Jean Jani — Biography

Jean Jani, born on October 31, 1931, in Dayton, Ohio, was an American model renowned for her modeling work. She gained fame when she graced the pages of Playboy magazine as their Playmate of the Month in July 1957, with her centerfold being captured by photographer Peter Gowland. In her Playboy pictorial, she was depicted as a flight attendant; however, she was actually working as a reservations clerk for United Airlines when she caught the magazine's attention. Gowland noted in The Playmate Book that following her appearance, Jani was let go by United. In a later edition of the book, Jani shared that she had largely forgotten about her time with Playboy until her adult daughter presented her with a first edition of the book, which featured her images. This rekindled her connection to the magazine, leading her to participate in several convention events. Jean Jani passed away on October 26, 2021, just shy of her 90th birthday.