Hugh Hefner
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz have replaced the rat pack of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin
Monday 9 April 2001 01.19 BST
The Playboy bloke? The porn king?
I'll have you know Playboy is full of serious features and interviews.
No one reads it for those.
On the contrary. Thousands of blind readers peruse the Braille edition every month.
To learn about beauty queens?
No, for in-depth pieces about top personalities such as Fidel Castro, John Lennon and Jesse Jackson.
But there are dirty pictures, aren't there?
A few tasteful photos, or so we're told. Marilyn Monroe was the first centrefold in 1953 - a shoot that launched her on a megabucks career and hedonistic lifestyle. Brigitte Bardot, Vanessa Redgrave and Cindy Crawford have all followed as pin-ups.
Isn't he famous for sleeping with his centrefolds?
None of the above, but does claim to have slept with more than 1,000 women - with a little help of late from Viagra.
So what's the old dog up to now?
It's his 75th birthday today, and he's coming to London to celebrate it.
Wearing pyjamas?
That's his business wear. This is relaxation. He'll be shopping, eating and partying his way round town.
Who does he hang out with?
He has plenty of bunnies to choose from. Plus the parties at his LA mansion are back in fashion. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz have replaced the rat pack of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. It's all part of retro cool - cigars, martinis and Playboy.
Has no one got any morals?
Al Gore declined an invite - but look what happened to him.
But the rabbit is just ridiculous, isn't it?
Hugh thought it gave Playboy a frisky, playful, yet sophisticated image. He drew it in half an hour, but it became so well known that a reader's letter once reached him with just the bunny's head for an address. He even had a rare rabbit named after him - Sylvilagus palustris hefneri .
Most likely to say: "I'll pay you $100,000 to take your clothes off."
Not to be confused with: Richard Desmond, Peter Stringfellow, Larry Flynt.
