As I reflect on the life of Anna Nicole Smith, I am deeply moved by her complex and tragic story. A woman who rose to fame as a model, actress, and reality star, she was undeniably captivating with her striking beauty and vivacious personality. Yet, beneath that glamorous exterior lay a soul tormented by the vicissitudes of life, a tale that was at once fascinating and heartbreaking.
Anna Nicole Smith left her mark in some unexpected places.
Originating from a humble background in rural Texas, I transformed into one of the renowned figures of the ’90s, gracing the covers of Playboy and Guess, as well as appearing on a reality show before it became a television staple. At 26, I tied the knot with a billionaire who was 89, a man I had encountered while working as a stripper. Over a decade after his passing in 2006, I found myself at the United States Supreme Court, still advocating for my inheritance rights.
It might be unexpected for those familiar with her childhood days in Mexia, given that Vickie Lynn Hogan left high school at 15 to work at a fast-food chicken joint, as she is now renowned.
Much like my beloved Marilyn Monroe rose above her simple start as Norma Jeane Mortenson, I’ve always envisioned myself in the glamorous footsteps of Anna Nicole Smith, who yearned for grander horizons beyond her humble beginnings as a regular girl.
And like Monroe, Smith never made it out of her thirties.
Smith, born on the 28th of November, 1967, was known for carrying several films featuring Monroe in her luggage. She openly disclosed possessing four of these movies during a talk show appearance on Live With Regis and Kathie Lee in 1993.
Inquired if it was accurate that she didn’t “reach her prime” until after the junior prom, Smith responded with a smile, “Not exactly, it wasn’t until I had my son that things really took off for me,” hinting at the measurements (36-28-38) that made her iconic as a centerfold. “People seem to have so many different versions of events; nobody seems to be getting it right.
Currently, she was discussing the backstory of her voluptuous figure, yet looking back, it was a surprisingly prophetic statement about the future, when individuals would fail to recognize the person behind the extravagant accessories that would soon engulf her.
In 1969, Nikki Hart’s parents Donald Hogan and Virgie Arthur got divorced. Later, when her mother remarried Donald Hart, she took on the surname Hart. Dropping out of high school in her teenage years, Nikki Hart married Billy Wayne Smith in 1985, at the age of 17. Their son, Daniel Smith, was born on January 22, 1986.
Standing tall at 5 feet 11 inches, she added nearly 90 pounds during pregnancy—yet when Kathie Lee Gifford inquired about how she managed to shed the weight and maintain her striking figure, Smith modestly admitted, “I don’t exercise.
Her significant milestone occurred when she graced the March 1992 cover of Playboy (known as Vickie Smith at the time), and in 1993, Hugh Hefner bestowed upon her the title of Playmate of the Year.
In a July 2017 interview with the magazine Paper, founder Paul Marciano recalled his initial encounter with Smith, which took place not long after her debut on Playboy.
“I found her in San Antonio. I was shooting GUESS Kids and she came with her son Daniel,” he said. “I said, ‘Who are you?’ She said she was a waitress at Red Lobster. Everything I asked her she called me ‘sir.’ She had never done pictures before. I had the kids’ photographer shoot her on the spot. I took her to New York and got her an agent and changed her name. To me, she was Anna, but Anna Smith did not sound right so we did Anna Nicole Smith.”
In the whirlwind of excitement, I can’t help but revel in the fact that I, just like Smith, have become the chosen one to represent a renowned brand, following in the iconic footsteps of Claudia Schiffer. My role is not just any ordinary model gig; I’m here to revolutionize the industry by embracing and promoting an authentic (yet fantastically enhanced) physique that stands out amidst the waifs who were all the rage during the grunge era. It’s a thrill, an honor, and a dream come true!
In an interview on Live in 1993, Smith (now known as Anna Nicole) concurred that many women might find common ground with her stature.
In my own narrative, I started off my acting journey with a single line in “The Hudsucker Proxy.” Moreover, after almost four decades since my parents’ divorce in 1969, I embarked on an emotional reunion with my biological father. Utilizing the service known as Birth Parents, I was able to locate him within a week.
Without disclosing her identity or using her married name, Smith escorted him to Los Angeles. Upon arrival, he exclaimed, “Oh my god, I’ve recognized you!” she reminisced, chuckling awkwardly while also feeling a tinge of embarrassment. “In the Playboy,” she clarified, leaving Regis and Kathie Lee speechless.
Larry Birkhead, Anna Nicole’s ex-boyfriend and Dannielynn Birkhead’s father, shared memories with ABC News in 2017. He described her journey as follows: “Originally from Texas, she went from working at a chicken restaurant to acting alongside famous Hollywood stars.
Smith’s stardom was quickly ascending, but less than a year afterward, her fairytale journey unexpectedly veered into the unusual.
In 1993, Smith divorced her husband Billy, and the year after, she wed J. Howard Marshall, a Texas oil tycoon whom she had known for years while working at a nightclub. She claimed their union was out of love rather than financial gain. Speaking to ABC News in 2000, she expressed that Marshall rescued her from a difficult situation and cared for both her and her son; in return, she took care of him, and they shared a deep affection for each other.
In 1995, Marshall passed away, and subsequently, Smith filed a lawsuit claiming half of the deceased’s $1.6 billion estate. This move infuriated Marshall’s heirs, as she was not mentioned in his will. However, Smith argued that although he didn’t create a provision for her in the will, Marshall had intended to establish a trust for her benefit, similar to the one he had previously created for his family.
E. Pierce Marshall, Marshall’s son who received nearly all of the estate, contended that his father had already shown sufficient generosity towards his extravagant spouse, bestowing her with numerous presents and maintaining an opulent lifestyle for her.
A lawsuit for sexual harassment, brought by Smith’s nanny against Smith, led to a judgment of $800,000 against her because she failed to attend several depositions. This financial burden prompted Smith to file for bankruptcy in California. Subsequently, Pierce lodged a claim of defamation against Smith’s bankruptcy proceedings, due to his resentment over her accusations that he had obstructed his father’s wishes and prevented Smith from establishing a trust, thereby isolating the elderly man.
Struggling financially and deeply in debt, Smith found herself frequently consuming excessive amounts of pain medication, which ultimately led to a coma following an overdose. She sought help at the Betty Ford Center for recovery, but by early 1996, she had relapsed from her sobriety. As reported in a 2011 profile in New York magazine, one of her breast implants ruptured and caused one of her nipples to tear apart. The pain associated with reconstructive surgery led her back to using painkillers again.
At roughly the same period, she parted ways with William Morris Agency and joined a modest law office in Beverly Hills for representation. One of the firm’s partners was lawyer Howard K. Stern, who would become an integral part of Anna Nicole’s narrative moving forward.
In October 2006, a federal bankruptcy judge in California ruled in favor of Smith, determining that Pierce had intentionally tried to prevent Smith from accessing Marshall’s wealth. The judge granted Smith approximately $449 million, along with an additional $25 million in damages against Pierce. However, this amount was later reduced to around $88 million.
In a Texas state probate court trial, it was initially decided that Smith would receive something. However, this outcome was later overturned as the bankruptcy court sought to take precedence. Consequently, Pierce challenged this decision in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, where the award was significantly reduced to $88 million, reflecting Marshall’s presumed promise to split half of his earnings during their relationship with Smith.
Not satisfied, Pierce took it to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
During this period, Smith’s legal issues related to drugs and the constant attention from the media surrounding her court cases slowly eroded her image as a glamorous celebrity.
She had a memorable role as the bad guy’s seductive girlfriend in 1994’s Naked Gun 33 1/3 and starred as an ex-CIA agent in the 1995 B-thriller To the Limit, but that was the end of her movie career in the 1990s. She wouldn’t shoot another film until Illegal Aliens, which came out after she died at the age of 39 on Feb. 8, 2007, of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
Marciano shared with Paper that she possessed a captivating charm, yet there was an underlying delicacy about her. As her success grew and she gained recognition, her struggles became apparent. She began to use sleeping pills and combine them with alcohol, which I found too difficult to handle in our professional relationship. Eventually, I ended things by saying, ‘That’s enough.’ From then on, it seems she encountered the wrong crowd, and that may have been her downfall.
By 2002, when she appeared on the TV show “The Anna Nicole Show” on TopMob, she had become a fascinating figure in pop culture. Despite its short run of only 14 episodes, the show left an indelible mark due to scenes where a seemingly incoherent Smith spoke unintentionally humorous lines and seemed to be talking underwater while managing her daily tasks. As a result, she gained more notoriety for her eccentric behavior rather than any traditional professional achievements.
In 2004, during the G-Phoria Awards, an unexpected mishap occurred with my gown – my sleeve gave way and my entire torso became exposed. I quickly covered myself with my hand, but maintained a composed demeanor. That same year, I had the honor of featuring in Kanye West’s “The New Workout Plan” video, which led to the memorable question, “Is this what you like?” at the Billboard Music Awards, as I introduced the exceptional rapper with a bit of awkwardness.
2005 saw her participating in a wet t-shirt contest at the Freaky Tiki club in Myrtle Beach, S.C., which reportedly led to a heated argument with her boyfriend, Birkhead. Accounts of this altercation were initially posted on her personal website but were later removed.
Later on, Stern explained to MSNBC.com’s The Scoop that we removed the posts because we didn’t want Anna to be slandered on her own site. To clarify, he stated that she was wearing revealing outfits, she neither requested nor received any pills, and she wasn’t in a romantic relationship at that time.
What was undeniable was my reason for going there – it was to protect her as she didn’t feel secure. She encountered both kind and untrustworthy individuals in South Carolina, and I have reservations about their intentions. It’s fortunate that we managed to extract her before anything untoward occurred.” (Stern remarked.)
Birkhead stated on the show 20/20 that him and Smith were quite private as a couple. He explained, “Nobody ever realized I was her boyfriend.” Throughout their relationship, if you watch all the footage, I’m usually in the background with my camera bag…she preferred to keep me out of the limelight.
Meanwhile, the dispute in the case of Marshall vs. Marshall continued unabated. The U.S. Court of Appeals had sided with Pierce, ruling that Smith was not entitled to any compensation. In response, Smith’s legal team decided to escalate the matter by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court, which accepted the case for review in 2006.
After shedding an impressive 69 pounds while representing TrimSpa, Smith attended a hearing alongside Stern and Daniel in February. The Supreme Court unanimously decided, by a 9-0 vote, that Smith’s legal battle could persist, allowing her legal team to revisit the matter of her inheritance with a lower court once more.
Four months after E. Pierce Marshall’s passing, his wife pledged to vigorously oppose Anna Nicole from receiving even a single penny of J. Howard Marshall’s wealth.
But as it turned out, Smith was also pregnant at that Supreme Court hearing.
In the Bahamas on September 7, 2006, she went into labor and gave birth to her daughter Dannielynn Hope at a hospital in Nassau. Surprisingly, three days later, Daniel Smith passed away in the same hospital bed, next to her. At that time, he was only 19 years old.
Dr. Cyril Wecht, who was hired privately to perform a second autopsy on Daniel after the first one ended inconclusively, shared with People magazine that Daniel’s death was caused by a toxic mix of methadone, Zoloft, and Lexapro.
Smith was extremely heartbroken. In this sorrowful situation, both Stern and Birkhead were releasing contrasting statements asserting the paternity of Smith’s daughter.
Despite all the difficulties and hardships, she has been an exceptional and caring mother throughout,” Stern expressed during his interview on ‘Larry King Live’, following the demise of their son, Daniel.
According to Birkhead, at the funeral he found her attempting to enter the casket. Given how deeply connected Anna was with Daniel, he knew she wouldn’t have been capable of taking care of his daughter on her own, following Daniel’s passing.
Five months after Smith’s passing, Paul Marciano expressed in a statement that on a personal level, he believed she didn’t live beyond the grief of losing her cherished son, Daniel, who was the greatest love of her life.
In the aftermath of Anna Nicole’s death, Smith did not dispute that Stern was Dannielynn’s father. Since both he and Birkhead were competing for custody, it was DNA evidence that would be required to confirm paternity in a court of law. Other men, such as Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, also claimed to potentially be the father.
There was additionally a disagreement regarding where Smith’s remains should be laid to rest. Stern wished to choose the burial site as well, while Smith’s estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, desired to bring her daughter’s body back to Texas. In the end, Stern prevailed and Smith was buried alongside Daniel in the Bahamas.
Indeed, it was revealed that Birkhead is Dannielynn’s true father, and ever since then, he’s dedicated his life to nurturing her as a loving single parent. After the paternity test results were disclosed, he mentioned that Stern had been a helpful friend during that time. (He shared this with ABC News.)
When Dannielynn was 6 years old, she made an appearance in a Guess campaign as a tribute to her mother. However, apart from their yearly visits to the Kentucky Derby, her father generally kept her away from the limelight. (Dannielynn’s dad met Birkhead at the Barnstable-Brown Gala before the Kentucky Derby race while he was filming his TopMob show.)
Since turning 18 and bearing a striking resemblance to her mother now, it’s Dannielynn’s legal choice what to do next.
2010 saw Stern and two ex-doctors of Smith standing trial for allegations involving controlled substances. The main issue at the center of this trial was whether the defendants had illegally provided Smith with prescription drugs that led to her demise. Birkhead stated that Smith often said, “I’m hurting. I’m not a drug abuser.
In 2011, a judge dismissed almost all charges against psychiatrist Kristine Eroshevich, leaving only a minor offense standing. The reason for this decision was that the prosecution failed to provide enough evidence showing that Eroshevich and her colleague conspired intentionally to break the law when they obtained medications for Smith using false identities.
As a committed follower of the legal proceedings, I found myself witnessing an interesting twist in 2015. Although an appellate court had previously overturned the initial verdict, the same judge, remarkably, chose to dismiss the charges against Stern once more.
In an interview with TopMob News in April 2009, Donald Hogan, a devoted father, expressed his firm belief that Stern was entirely responsible for his daughter’s death. He explained, “Nobody forced her to take those drugs, but someone certainly brought them home. If she had objected to it, I would have advised her to tell someone else to get it instead.” (Sadly, Donald Hogan passed away in September 2009, and Virgie Arthur breathed her last in 2018.)
Back in 2011, I found myself once more grappling with the legal battle between Smith and Pierce Marshall, a battle that had been ongoing for two decades. This time, however, fate didn’t seem to favor me as the U.S. Supreme Court stepped back into the fray. In the end, they chose to close the chapter on this lengthy ordeal, ruling 5-4 in favor of an appellate court’s decision from years past. This judgment stated that the bankruptcy court lacked the authority to distribute that substantial sum to me all those years ago. As a result, in 2011, it became clear that the promise of a nine-figure windfall would remain just that—a promise unfulfilled for Dannielynn, my only remaining heir.
Birkhead, highlighting the fact that he didn’t draw funds from Smith’s inheritance, but instead sustained his daughter through his photography work and real estate ventures, expressed during a 2017 interview on 20/20 that he raised Dannielynn with the belief that “living lavishly isn’t always ideal. Stay vigilant about who’s in your circle…be virtuous, be compassionate. Contribute. You don’t have to be famous to aspire for greatness.
Essentially, Birkhead aimed to preserve the most valuable aspects of Anna Nicole’s legacy for their daughter, Dannielynn, and shield her as much as feasibly possible. This wasn’t only about safeguarding her from a destiny similar to her mother’s, but also from the potential hazards that could arise from inappropriate media attention.
In a sense, Smith’s impact transcended that of a captivating model, actress, and reality TV star whose life was cut tragically short. Her tale was brimming with unexpected turns and intrigue, making it irresistible to reinterpret in various forms. This was evident in the television movies like the 2007 production, “The Anna Nicole Smith Story,” starring Willa Ford, as well as the 2013 Lifetime presentation, “Anna Nicole,” with Agnes Brucker. The operatic adaptation, “Anna Nicole,” from 2011, and the 2012 documentary, “Addicted to Fame,” also made their mark, featuring haunting footage amassed during the production of “Illegal Aliens.
In May 2023, the Netflix documentary titled “Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me” certainly lived up to its name by shedding light on aspects of Anna Nicole Smith that were not widely known.
For nearly a decade, a significant portion of her audience remained unsure of how to engage with Smith during her lifetime, preferring to merely observe as she seemed to deteriorate, unaware of the exact nature of what they were witnessing. They likely assumed that nothing catastrophic would transpire in the end.
Smith’s tale, unfortunately, didn’t conclude happily. Instead, it serves as a warning, underscoring the fact that behind every camera lens, there is a genuine individual with their own story.
According to Birkhead, there was something unique about Anna. It seemed as though she had two distinct personalities: one for the camera and another that was the genuine individual. To him, her on-camera persona appeared more like an act rather than the true person she was off-camera.
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2024-11-28 16:19