Azizi Johari is the pseudonym of an African American model and actress who featured as ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine's Playmate of the Month in June 1975.

Career

Azizi Johari was born in New York on 24 August, 1948. After some years of wandering, due to her military father's career, the family settled in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, where she attended high school and college. While still in school, she and two friends formed a singing group called The Marvelles and put out a single, "Call Me Back". Later she moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and became a stewardess with

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

. She also joined the Black Arts West theatre group and had parts in ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chi ...

'', ''

Black Girl Black women are women of sub-Saharan African and Afro-diasporic descent, as well as women of Australian Aboriginal and Melanesian descent. The term 'Black' is a racial classification of people, the definition of which has shifted over time and a ...

'' and ''Ladies in Waiting'', before gaining an unlisted part in the 1974 film ''

McQ ''McQ'' is a 1974 American Panavision neo-noir crime action film directed by John Sturges and starring John Wayne. It costars Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur, and Al Lettieri, and features Colleen Dewhurst, Clu Gulager, David Huddleston, Julian Chri ...

''. Around this time she began using the pseudonym Azizi Johari, using the

Kiswahili Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili ...

for "precious jewel", and asserted her African good looks on the 1973 poster ''Supernatural Dream''. Here she is featured as sitting on the ground with her head haloed in an enormous

Afro The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...

wig. Among other admirers of the poster was

Sammy Davis Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

, who eventually featured Azizi in his touring show. She then made her breakthrough when she was photographed in the nude as Playmate of the Month for June 1975 and in the following year was featured kneeling naked on the sleeve of

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

's LP, '' Musical Massage''. Her name and pictures now began to appear in gossip magazines aimed at African-American representation such as '' Jet'' and '' Players''. In the latter she featured several times on the cover between 1978-80. Her 5 foot 6 inches in height and vital statistics of 36-24-37 also gained her TV appearances and small parts in a number of films between 1976-81. One of these, however, the science fiction suspense film "Assassins in Time", to which she was reported as "enlisted" in 1979, never appeared.

Filmography

*''

'' (1974) * '' Rocky II'' (1976) as ringside girl * ''

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie ''The Killing of a Chinese Bookie'' is a 1976 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. A rough and gritty film, this is the second of their three collaborations, following ''Husbands'' and pre ...

'' (1976) as Rachel * '' Dreamer'' (1979) as Lady, a travelling pool hustler * ''Seed of Innocence'' (a.k.a. Teen Mothers, 1980) as Denise * '' Exit Sunset Boulevard'' (1980) * '' Body and Soul'' (1981) as Pussy Willow

TV

* ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...

'', episode "Clark Templeton O'Flaherty" (1975) as Girl * ''

The Richard Pryor Show ''The Richard Pryor Show'' is an American comedy variety show starring and created by Richard Pryor. It premiered on NBC on Tuesday, September 13, 1977, at 8 p.m. opposite ABC's '' Laverne & Shirley'' and ''Happy Days''. The show was produced ...

'', featured as "Blueberry"(1977) * ''

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

TV Special'' (1977)''Jet'' 10, November 1977
p.24
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johari, Azizi 1970s Playboy Playmates African-American Playboy Playmates African-American female models 1948 births Living people Actresses from Seattle 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women

Career

Filmography

TV

See also

References

External links