Debra Jo Fondren, a stunning blonde beauty, was born on February 5, 1955, in Los Angeles, California. At the time, she was working as a waitress at Gallaghers in Beaumont, Texas, when she caught the attention of "Playboy" photographer Robert Scott Hooper during her lunch at the Desert Inn Hotel on her first trip to Las Vegas.
Fondren's striking features, including her incredibly long, golden blonde hair that cascaded down her knees, earned her the title of Playmate of the Month in the September 1977 issue of "Playboy." The following year, she was named Playmate of the Year, solidifying her status as a Playboy icon.
After her Playboy stint, Fondren pursued an acting career, making guest appearances on popular TV shows such as "Mork & Mindy," "The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo," "Fantasy Island," and "Knots Landing." She also had a small part in the comedy "Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter" and a co-starring role in the tongue-in-cheek action picture "Spitfire."
Fondren's film and TV credits were complemented by her work in stage productions of plays such as "Bus Stop," "M.A.S.H.," "Play It Again, Sam," and "Death Takes a Holiday." Her acting career was marked by a mix of comedic and dramatic roles, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
In the early 1980s, Fondren became a born-again Christian, which led her to shift her focus away from modeling and acting. Instead, she continued to work as a registered nurse at various hospitals in the Los Angeles area.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Fondren made appearances at Glamourcon conventions and continued to model, sporting shoulder-length red hair in her "Playboy" videos. In 2004, she stopped participating in Playboy promotions, citing the emphasis on sex.
Today, Fondren lives in Beaumont, Texas, and works as an instructor at the Southwest Texas Career Institute, where she shares her expertise with students.
