Advertisement

Bunny Yeager

Advertisement

Bunny Yeager Famous memorial

Birth
Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA
Death
25 May 2014 (aged 85)
North Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA
Burial
Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend. Specifically: Ashes given to her daughters Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Photographer. A one-time beauty queen and glamour model, she shall be remembered for her countless pictures of pretty girls, most especially of Bettie Page. Born Linnea Eleanor Yeager, she was raised in western Pennsylvania, moved to Miami at 17, and soon enrolled in modeling school. Taking "Bunny" from Lana Turner's character in 1945's "Week-End at the Waldorf", she became one of South Florida's most sought after photographic subjects and won about 30 local beauty pageants including Queen of Miami and Miss Personality of Miami Beach, after one of her victories being hit-on by Joe DiMaggio who had served as a judge. In 1950 Bunny was responsible for the application of the term "cheesecake" to glamour photography when she appeared on the cover of a Spanish magazine holding a piece of cheesecake. In 1953 she took a photography course and began her career behind the lens, from the start winning praise for her use of natural surroundings and lighting. Bunny shot images for such forgettable rags of the day as "Cavalier", "Nugget", and "Escapade", her girls treated with respect and able to feel safe with her as they posed for photos that, though they would be considered tame in later years, were risqué at the time. In 1954 she met Bettie Page and took the famous photo of Bettie naked save for a Santa hat which became "Playboy" magazine's January 1955 centerfold. Over the years she was to publish at least 1,000 pictures of Bettie including the famous leopard skin bikini shots which were taken at a local game preserve, in the process helping to turn the "Queen of Curves" into a superstar. She contributed materially to the success of "Playboy", shooting a number of centerfolds, helped discover model Lisa Winters, and took the iconic white bikini images of Ursula Andress used to publicize the 1962 James Bond flick "Dr. No". Bunny worked on the technical side of several movies and even appeared in a few herself, making her silver screen bow in the 1968 Frank Sinatra feature "Lady in Cement". She gradually retired and was for a time essentially forgotten except by Bettie Page fans, though in her final years she was to see considerable renewed interest in her work. Bunny outlived both her husbands, was active in the Girl Scouts and in her church, and over the years published about 30 books, both photography collections, among them a volume of self-portraits, and technical works. She was played by Sarah Paulson in 2005's "The Notorious Bettie Page" which starred Gretchen Mol as Bettie and was the subject of a number of major museum exhibits including a 2010 showing at Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum and 2013 presentations at Bulgaria's Sofia Vault and at the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum. Bunny died in a hospice facility of congestive heart failure; at her demise a book of previously unseen images was pending publication.
Photographer. A one-time beauty queen and glamour model, she shall be remembered for her countless pictures of pretty girls, most especially of Bettie Page. Born Linnea Eleanor Yeager, she was raised in western Pennsylvania, moved to Miami at 17, and soon enrolled in modeling school. Taking "Bunny" from Lana Turner's character in 1945's "Week-End at the Waldorf", she became one of South Florida's most sought after photographic subjects and won about 30 local beauty pageants including Queen of Miami and Miss Personality of Miami Beach, after one of her victories being hit-on by Joe DiMaggio who had served as a judge. In 1950 Bunny was responsible for the application of the term "cheesecake" to glamour photography when she appeared on the cover of a Spanish magazine holding a piece of cheesecake. In 1953 she took a photography course and began her career behind the lens, from the start winning praise for her use of natural surroundings and lighting. Bunny shot images for such forgettable rags of the day as "Cavalier", "Nugget", and "Escapade", her girls treated with respect and able to feel safe with her as they posed for photos that, though they would be considered tame in later years, were risqué at the time. In 1954 she met Bettie Page and took the famous photo of Bettie naked save for a Santa hat which became "Playboy" magazine's January 1955 centerfold. Over the years she was to publish at least 1,000 pictures of Bettie including the famous leopard skin bikini shots which were taken at a local game preserve, in the process helping to turn the "Queen of Curves" into a superstar. She contributed materially to the success of "Playboy", shooting a number of centerfolds, helped discover model Lisa Winters, and took the iconic white bikini images of Ursula Andress used to publicize the 1962 James Bond flick "Dr. No". Bunny worked on the technical side of several movies and even appeared in a few herself, making her silver screen bow in the 1968 Frank Sinatra feature "Lady in Cement". She gradually retired and was for a time essentially forgotten except by Bettie Page fans, though in her final years she was to see considerable renewed interest in her work. Bunny outlived both her husbands, was active in the Girl Scouts and in her church, and over the years published about 30 books, both photography collections, among them a volume of self-portraits, and technical works. She was played by Sarah Paulson in 2005's "The Notorious Bettie Page" which starred Gretchen Mol as Bettie and was the subject of a number of major museum exhibits including a 2010 showing at Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum and 2013 presentations at Bulgaria's Sofia Vault and at the Fort Lauderdale Art Museum. Bunny died in a hospice facility of congestive heart failure; at her demise a book of previously unseen images was pending publication.

Bio by: Bob Hufford



Advertisement

Advertisement

How famous was Bunny Yeager ?

Current rating: 4.06667 out of 5 stars

75 votes

Sign-in to cast your vote.

  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: Bob Hufford
  • Added: May 25, 2014
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130377987/bunny-yeager: accessed ), memorial page for Bunny Yeager (13 Mar 1929–25 May 2014), Find a Grave Memorial ID 130377987; Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend; Maintained by Find a Grave.