Paul Snider
Encyclopedia
Paul Leslie Snider was the estranged husband and manager of Playboy
model Dorothy Stratten
, whom he murdered before killing himself the same day.
, British Columbia
to Jewish parents. By the mid-1970s he was a night club promoter and erstwhile pimp
. In 1977 Snider met Dorothy Stratten at a Vancouver-area Dairy Queen
, where she was working part-time while still attending high school, and he romanced her. In 1979 he sent professionally taken nude photographs of Stratten to Playboy
magazine, and she was chosen as a monthly Playmate
for August of that year. Snider and Stratten moved to Los Angeles
and were married that June in Las Vegas
.
While Stratten worked as a bunny
at the Century City Playboy Club
and got a few television and film roles, Snider had sundry money-making schemes, including building and selling exercise benches. Stratten help support Snider financially throughout their short-lived marriage (as he was a Canadian with no working visa, and was not allowed an income with the U.S.) In 1979, Snider partnered with Steve Banerjee to form what would become the male strip club
format of Chippendales.
In 1980 Stratten was named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year and had been cast in a major motion picture, They All Laughed
directed by Peter Bogdanovich
, with whom she began an affair. Stratten and Snider separated and he hired a private investigator
to follow her.
Snider is buried at Schara Tzedeck Cemetery in New Westminster, British Columbia
, Canada
.
(1981), which starred Jamie Lee Curtis
as Stratten and Bruce Weitz
as Snider. Bob Fosse
's feature film Star 80
(1983) dramatized Stratten's life and death. Mariel Hemingway
played Stratten and Eric Roberts
portrayed Snider in a highly acclaimed performance.
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
model Dorothy Stratten
Dorothy Stratten
Dorothy Stratten was a Canadian model and actress. Stratten was the Playboy Playmate of the Month for August 1979, Playmate of the Year in 1980 and was the second Playmate born in the 1960s. Stratten appeared in three comedy films and at least two episodes of shows broadcast on US network...
, whom he murdered before killing himself the same day.
Biography
Snider was born in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to Jewish parents. By the mid-1970s he was a night club promoter and erstwhile pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
. In 1977 Snider met Dorothy Stratten at a Vancouver-area Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen, often abbreviated DQ, is a chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc, who also owns Orange Julius and Karmelkorn. The name "Dairy Queen" is taken from the name of their soft serve product, which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or...
, where she was working part-time while still attending high school, and he romanced her. In 1979 he sent professionally taken nude photographs of Stratten to Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine, and she was chosen as a monthly Playmate
Playmate
A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month . The PMOM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, as well as a short biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and...
for August of that year. Snider and Stratten moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and were married that June in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
.
While Stratten worked as a bunny
Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006...
at the Century City Playboy Club
Playboy Club
The Playboy Club initially was a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first club opened at 116 E. Walton Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, on February 29, 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room...
and got a few television and film roles, Snider had sundry money-making schemes, including building and selling exercise benches. Stratten help support Snider financially throughout their short-lived marriage (as he was a Canadian with no working visa, and was not allowed an income with the U.S.) In 1979, Snider partnered with Steve Banerjee to form what would become the male strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
format of Chippendales.
In 1980 Stratten was named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year and had been cast in a major motion picture, They All Laughed
They All Laughed
For the 1937 song by George and Ira Gershwin see They All Laughed They All Laughed is a 1981 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It is based on a screenplay by Bogdanovich and Blaine Novak.-Plot:...
directed by Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
, with whom she began an affair. Stratten and Snider separated and he hired a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
to follow her.
Death
On August 14, 1980, Stratten, age twenty, was killed with a shotgun blast to the face in the West Los Angeles house they had shared. Snider's body was found next to hers. Police believed he raped and murdered her, abused the corpse, then killed himself with the same shotgun.Snider is buried at Schara Tzedeck Cemetery in New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In popular culture
Snider has been portrayed in two films. The first one was a made-for-television movie about the murder called Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten StoryDeath of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story
Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story is a 1981 American Television film. It is a fictionalized dramatization of the life and the murder of Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Two years later the same story was developed by director Bob Fosse in...
(1981), which starred Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
as Stratten and Bruce Weitz
Bruce Weitz
Bruce Peter Weitz is an American actor. He is perhaps best-known for his role as Sgt. Michael "Mick" Belker in the 1980s TV series Hill Street Blues for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1984.-Early life:Weitz was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, the son...
as Snider. Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
's feature film Star 80
Star 80
Star 80 is a 1983 American film about the true story of Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered by her estranged husband Paul Snider in 1980...
(1983) dramatized Stratten's life and death. Mariel Hemingway
Mariel Hemingway
- Early life :Hemingway was born in Mill Valley, California, the third daughter of Byra Louise Hemingway and Jack Hemingway, a writer. Her sisters are Joan Hemingway and Margaux Hemingway...
played Stratten and Eric Roberts
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
portrayed Snider in a highly acclaimed performance.