Marilyn Cole

When Marilyn Cole made her way to the Playboy Club in London, England from her hometown of Portsmouth, she hoped the manager wouldn’t use her lack of modeling experience as a reason to not hire her. “I’ve done a bit of modeling— mostly for fashion shows back home in Portsmouth. On the whole, I don’t enjoy being photographed it gets very boring,” said the English brunette during her interview. “I was also afraid my legs were too thin.” Her legs were perfect for her five-foot, eight-inch frame and her all-natural DD-cup chest made her stand out amongst the other Bunny candidates who applied for the position at the London Club. She was hired and was asked right away about becoming a Playmate—we know how to spot a good model with loads of potential when we see one. “I’m not the right size,” responded Marilyn about becoming our Miss January 1972, sending us into shock. “Most of the models I know have no boobs at all, or at least not big ones.” Once we managed to catch our breath, we realized Marilyn had no idea just how beautiful she really was. After becoming a Bunny and eventually our public relations officer, her self-esteem grew as she excelled, leading her to accept our Miss January 1972 offer. “My first reaction was that I couldn't possibly handle the job. When I took the job, I figured that if it didn’t work out, I could always get back into my Bunny Costume,” she says of being our Playmate of the Month. “But, now that I'm getting the hang of it, it's turning out to be lots of fun. I really love it. After all, this is a marvelous career opportunity, isn’t it?” We couldn’t have agreed more especially after voting Marilyn our first and only British Playmate of the Year. Our voluptuous Miss 1973 experienced a flurry of emotions when she heard the good news, but she was especially excited to her that her PMOY photoshoot would take her to various countries this travel junkie had never been to. “Of course, we had to avoid the tourist areas while we were shooting nudes. We’d probably have been chased away or detained such as Crete, where my gatefold was taken,” says Marilyn, our first-ever full-frontal centerfold. “I never really expected this—becoming Playmate of the Year. Now that I’ve been given this lovely Volvo sports car, I guess I’ll have to learn to drive. In London, I’ve never had the need to; but it will be fun to have my own car and motor out into the countryside.” Playboy has not only had an impact on Marilyn’s lifestyle and career, but also, her love life. Her beauty and her lovely personality drew in heavyweights within Playboy—Hugh M. Hefner and Playboy Enterprises’ president, Victor Lownes both vied for the attention of our Miss 1973. Choosing one to date wasn’t a decision she took lightly—Marilyn was looking for her true love, her match made in Playboy heaven. She found that in Victor. The two were soon married and now split their time between London and New York City. “Getting involved with Playboy—both the Clubs and the magazine—has been wonderful for me,” gushes Marilyn Cole.