Lori Jo Hendrix was born on November 25 in Ojai, California, a picturesque town surrounded by mountains north of Ventura. As the youngest of three children, she spent her early years horseback riding, swimming, trekking, and going to the beach. After graduating high school, Lori studied cosmetology and worked as a cosmetologist for nine years before retiring to pursue a career in modeling.
She started her modeling career by participating in several local designers' swimwear fashion shows, trade shows, and features in posters and catalogs. Lori eventually joined the Southern California "bikini contest" circuit, winning the title of "Miss Fiesta Del Sol" at the Ventura County Fair two years in a row.
Lori's modeling career took her to various places, including Hawaii, Mexico, Israel, and Florida, where she worked as a ring girl for boxing under the direction of Pat Lacey, known as the "Bunny Mother" and head of Playmate Promotions. She appeared on the Leeza Gibbons show with her father and other actresses and models in an episode that dealt with how fathers felt about their daughters appearing nude in magazines or movies.
Lori is best known for her work with Playboy and some of her "B" film work, which has a cult following. She participated in a Jewish Big Brothers of Los Angeles charity event with Playboy magazine and was one of the Playboy Bunnies in the Jenny McCarthy "Playmate of the Year" TV commercial. She appeared in several bikini and ski bunny posters, as well as a lingerie catalog, Très Chic, and was featured in Easy Rider magazine as both the cover girl and one of its calendar girls.
Throughout her modeling and acting career, Lori appeared in the pages of Playboy Special Editions alongside models and actresses such as Anna Nicole Smith, Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Suzi Simpson, Petra Verkaik, Shannon Lee Tweed, and Cindy Margolis. She has been published in Playboy approximately 30 times throughout the 90's and early 2000's, as well as in several Playboy video productions.
Lori has worked alongside Jeff Conaway (Taxi) and had the privilege of seeing Steven Spielberg at work while on the set of Jack as an extra. She also had the distinction of working with great photographers and makeup artists such as Alexis Vogel, Michelle Vanderhule, and Missy Garland. On one occasion, Alexis' father, Ron Vogel, photographed Lori Jo. He is known internationally for his work with Max Factor, Playboy, and was one of the first to photograph Marilyn Monroe.
Lori eventually moved to San Francisco after falling in love with the city during a visit to a childhood friend who had moved there. After a few years, she moved to Argentina, where she spent half her life, and currently resides in Mexico City, Mexico.
On a more personal note, Lori has donated much of her life volunteering for various animal rescue organizations and rescuing animals from the street on her own. Her favorite animals are cats, and she currently shares her home with two, one of which is a blood donor for a feline blood bank to help other cats in need.
