Dorothy Stratten

Dorothy Stratten
Stratten in 1979
Born	Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten (1960-02-28)February 28, 1960 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Died	August 14, 1980(1980-08-14) (aged 20) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Gunshot wound
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupations	Model actress
Spouse	Paul Snider ​ ​ (m. 1979; sep. 1980)​
Playboy centerfold appearance
August 1979
Preceded by	Dorothy Mays
Succeeded by	Vicki McCarty
Playboy Playmate of the Year
1980
Preceded by	Monique St. Pierre
Succeeded by	Terri Welles

Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten (February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980), known professionally as Dorothy Stratten, was a Canadian model and actress, primarily known for her appearances as a Playboy Playmate. Stratten was the Playboy Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Playmate of the Year in 1980,^[1] and appeared in three comedy films and in several episodes of TV shows broadcast on American networks. Dorothy was murdered shortly after co-starring in the movie They All Laughed, at the age of 20, by her estranged husband and manager Paul Snider, whom she was in the process of divorcing and breaking business ties with. Snider committed suicide after he killed Stratten.

Stratten's death inspired two movies, a book, and several songs: the 1981 TV movie Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story, the 1983 theatrical motion picture Star 80,^[2] the book The Killing of the Unicorn, and songs such as "The Best Was Yet to Come" by Bryan Adams, and "Cover Girl" by Prism.^{[citation needed]}