William Vassar Figge (March 25, 1919 – May 1976) was an American photographer who, along with his wife Melba, ran a photography

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

Biography

Figge was a combat photographer in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war, he failed to find work as a cinematographer, so he stayed with photography and specialised in

portraiture A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...

, shooting

weddings A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, denominations, countries, social classes, and sexual orientations. Most weddi ...

and contributing to ''

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. Notably, he discovered many

Playmate A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

s at weddings. Bill Figge, as he is sometimes called, shot 48

gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for gramophone record, LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½-inch 2.7-centimetresquare). ...

s and 3 covers. The couple ceased contributing to Playboy when the magazine became more risqué in the 1980s. Bill and Melba had three sons, (Greg, Stephan and Eric,) and one daughter (Leslie). Greg and Leslie run the studio that their parents began, Figge Studios. Eric, the only child to have formal education in photography, photographs architecture professionally. Figge died in Glendale, California, at the age of 57.

''Playboy'' centerfolds

*April 1965 - Sue Williams *May 1965 - Maria McBane *October 1965 -

Allison Parks Allison Parks (born Gloria Sharlene Waldron; October 18, 1941 – June 21, 2010) was an American model and actress. She was chosen as ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month in October 1965, and Playmate of the Year for 1966, appearing as ...

*1966 Playmate of Year - Allison Parks *June 1966 - Kelly Burke *July 1966 -

Tish Howard __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Playboy Playmates of 1966. ''Playboy'' magazine names their Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Judy Tyler (December 24, 1947, in Los Angeles, California, – June 18, 2013) was ' ...

*November 1966 - Lisa Baker *July 1967 - Heather Ryan *1967 Playmate of Year - Lisa Baker *November 1967 - Kaya Christian *December 1967 - Lynn Winchell *February 1968 - Nancy Harwood *March 1968 -

Michelle Hamilton __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Playboy Playmates of 1968. ''Playboy'' magazine names its Playboy Playmate, Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Connie Kreski (September 19, 1946 – March 21, 1995), an American m ...

*April 1968 -

Gaye Rennie __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Playboy Playmates of 1968. ''Playboy'' magazine names its Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Connie Kreski (September 19, 1946 – March 21, 1995), an American model and actress, ...

*September 1968 - Dru Hart *February 1969 - Lorrie Menconi *April 1969 - Lorna Hopper *July 1969 - Nancy McNeil *January 1970 - Jill Taylor *March 1970 - Chris Koren *June 1970 -

Elaine Morton __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Playboy Playmates of 1970. ''Playboy'' magazine names their Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Jill Taylor (born October 14, 1951, in Van Nuys, California) is an American model. She ...

*August 1970 - Sharon Olivia Clark *1971 Playmate of Year - Sharon Olivia Clark *June 1972 - Debbie Davis *August 1972 - Linda Summers *March 1973 -

Bonnie Large __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Playboy Playmates of 1973. ''Playboy'' magazine names their Playboy Playmate, Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Miki Garcia (born February 17, 1947, in Kingman, Arizona) is an Ame ...

*August 1973 - Phyllis Coleman *October 1973 - Valerie Lane *March 1974 - Pamela Zinszer *September 1975 - Mesina Miller *May 1979 - Michele Drake

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Figge, William 1919 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American photographers American military personnel of World War II