right reasons. She was not mentioned in any of his wills, but claimed that he offered her half of his money, to speed up her decision to marry him. After a bitter court battle between Anna and Marshall's son, E. Pierce Marshall, Anna was rewarded $450 million in 2000.On August 4, 2002, the E! channel began airing its first season of The Anna Nicole Show. Although Anna had gained a considerable amount of weight, viewers tuned in to watch Anna make a fool of herself week after week. Before the second season started, producers of the show demanded that Anna drop some weight before shooting began, and with the help of TrimSpa, a supplement that claims to block fat from entering the body, Anna trimmed down significantly and reportedly lost 80 pounds. Although Anna Nicole looked great, The Anna Nicole Show was canceled in 2004.
Anna Nicole spent the next few years plagued with conflict. Her 20-year-old son, Daniel, died suddenly in 2006, and Anna was stuck in the middle of a suit to determine the paternity of her daughter, Dannielynn, in 2006 and 2007.Amidst all the conflict, on February 8, 2007, Anna Nicole was found unconscious in her Florida hotel room. She was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital
1967-2007
Marrying into money
was not a good
thing for me. - Anna Nicole Smith