Connie Kreski (September 19, 1946 – March 21, 1995) was born Constance Joanne Kornacki. She was an American model and actress. In January 1968, Kreski posed in the centerfold as ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' magazine's Playmate of the Month. She subsequently won Playmate of the Year honors for 1969. She was also Miss January 1969 in the Playboy calendar for that year and featured again in the 1970 calendar. Kreski briefly worked as a psychiatric care assistant at a hospital in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

before being discovered at a University of Michigan football game by a Playboy scou

Career

In April 1969, Kreski was signed by

Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, director, comedian, singer, and composer. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest ...

to play the female lead in the

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

film '' Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?'' The movie was shot in Malta and starred

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

, and George Jessel. She also appeared in ''The Trackers'', (1971), '' The Outside Man'' (1972), and ''

The Black Bird ''The Black Bird'' is a 1975 comedy film written and directed by David Giler and starring George Segal and Stéphane Audran. It is a comedic sequel to the John Huston film version of The Maltese Falcon (1941 film), ''The Maltese Falcon'' (1941) ...

'' (1975). In Europe, Kreski also got a name for being photographed by Frank Habicht. This German photographer memorably recorded

Swinging London The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London denoted as its centre. It saw a flourishing in ...

, including the time Kreski lived there.

Personal life

''Los Angeles Times'' writer Joyce Haber mentioned Kreski in a newspaper column just days after the murder of Sharon Tate by followers of

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...

. Kreski was a member of the murdered actress's social circle, and considered Sharon Tate, who was quite similar in physical appearance, a very close friend. Kreski was among those invited to the mansion Tate shared with her husband, director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

, on the fatal night of August 9, 1969. Kreski penned an article for the

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

discussing her immediate reaction to the death of Tate roughly a week after the incident

From 1971 to 1975, she was in a romantic relationship with

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award an ...

Death

Kreski died of a blocked

carotid artery Carotid artery may refer to: * Common carotid artery, often "carotids" or "carotid", an artery on each side of the neck which divides into the external carotid artery and internal carotid artery * External carotid artery, an artery on each side of ...

on March 21, 1995, in Beverly Hills, California.

Film and television appearances

* '' Lost Flight'' (1969) - Australian's Wife * '' Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?'' (1969) - Mercy Humppe * '' Ironside'' (1969) –
A Matter of Love and Death
as Arlene * ''

The Bold Ones ''The Bold Ones'' is the umbrella title for several television series. It was produced by Universal Television and broadcast on NBC from 1969 to 1973. It was a wheel series, wheel format series, an NBC programming approach also used by that net ...

'' - Waitress (one episode, 1969) * ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'' Love and the Big Night/Love and Those Poor Crusaders' Wives/Love and the V.I.P. Restaurant
--> (1970) TV episode - "Love and the V.I.P. Restaurant" *
The Trackers
' (1971, TV) - Becky Paxton * '' The Outside Man'' (1972) - Rosie * ''

'' (1975) - Decoy Girl * '' Captains and the Kings'' (1976) TV miniseries - Pearl Gray *
Aspen
' (1977, TV miniseries) - Jackie Camerovsky

References

Burlington, North Carolina Burlington is a city in Alamance County, North Carolina, Alamance and Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the principal city of the Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which en ...

, "She's on Her Way to Stardom, But Mom's on Tranqulizers", April 30, 1969, Page 58. *

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropol ...

''Morning News'', "Star Chat, Tough Talk from James Caan", January 6, 1974, Page 44. *''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', ''Movie Call Sheet'', April 15, 1968, Page C21. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Venus of the Centerfold", July 13, 1969, Page K22. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Playmate of the Year Ceremonies Present", May 15, 1969, Page D21. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Living in Era of Uncommon Barbarity", August 12, 1969, Page C11. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Lived The Part, How James Caan Became Godson", May 30, 1972, Page G1. * Photobook: 'As it was, frank habicht's sixties'. Edited by Hatje Cantz Verlag, Berlin, in 2018. ISBN 978-3-7757-4490-4.

External links