She was quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most promising new stars, praised by many and called “the next beauty goddess.” She even became the Playmate of the Year. However, her life got a horrifying ending, and it was her jealous husband who ended it.
She was born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1960. As a teenager, she worked part-time at a Dairy Queen while attending school. The youngster was described as shy and quiet, and becoming famous was not something she had always dreamed about.
Then, in 1977, she met Paul Snider. The 18-year-old was working the cash register at the local Dairy Queen when she met him. However, it turned out he had quite a disturbing plan.
“That girl could make me a lot of money,” he reportedly told a friend.
Snider was older than her and quickly became interested in her looks. He believed she could become successful and encouraged her to pursue modeling.
She became Playmate of the Month in 1979 and was named Playmate of the Year in 1980. Suddenly, the shy youngster from Vancouver was noticed by Hollywood, and she even began her acting career. She landed a leading role in the science-fiction comedy Galaxina and later appeared in Peter Bogdanovich’s film They All Laughed.
Hollywood called her “the next beauty goddess”
She also worked alongside Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn, and those around her believed she had the potential to become a major star. One Hollywood agent later said she would be “the biggest thing they ever had.”
Paul Snider and the up-and-coming model and actress found love and eventually married. However, he was not a figure anyone within the Playboy circle wanted to be around. That included founder Hugh Hefner, who warned her that her husband had a “pimp-like quality.”
Snider had been her manager from the very beginning. But as her career took off, more experienced people began handling her professional affairs. For Snider, that meant something important was slipping away: his control over her chapter.
Her growing success was changing her relationship with Snider. By that point, her marriage was falling apart.
She had begun an affair with filmmaker Bogdanovich, and Snider grew increasingly jealous as his wife seemed less and less dependent on him, per Global News.
The life and horrific death of Dorothy Stratten
Eventually, he hired a private investigator to follow her, and the horrifying night grew closer. Dorothy Stratten eventually separated from Snider and was preparing to end their marriage.
Still, Snider never wanted to let her go. And on August 14, 1980, Dorothy, then 20, met him at his Los Angeles home.
At the same time, Dorothy had become romantically involved with director Peter Bogdanovich. For her, it looked like she was finally getting the chance to build a life of her own. But Snider did not want to let her go.
On August 14, 1980, Dorothy met with Snider at his Los Angeles home. She didn’t know he had bought a 12-gauge shotgun from a private seller the day before.
Dorothy Stratten planned on speaking to Paul Snider about their upcoming divorce. Meanwhile, both Bogdanovich and Hugh Hefner reportedly expressed concern for her safety and urged her to stay away from her estranged husband, ABC reported.
Therefore, she had kept quiet about meeting Snider that night in August. And sadly, Hefner and Bogdanovich’s fears would soon become reality.
Dorothy Stratten was shot dead by her jealous husband
Later that night, two of Snider’s roommates went to check on the couple. But what they found was nothing but a horror film in real life.
On the floor, they found both Stratten and Snider, naked, dead. It was later reported that Snider had sexually assaulted Stratten before shooting her in the face with the shotgun. He then used the same weapon to take his own life.
One of the first people to see the horrific scene was Patti Laurman, a woman who had also been discovered by Snider and was living at his home. The memory stayed with her for the rest of her life.
“It looked like it was a horror movie — a staged horror movie,” Laurman said, per ABC News. “That’s a picture that never goes away. A mental picture that’s stuck in here forever.”
Dorothy Stratten was only 20 years old at the time. During that meeting, Paul Snider killed Dorothy before taking his own life. The young woman who had seemed destined for Hollywood greatness was suddenly gone.
Her death shocked Hollywood and left behind questions about fame, control and the dangers Dorothy had faced.
In the years since her death, Dorothy’s story has been told in books, films and documentaries. But those who remember her have often stressed that she was more than the beautiful young woman Hollywood saw.
Dorothy Stratten was a young woman with dreams, talent and a future that had only just begun. Tragically, she never got to see how far her career could have taken her.
Stratten was just 20 when her life was taken from her. And the Hollywood dream that once seemed so close disappeared almost as quickly as it had begun. May she rest in peace.
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