Hugh Hefner Net Worth: Income, Lifestyle & Career
An American magazine publisher and entrepreneur Hugh Marston Hefner aka Hugh Hefner’s net worth was a staggering $50 million at the time of his death.
The entrepreneur is best known for being the founder of the American men’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine Playboy.
Hefner was also the editor-in-chief of the magazine.
The first copy of Playboy magazine was published way back in 1953 and featured the nude calendar shoot of actress Marilyn Monroe.
Astonishingly, more than 50,000 copies were sold at the time.
Nonetheless, after Hefner made his demise in 2018, the management of the magazine planned to shift the media business to a brand-management company.
And in 2020, due to the Covid pandemic, Playboy shuttered its print run. Nevertheless, it still continues with its online issues.
Hugh Hefner | Quick Facts
Let’s look at quick facts about Hugh Hefner to learn more about him.
| Birth Name | Hugh Marston Hefner |
| Professional Name | Hugh Hefner |
| Nick Name | Hef, Puffin, The Pajama Man |
| Birth Date | April 9, 1926 |
| Death Date | September 27, 2017 |
| Birth Place | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Height | 5 ft. 9 in/175 cm/1.75 c |
| Weight | 67 kg/147.5 lbs. |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
| Build | Average |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Grey |
| Profession | Businessman, Magazine Publisher |
| Father’s Name | Glenn Lucius Hefner |
| Mother’s Name | Grace Caroline Hefner |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Ethnicity | White American |
| Siblings | Kieth Hefner |
| Education | Sayre Elementary School
Steinmetz High School University of Illinois Northwestern University |
| Distinctive Features | Attended public events in pajamas, Often smoked a pipe |
| Sexual Orientation | Bisexual |
| Girlfriend/Spouse | Crystal Harris (2009-2017)
Anna Sophia Berglund (2011) Shera Bechard (2011-2012) Jenna Bentley (2009-2010) Kristina Shannon (2008-2010) |
| Children | Cooper Hefner, Christie Hefner, David Hefner, Marston Hefner |
| Endorsements | Guitar Hero, Bavaria, Motorola, Stolichnaya Vodka, X Games IX |
| First Film | History of the World: Part I (1981) |
| First TV Show | Playboy’s Penthouse (1959) |
| Favorite Food | Fried chicken with mashed potatoes, Lamb chops, and poached egg with mashed potatoes |
| Favorite Fruit | Grapefruit |
| Active Years | 1953–2017 |
| Merch | Signed Playboy 50 Years Celebration Issue, Signed Photo, Signed Playboy Artist Print, Signed Playboy 40 Years Book |
| Last Update | November 2024 |
Hugh Hefner | Net Worth & Income
Net Worth
The infamous Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s net worth was a staggering $50 million at the time of his death.
Hugh’s finances flowed pretty considerably over the decades.
As the founder, Hugh profited massively from the company, particularly at its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
It was generating tens of millions of dollars in profit from the insanely flourishing empire that included clubs and casinos.
The company was so successful that it went public in 1971, back when the empire was rising.
Nonetheless, how high you rise, you will fall to the ground with the same force regardless!
Just like how Nokia struggled with its competitors because of rising in new technologies and not embracing the new market trend, Playboy’s slow digitalization took its toll, hampering what was once a huge empire.
At the time of Hugh’s death, the company was operating as an intellectual property licensing business.
Moreover, Hugh only owned 35% of the Playboy brand and 100% of what was left of the print magazines at the time of his death which was almost obsolete at the time.
Financial Revelations
At the peak of Playboy, Hugh was worth more than $200 million.
However, as per the paperwork filed as part of the divorce in 2009, Hugh was worth $43 million.
Because of the rapid diminish of magazine sales over the last 15 years or so, the company was in turmoil.
The stock price plunged 80% between 2000 and 2010.
In 2011, Hugh took the company into his private ownership along with private equity firm Icon Acquisition Holdings.
His monthly income in 2009 included $116,667 salary from Playboy, $1,896 social security, $121,099 in dividends and interests, $17,058 in rental and $15,808 from HMH Productions.
Similarly, he earned $413 in pension and retirement and $17,639 in miscellaneous income, making a total of $290,580 monthly income.
Furthermore, as per the papers, he had $306,548 in cash, $36,802,558 in stocks and bonds, and $6,122,990 in a joint account with an unnamed person in 2009.
Altogether, including Playboy stock and property, Hugh had $43,232,096 in 2009.
Net Worth of Hugh Hefner in Different Currencies
Here’s how Hugh Hefner’s net worth would look if he were alive. Net worth in some of the main currencies, including the crypto BitCoin.
| Currency | Net Worth |
| Euro | € 45.99 Million |
| Pound Sterling | £ 38.28 Million |
| Australian Dollar | A$ 67.43 Million |
| Canadian Dollar | C$ 62.45 Million |
| Indian Rupee | ₹ 3,809,227,500 |
| BitCoin | ฿ 1,173.26 |
Hugh Hefner | Playboy Mansion, Cars & Private Jet
Playboy Mansion
Oh! The notorious Playboy mansion
Hugh lived in the famed Playboy mansion located in Los Angeles, California, from 1974 until he died in 2017.
The mansion became quite famous for the extravagant parties that Hugh would throw to film stars and media personalities, and socialites.
Contrary to popular belief, Hugh never actually owned the mansion.
Playboy Enterprises owned the mansion, and Hugh paid an annual fee to live in the mansion and throw the parties and everything in between.
The annual rent for the mansion came to around $1 million.
One year prior to Hugh’s death in 2016, Playboy Enterprises listed the mansion for sale for a staggering $200 million.
In the June of the same year, the mansion was sold to Daren Metropoulos for $110 million, but Hefner lived in the mansion till he died in 2017.
Cars
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner’s net worth at the time of his death was $50 million.
Multi-millionaire businessman Hugh Hefner did not practice modesty when it came to wheels.
Sexy ladies and, likewise, cars were his thing.
His collection included Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman worth around $500,000, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL worth approximately $1 million, Cadillac Series 62, and BMW 3.0CS E9.
Similarly, Hefner also owned a couple of Porsches and a Lamborghini Countach.
Private Jet
Hugh Hefner loved luxury in his life.
He purchased what was known as “The Mansion in the Sky” DC-9 private aircraft in 1970 for $5.5 million.
His passengers included big names, including Frank Sinatra, Cher, and even the king of rock n roll, Elvis Presley.
He sold the plane in 1975 to Aeromexico.
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Hugh Hefner | Lifestyle & Death
At the time of his death in 2009, Hugh Hefner’s net worth was $50 million.
Hugh Hefner lived what people would call the definition of a lavish life.
He was like the modern-day Dan Bilzerian, only better.
The Playboy mansion was the deluxe and extravagant property where Hefner hosted parties with movie stars and big shots for decades.
Huge would even hire tons of Playboy bunnies to entertain his VIP guests.
As for his personal life, in 1949, Hugh married his high school sweetheart Mildred Williams.
Prior to their wedding, Mildred confessed to Hugh that she had had an affair while he was serving in the Army.
He admitted that the confession was painful.
Nonetheless, they came to a term where Hugh could sleep with other women.
The couple separated in 1959.
They had two children, Christie and David.
After divorce, Hefner dated tons of women.
His monthly expenses at the time included $53,000 on groceries, supplies, cell phone, $18,000 on food, and $25,000 on entertainment.
Similarly, $10,130 a month went to college expenses for his kids and $3,215 on health care.
However, he had to tone down his lifestyle after a minor stroke at the age of 58.
He then married 36 years younger woman named Kimberley Conrad.
They had two sons, Cooper and Marston.
Their divorce was finalized in 2010, but they had been separated for over a decade.
After that, Hugh married his third wife, Crystal Harris, who stayed with Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017.
Death
Hugh succumbed to sepsis that was brought by an E. coli infection at the age of 91 on September 20, 2017, at his home.
He is laid to rest in a tomb at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, right next to the tomb of actress Marilyn Monroe.
Reportedly, Hugh paid more than $75,000 for the right to be buried next to Marilyn.
Interestingly, he never actually met Monroe.
The two never met in person despite Hugh launching his career off her photos, potentially against her will.
Hugh Hefner | Charity
Hugh Hefner was quite a charitable person as he contributed to nonprofits and other organizations through both foundations and individuals.
He hosted fundraisers for Generation Rescue as well as Animal Rescue.
Hugh was awarded the first-ever Founder’s Hero of the Heart Award in appreciation for his dedication, generosity, and commitment to Children of the Night on November 18, 2010.
Moreover, Hugh donated an astonishing $900,000 required by a conservation group for land purchase on April 26, 2010.
The group was against the development of the vista of the Hollywood sign.
Did you know Sylvilagus palustris Hefner, a subspecies of marsh rabbit, is named after Hugh in honor of the support he provided financially?
Furthermore, Hefner was a supporter of same-sex marriage.
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Hugh Hefner | Media Appearances & Endorsements
Media Appearances
Hugh made a number of media appearances throughout his career.
In 1993 he voiced himself on an episode of The Simpsons.
Similarly, he appeared as himself in a 2000 episode of Sex and the City.
In 2005, he appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage as a guest star.
Similarly, some of his other TV show credits include Family Guy, Miss March, and Robot Chicken.
Aside from TV shows, Hefner also appeared in films.
Furthermore, Hugh created and appeared in a reality show named Playboy Mansion: The Girls Next Door from 2005 to 2010.
The show featured his life and his girlfriends, who at the time lived with him in the mansion.
Endorsements
As the founder of Playboy, Hefner mostly endorsed his own empire.
Nonetheless, he also appeared in commercials for brands and companies such as Guitar Hero, Bavaria, Motorola, Stolichnaya Vodka, and X Games IX.
Hugh Hefner | Career
The founder of Playboy Enterprises, Hugh Hefner, was born on April 9, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
He was the eldest child of Glenn Lucius Hefner, an accountant, and Grace Caroline Hefner, a teacher.
After high school graduation Hugh served in US Army from 1944 to 1946.
Similarly, he attended the University of Illinois and graduated in 1949.
After that, he began working as a copywriter for Esquire magazine in 1952.
Nonetheless, when asked for a $5 pay raise and denied, he quit his job.
The very next year, he took out a mortgage loan of $600 and raised an additional $8,000 to launch his own magazine with centerfold, Playboy.
The first issue of the magazine was published in 1953.
Unknown Facts About Hugh Hefner
- Hugh Hefner loved Pepsi, and reportedly he drank 36 bottles in one day.
- He offered Church officials and Priests a discount on Playboy.
- Hugh helped reconstruct the Hollywood sign by purchasing the Y in Hollywood with $27,000 of his own money.
- The first issue of Playboy did not have a date.
FAQs
How much money did Hugh Hefner’s wife get?
Reportedly, Hugh’s wife got $7 million despite the fact that she was not included in his will.
Where is Crystal Harris, Hugh’s wife?
According to some reports, she works as a property developer and still serves as vice president of the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation.
