Darine Stern (November 16, 1947 – February 5, 1994) was an American model and the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

model featured on the cover of ''

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 by herself.

Biography

Stern was the first

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

woman to appear by herself on the cover of ''Playboy'' magazine in the October 1971 issue. Her appearance followed

Jean Bell Jean Bell (born Annie Lee Morgan on November 23, 1944) is a former ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month, and one of the first African American women to feature in this role. She later had a career as an actress in movies, most prominently in '' TNT ...

who was featured on the magazine's January 1970 cover, though with four other models. She began her career in the late 1960s as a bank teller and hostess for the Top of the Hancock Building Restaurant. There she acquired various well known admirers and her soon-to-be-husband, David Ray. During the time that she was a bank teller a photographer visiting her bank asked to take her photograph. Images he took came to the attention of the Playboy editorial team, which resulted in her being chosen to appear on the cover of the magazine. After marrying Ray, she settled for a time into the role of being a dentist's wife, and stepmother to Ray's son. In the course of time, she went to New York City to further her modelling career, and she and Ray divorced. Following her cover on ''Playboy'', Stern went on to become a high-profile model, being represented by

Ford Models Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford. Company Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eileen ...

, Nina Blanchard, Ellen Harth and

Shirley Hamilton Models Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

of Chicago and New York, even doing some European runways. After a short time in Los Angeles, she returned to Chicago to work as a fashion director, image consultant and costume designer. She created Darine Stern Agency to foster the careers of emerging models. She died on February 5, 1994, due to complications of breast cancer.

References

1994 deaths 1947 births African-American Playboy Playmates 1970s Playboy Playmates African-American female models 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American people {{US-model-stub