Sandra Taylor, once described by Hugh Hefner as his “most sexy model,” says her career took shape because of a friendship with Anna Nicole Smith, the 1993 Playmate of the Year who died in 2007 at age 39.
Taylor, now head sommelier at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, spoke about her path from aspiring mathematician to Playboy cover model on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Kim Alexis’ podcast, “Unexpired.”
“I was friends with Anna Nicole Smith, and she was such a darling,” Taylor told Fox News Digital. “We shared two makeup artists. One was in New York, one was in LA. And they introduced us very, very early on to her coming here from Texas, and we became friends. She needed a place to stay when she first came out here.”
Taylor said a visit to Smith on the set of “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult” proved pivotal. Smith’s makeup artist encouraged Taylor to meet with Playboy during its 40th anniversary model search, and Smith herself pushed her friend to pursue it.
“It was my friendship with Anna Nicole Smith … it led me right there,” Taylor said.
Before that turn, Taylor had been on a very different path. “I never, in a million years growing up, thought I would ever be in Playboy,” she said. “I was full speed ahead to be a mathematician just like my dad. … I studied macroeconomics, microeconomics, statistics, differential equations, and I was a dream dancer.”
That plan changed when her father died suddenly of a heart attack while she was a student at SUNY Purchase. “I was only 19 years old when my dad passed away,” Taylor said. “It was on my college campus. He was walking with my mom, and he had a heart attack just out of the blue and passed away. And then I never went back to that campus again.” She said she left her books behind and never returned to the coursework. “After that, when he passed away, the math died along with him, and I just didn’t want to do it anymore.”
Taylor said she remains grateful for Smith’s role in opening the door to Playboy. “I remember how sweet she was,” Taylor said. “She was really, really a sweet girl and loved her son so much. She really wanted to be a great mom. She was really a sweetheart, just a really nice girl. I don’t think she could hurt a fly.”
A Lasting Bond With Hefner
Posing for Playboy led to a friendship with Hefner that lasted until his death in 2017 at age 91, Taylor said.
“Even when you do the magazine, it doesn’t end there,” Taylor said. “Hef opens up his home for years to come. … Because I was good friends with Kimberley, his wife, I was able to fly on their jet. I was able to really experience him as a family man, and how kind he was, too. I loved his laugh. … I’m sure it closed some doors … but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Taylor said she only later learned what Hefner privately said about her photos, after actress Traci Bingham of “Baywatch” relayed a conversation to her. “She had told me when she went in to discuss doing Playboy, it was right around the time my layout was going to press,” Taylor said. “He was like, ‘Oh, this is Sandra Taylor. She’s our most sexy model we’ve ever had.’ I go, ‘Why did you wait all these years to tell me that amazing piece of trivia?'”
Fabio, Steven Seagal and Dan Aykroyd
Taylor also modeled romance novel covers with Fabio after meeting him at a New York gym called the Vertical Club. “Shooting the romance covers with Fabio was exactly what you would imagine it would be,” she said. “These elaborate wardrobes — the fan, the hair, everything. … We dated a few times, and he was lovely.”
As an actress, Taylor worked frequently with director Garry Marshall and appeared in projects alongside Steven Seagal and Robert De Niro. She said Seagal treated her with respect during multiple crowded auditions. “He was a real gentleman to me,” Taylor said. “I remember I wore my lucky pink Chanel suit. The first thing he said to me was, ‘Oh, my wife has a suit similar to that.'”
She also credited Dan Aykroyd with buying her Screen Actors Guild card for her first film. “Dan was like, ‘I would love to pay for that for you and one day be able to say that I bought you your SAG card,'” she said. “That was a beautiful surprise.”
Rebuilding After the Fire
Taylor said her life today looks “a little different.” She lost her home of 24 years in the 2025 Palisades Fire and is rebuilding while working as a professional sommelier and helping create a wine called Raider Rosé.
“I’m proud of the life I’ve led,” Taylor said. “I’ve faced ups and downs, but I’ve been blessed. And I’m always ready for what life throws at me.”
