Anneka De Lorenzo

About Anneka De Lorenzo

Anneka Di Lorenzo, born Marjorie Lee Thoreson in July 1952 in St. Paul, Minnesota, captivated audiences with her stunning beauty and alluring figure. After her parents separated in 1965, she left high school and headed to Los Angeles, California. There, she took on various roles including receptionist, cocktail waitress, and topless dancer, while also pursuing acting and competing in beauty pageants. Anneka gained recognition as the Penthouse Pet of the Month in September 1973, which marked the beginning of her rise in the entertainment industry. Following this, she appeared on the cover of the December 1973 edition of Viva magazine and featured in several cult classic exploitation films of the 1970s, such as The Centerfold Girls, Mama's Dirty Girls, and Act of Vengeance. In October 1975, she earned the distinction of Penthouse Pet of the Year, sharing both the cover and a nude pictorial in the magazine.

That same year, Anneka undertook a nationwide promotional tour visiting veterans' hospitals in October before participating in a USO tour organized by the US Department of Defense, which lasted from December 1975 to January 1976. By the early summer of 1977, she relocated to New York City, where she took on the notorious role of Messalina in the infamous film Caligula and its Italian soft-core counterpart, Messalina! Messalina! Notably, stills from her provocative lesbian scene alongside fellow Penthouse Pet Lori Wagner were featured in the June 1980 issue of Penthouse.

Di Lorenzo's last appearance on screen was a brief role as a nurse in Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill, marking the decline of her career in the aftermath of Caligula's dismal box office performance and negative reviews. In 1988, she filed a sexual harassment suit against Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione, achieving a minor victory with a compensation of just $4.06. Following this, Guccione retaliated by republishing photos from her controversial scene in February 1991. Afterwards, she returned to her birth name and moved back to California.

Tragically, on January 4, 2011, her body was discovered by joggers along a beach near Camp Pendleton, California. She had sustained broken bones in her neck and back, with the cause of death ruled as drowning by the local pathologist. Her car was found parked at a nearby rest area, approximately 60 feet from where her body washed ashore. At 58, Anneka's remarkable physical condition led Marine Corps military police to initially believe they were dealing with the remains of a much younger individual. The investigation into her death by naval authorities remains unresolved, as they continue to explore whether it was an accident or foul play.