Marilyn Cole – 1949
She might not have stayed in the spotlight for a long time, but Marilyn Cole still played a significant role in Playboy history. The former Bunny is credited for being the first woman to pose undressed for the magazine’s centerfold. That wasn’t her only claim to fame, though.
Cole, who married the late Playboy executive Victor Lownes, also posed for various album covers, including “Stranded” for the English rock band Roxy Music. She later went on to pursue a career in journalism but still looks back fondly on her days as a model. In 2021, she recalled in the podcast “Power: Hugh Hefner” that she felt “free” doing her unprecedented pictorial.
