Diane Webber
Encyclopedia
Diane Marguerite Webber AKA Marguerite Empey (July 29, 1932—August 19, 2008) was an American model, dancer and actress.
Empey was born in Los Angeles
, California
, the daughter of Marguerite (née
Andrus) and screen writer Arthur Guy Empey
.
Under the name Marguerite Empey she was Playboy
magazine's Playmate of the Month in May 1955 and in February 1956. The photos for her 1956 appearance were taken by soft core porn director Russ Meyer
.
Empey took ballet lessons from Russian ballerina Maria Befefi and later worked as a chorus girl
at Bimbo's in San Francisco. In 1955, she married Joe Webber. She later took an interest in nudism, appearing in numerous nudist magazines. The Wonderful Webbers by June Lange, published by Elysium Inc in 1967, documented the Webbers' nudist life style. Webber posed for many famous photographers such as Peter Gowland
, Bunny Yeager
and Russ Meyer. She also appeared on the covers for several vinyl record albums including Les Baxter
's Jewels of the Sea, Sea of Dreams by Nelson Riddle
, Marty Paich
's Jazz For Relaxation and Chile con Cugie by Xavier Cugat
.
Around 1969 to 1980 Empey devoted her full-time career as a bellydance instructor at Everywoman's Village in Van Nuys, California. She occasionally performed this dance accompanied by her top students and a band playing Middle Eastern music in public places in and around Los Angeles. Empey founded Perfumes of Araby, one of the first American belly dancing companies. Empey's shows were extremely sensual; they didn’t pander to the audience. Lots of women and children enjoyed the shows. For several years Empey coordinated outdoor performances with up to 40 Middle Eastern dancers.
In the Gay Talese
book Thy Neighbor's Wife
, the story tells of a man who carried Diane Webber's nude picture in his wallet for fifteen years as his masturbatory fantasy.
Empey died on August 19, 2008 in Los Angeles at the age of 76 due to complications following surgery for cancer.
Empey was born in 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...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the daughter of Marguerite (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Andrus) and screen writer Arthur Guy Empey
Arthur Guy Empey
Arthur Guy Empey was a soldier in both the British and American armies of World War I who later reinvented himself as an author, screenwriter, actor and prolific author of pulp fiction....
.
Under the name Marguerite Empey she was 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's Playmate of the Month in May 1955 and in February 1956. The photos for her 1956 appearance were taken by soft core porn director Russ Meyer
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
.
Empey took ballet lessons from Russian ballerina Maria Befefi and later worked as a chorus girl
Chorus Girl
A chorus girl is a female performer in a chorus or chorus line.It may also refer to:*Chorus Girl , a compilation from Atomic Records*Chorus Girls , a 1981 musical*"The Chorus Girl", a story by Anton Chekhov...
at Bimbo's in San Francisco. In 1955, she married Joe Webber. She later took an interest in nudism, appearing in numerous nudist magazines. The Wonderful Webbers by June Lange, published by Elysium Inc in 1967, documented the Webbers' nudist life style. Webber posed for many famous photographers such as Peter Gowland
Peter Gowland
Peter Gowland was a famous American glamour photographer and actor...
, Bunny Yeager
Bunny Yeager
Bunny Yeager is an American photographer and former pin-up model.Born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. Yeager became one of the most photographed models in Miami. After retiring from modeling, she began her career behind the camera. She met Bettie Page in 1954, and took most of her photographs...
and Russ Meyer. She also appeared on the covers for several vinyl record albums including Les Baxter
Les Baxter
Les Baxter was an American musician and composer.Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer...
's Jewels of the Sea, Sea of Dreams by Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
, Marty Paich
Marty Paich
Martin Louis "Marty" Paich was an American pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director and conductor....
's Jazz For Relaxation and Chile con Cugie by Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
.
Around 1969 to 1980 Empey devoted her full-time career as a bellydance instructor at Everywoman's Village in Van Nuys, California. She occasionally performed this dance accompanied by her top students and a band playing Middle Eastern music in public places in and around Los Angeles. Empey founded Perfumes of Araby, one of the first American belly dancing companies. Empey's shows were extremely sensual; they didn’t pander to the audience. Lots of women and children enjoyed the shows. For several years Empey coordinated outdoor performances with up to 40 Middle Eastern dancers.
In the Gay Talese
Gay Talese
Gay Talese is an American author. He wrote for The New York Times in the early 1960s and helped to define literary journalism...
book Thy Neighbor's Wife
Thy Neighbor's Wife
Thy Neighbor's Wife is a non-fiction book by Gay Talese, published in 1981 and updated in 2009.The book is an exploration of early-1950s sexuality in America, with notable discussion of the free love subculture...
, the story tells of a man who carried Diane Webber's nude picture in his wallet for fifteen years as his masturbatory fantasy.
Empey died on August 19, 2008 in Los Angeles at the age of 76 due to complications following surgery for cancer.
Filmography
- The Trial of Billy JackThe Trial of Billy JackThe Trial of Billy Jack is a 1974 film starring Delores Taylor and Tom Laughlin. It is the sequel to the 1971 film Billy Jack and the third film overall in the series. Although commercially successful, it was panned by critics.-Plot:...
(1974) .... Belly-Dance instructor - The Witchmaker (1969) .... The Nautch of Tangier
- Sinthia, the Devil's Doll (1968) .... The Housewife
- The Swinger (1966) (uncredited) .... Model #12
- Mermaids of Tiburon (1962) .... Mermaid Queen
- This Is My Body (1962) .... Herself
Notable TV guest appearances
- Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
playing "Mermaid" in episode: "The Mermaid" (episode # 3.19) 29 January 1967 - Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
playing "The Other Woman" in episode: "The Pearl Necklace" (episode # 6.29) 2 May 1961 - Markham playing "Valerie" in episode: "The Glass Diamond" (episode 1.8) June 1959
- Highway PatrolHighway Patrol (TV series)Highway Patrol is a syndicated action crime drama series produced 1955-1959.-Overview:Highway Patrol stars Broderick Crawford as Dan Mathews, the gruff and dedicated head of a police force in an unidentified Western state...
playing "Woman" in episode: "Coptor Cave-In" (episode # 18) February 1959 - Peter GunnPeter GunnPeter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
playing "Midge" in episode: "Scuba" (episode # 1.21) 16 February 1959
See also
- List of people in Playboy 1953-1959
- {Find a Grave}http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=webber&GSmn=diane+&GSby=1932&GSbyrel=in&GSdy=2008&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=48110869&