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Vickie Lynn Marshall (born '''Vickie Lynn Hogan''' on November 28 , 1967 ), better known as '''Anna Nicole Smith''', is an American Actress and Model who first gained popularity as '' Playboy '' magazine's 1993 Playmate of the Year. Her career and public image subsequently suffered as her weight gain and bizarre antics were put on display in supermarket tabloids and in her short-lived reality television show. More recently, Smith slimmed down and became the spokesperson for a weight loss supplement. Her highly publicized marriage to oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall , 63 years her senior, resulted in a lengthy and ongoing legal battle over his estate following his death. Her case, '' Marshall V. Marshall '', reached the U.S. Supreme Court in February, 2006, on a narrow constitutional issue over the right of a federal judge to intervene in a state Probate case. On May 1, 2006, Smith won the Supreme Court case 9-0, which boosts her chances of getting a larger share of her late husband's estate. EARLY LIFE Anna Nicole Smith was born in Houston , Texas . When she was very young, her family moved to Mexia , Texas a small town 127 Km (79 Mi ) south of Dallas . Her father left the family when Anna was a child and she was raised by her mother and aunt. While growing up, Anna told others that she wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe . Smith worked at a fried chicken restaurant in her late teens, where she is rumored to have married an unidentified cook. In 1985 , she married Billy Smith at the age of 17. That same year, she gave birth to her first child, Daniel Smith. In 1987 , she divorced Billy and became a single mother. In her early 20s, before becoming an exotic dancer, Smith worked at a variety of low-paying jobs while supporting her son Daniel. While working as an exotic dancer at a nightclub in Houston under various names including Nikki, Robin and Anna Nicole, she met oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall , a frequent customer of the strip club. With Marshall’s money, Smith had cosmetic surgery to Increase Her Breast Size . ''PLAYBOY'' AND MODELLING CAREER Smith's career took off after appearing on the cover of the March 1992 issue '' Playboy '' magazine wearing a low-cut evening gown. She secured a contract to replace supermodel Claudia Schiffer in the Guess? jeans ad campaign in a series of sultry black and white photographs. Smith then posed nude for ''Playboy'' as the May 1992 centerfold (under her given name). Tall, blonde, sexy and zaftig, Smith was subsequently called "the next Marilyn Monroe " in press reports, a comparison she encouraged by wearing a hair style reminiscent of Monroe's, as well as her trademark white dress. Smith was chosen to be the 1993 Playmate Of The Year . She finally settled on the name "Anna Nicole Smith" by the time of her PMOY pictorial. MARRIAGE TO MARSHALL Smith married the billionaire Marshall on June 27 , 1994 . She was 26 at the time, and Marshall was 89. By some accounts, Anna Nicole had other relationships during this period and was generally indifferent to Marshall, with whom she never Lived . Smith’s alleged romantic interests included Bodybuilder Clay Spires , actor Scott Baio , real estate mogul Jonathan McManus , Maria Antonia Cerrato , and Sandi Powledge . MARSHALL V. MARSHALL, 04-1544 Within weeks after J. Howard's death on August 4 , 1995 , Smith squared off against his son, E. Pierce Marshall, for half of her late husband's $1.6 billion estate. This case has gone on for more than a decade, producing a highly publicized court battle in Texas and several judicial decisions that have gone both for and against Smith in that time. Although her late husband was, according to his employees, in love with her, he did not include her in his to intercede on Smith's behalf out of an interest to protect federal court jurisdiction in state probate disputes. {Link without Title} After months of waiting, Anna Nicole and her step-son Pierce learned of the Supreme Court's decision on May 1, 2006. The justices unanimously decided in favor of Smith. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion, stating that Smith should get a chance to pursue her claims in federal court. This decision does not give Smith a portion of her husband's estate, it merely reaffirms that she has the right to fight for it in federal court. It is expected that the long-running legal drama will not end any time soon, because another trial to determine the legitimacy of her claims will need to begin, possibly followed by more appeals and delays. REALITY TELEVISION During the course of the Litigation , Smith's career stalled. Though her roles in '' The Hudsucker Proxy '' and '' Naked Gun 33 1/3 '', both in 1994, were highly publicized, her acting career did not take off. She was instead relegated to low-budget softcore Porn movies such as '' Skyscraper '' and became regular fodder for the Tabloid s due to her legal battle over her nonagenerian husband's estate, her increasing weight, and her reportedly bizarre behavior. In 2002, she was given her own Reality TV series on the E! Cable Television network; '' The Anna Nicole Show '' which focused on her personal and private life in the manner of other "reality" shows, such as ratings hit '' The Osbournes ''. The show's debut was the highest rated show on the network, but critics blasted the show and ratings dropped with each successive week. However, the show achieved a kind of camp or cult status as many fans found humor in Smith's absurd antics. The show was cancelled in February 2004 , due to "creative differences," but has retained some life in Rerun s and on DVD Releases . SMITH AS SPOKESPERSON In an interview on '' Late Night With Conan O'Brien '' she was asked what her "Playmate diet" consisted of. She instantly replied, " Fried Chicken ." In October, 2003, she became a Spokesperson for TrimSpa , which helped her to lose a reported 69 lb (31 kg). In November 2004, she appeared as a Presenter at the American Music Awards and garnered attention because of her strange behavior. During her live appearance, she made cryptic, murmured comments about her body and TrimSpa. This incident became comedic material for the rest of the presenters and became part of the news the next day. Tabloid s speculated that she was under the influence of pills or some other controlled substance. Her representatives explained that she was in pain due to a series of grueling work-outs and had difficulty reading the prompter due to being nearsighted and not wearing her contact lenses. After reportedly losing some 80 pounds, Smith returned to her form from the early 1990's. {Link without Title} In March 2005, at the first MTV Australia Video Music Awards in Sydney 's Luna Park , she spoofed Janet Jackson 's Wardrobe Malfunction by pulling down her dress to Reveal Both Breasts , each covered with the MTV logo. She has also been featured in advertisements for the animal-rights group PETA . Spoofing Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" segment in '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes '', a 2004 ad states "Fur-free blondes are best." In another ad the following year, Anna posed with her dogs in a campaign against Iams dogfood against their alleged cruelty to animals. As of 2006, Smith has given up modeling, though she remains a spokesperson for TrimSpa. FILMOGRAPHY
APPEARANCES IN '' PLAYBOY '' SPECIAL EDITIONS
SEE ALSO TRIVIA
EXTERNAL LINKS
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| "http://wwwabanetorg/publiced/preview/briefs/feb06html#marshall" class="copylinks" target="_blank">Court Briefs for Marshall v Marshall at American Bar Association |
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