About Me
Lions and Tigers and Bettie Page, oh my!
She was born Bettie Mae Page on April 22,1923 in Nashville,Tennessee. Bettie was the second child in a family of six.Her father often got into trouble and when Bettie was 5,he got a young girl pregnant and was jailed for stealing a car.When her mother divorced him in 1933,Bettie found herself in a single-mother family in the midst of the depression.Unable to make ends meet,her mother was forced to place three of the children,including Bettie,in an orphanage.After about a year,she rejoined her mother but their living conditions never improved.
In high school Bettie was a member and program director of the Dramatics Club, secretary treasurer of the Student Council, co-editor of the school’s newspaper and yearbook; she was even voted "Most Likely to Succeed." As the Salutatorian of her class, Bettie won a $100 scholarship to Peabody College where she studied education while dreaming of becoming an actress.
Education: Bachelor of Arts degree from Peabody College.
Marriages: Billy Neal (1943 - 1947), Armond Walterson (1958 - 1963) and Harry Lear (1967 - 1972) Children: none.
With locks as dark as midnight and a smile as bright as day, Bettie Page was much more than a beautiful pinup model, she was simply the best.
A legend as much today as during her modeling days, every facet of Bettie's life and personality captures the interest and devotion of the thousands of fans that followed her career until the day of her mysterious disappearance.
Bettie's numerous contradictions undoubtedly added to her charismatic personality. Nice and naughty, shy and daring, simple and exotic.
Bettie shone with a freshness never before seen in the modeling industry. Without elaborate props, costumes, or set-dressings, Bettie produced some of the most beautiful shots to ever grace the covers of hundreds of magazines. Bettie's smoothly tanned skin, deep blue eyes and coal-black hair with her trademark bangs, were enough inspiration to spark the imagination of even the least experienced photographers. Her "girl next door" look and innocent smile only complemented that explosive combination of features.
In February 1943, Bettie married her boyfriend of two years, Billy Neal. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from Peabody College, Bettie moved to San Francisco to be with Billy. It was in San Francisco that Bettie got her first modeling job at a local furrier where Bettie modeled fur coats for clients. For the next few years, the free-spirited Bettie traveled from San Francisco to Nashville to Miami, even to Portau-Prince, Haiti, where she fell in love with the country and its culture. Back in the United States, in November 1947, Bettie filed for divorce from Billy and moved to New York.
In 1950, during a walk along the Coney Island shore, Bettie met Jerry Tibbs, a police officer with an interest in photography. Tibbs took pictures of Bettie and put together her first pinup portfolio. Little did Bettie know how much her life was about to change. Tibbs introduced Bettie to numerous other photographers including Cass Carr who organized outdoor photographic sessions, which Bettie intensely enjoyed. In a matter of months, Bettie’s modeling career had taken off. Camera clubs led to posing for various magazines such as Wink, Eyeful, Titter, and Beauty Parade. But it wasn’t until her photographs were published in Robert Harrison’s magazines that Bettie became a pinup star beyond comparison.
In 1953, Bettie auditioned for an apprenticeship at Sea Cliff Summer Theater in Long Island where she studied acting under the tutelage of Herbert Berghoff. With Berghoff’s encouragement, Bettie secured several roles in various New York productions as well as various television appearances. Her off-Broadway productions included "Time is a Thief" and "Sunday Costs Five Pesos". Bettie even appeared in the Jackie Gleason show.
In January 1955, she was the centerfold in Playboy’s January issue. In 1955, Bettie won the title "Miss Pinup Girl of the World." She was even named the "Girl with the Perfect Figure," with her photographs appearing in everything from record albums to playing cards.
While living and working in New York,Bettie often returned to Florida. During these trips south, she frequently posed for photographers Jan Caldwell, H.W. Hannau, and Bunny Yeager who often featured Bettie outdoors, in boats, and at the beach. In 1957, Bettie left New York for good and moved to Florida, her modeling career would end at the top of its popularity. On November 26, 1958, Bettie married her second husband, Armond Walterson. During the following months, Bettie tried numerous jobs, and she traveled to numerous states including California, Tennessee, Illinois, and Oregon. In 1963, Bettie divorced Armond. She would later marry Harry Lear, a marriage that also ended in divorce.
Through the 1980s and the 1990s, Bettie Page re-surged as a modeling icon. The media, intrigued by her mysterious disappearance launched a countrywide search for Bettie. Comic books soon featured characters that resembled Bettie, contemporary artists such as Olivia De Berardinis , Dave Stevens, and Robert Blue immortalized their idol with their powerful images.
Today, Bettie is enjoying her private life with her family. Bettie's undeniable influence is present still today in fashion, films, and magazines just to name a few. The dark-haired girl from Nashville has become a living legend, a modern icon, a symbol of beauty and femininity that transcends ordinary standards. In the heart of her adoring fans, Bettie will forever remain the queen of pinup.
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The year was 1957. I was lifeguarding in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, one of a dozen Ocean City, Maryland Beach Patrol nomads who made the sunshine state pilgrimage in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
There weren't many lives to save in the calm waves off this party town that one of the guys dubbed, "Ft. Liquordale." The beach was the focal point of social activity, and pretty girls were as bountiful as seashells on a shoreline that stretched more than five miles from Port Everglades to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. But of all the girls I had seen in my six-month beach tenure, none were more beautiful nor more stunning than Bettie Page.-- Ellsworth Boyd
Skin Diver 50th Anniversary Edition
