European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 21, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Profiles Barbi Benton poses nude at 35 by Vernon Scott United press International would actress Singer Barbi Benton have attained stardom if she had t launched her career on the cover of Playboy Magazine 13 years ago it s a question Bonlon asks herself. The Brunette Beauty with the near perfect figure does t have All the answers but she knows posing nude for the publication docs carry a stigma. Benton asks How Many other women can anyone name who posed for Playboy except for Dorothy Stratten and she was  now at 35, Benton is Back on the cover of the Magazine and posing once More in the Buff her third photo layout for the Magazine whose publisher Hugh Hefner was her Lover for almost nine years. It was her first appearance in Playboy not her television work that made her a celebrity. I might not be a celebrity at All if i had t modelled for Playboy she said. But then again maybe Hollywood and the Public would have taken my acting and singing More seriously if i had t. It s not that i Don t have Talent. I be had four Gold albums in Scandinavia and they never heard of me As anything but a Singer. They know or care nothing about my relationship with he. I m not second guessing myself because i m enjoying my career and i had a wonderful life with  Benton now the wife of real estate Developer George Cracow was asked How she d feel if she had an 18-year-old daughter who wanted to pose As a Playboy Centrefold. She was thoughtful for a moment before replying. I suppose it would depend on what she wanted in a career. If she wanted to be an actress i d advise her to become As Good an actress As possible first then after she was established to go ahead and pose nude if she chose to. I would also Tell her a layout in the Magazine would t Lead to important acting roles. What it does is give a girl an image in her Hometown As it did with me in Sacramento. Even my parents said they liked this layout. They have the natural parental objections and weren t too pleased the first time. Now they accept the fact that everyone has seen my body. You can t Shock the same people twice. Once you be posed it s difficult to Rise above it Barbi Benton Narf George Gradov at their wedding in 1979. If you want to change your image. It s of for a housewife to look Back and say she once posed nude in Playboy. But it s misleading to think it can help a singing or acting  Benton said she and Gradow Are convinced she is in better physical condition now than she was the first time around. It was Gradow in fact who encouraged her to pose earlier this year. My weight is the same As it was the first time i posed she said. My Waist and hips arc smaller and my bust is the same. I wanted to represent women my age Benton said. I hoped to let them know what they can look like if they work out and watch what they eat. At 35 women Are at the Bottom level of Middle age but we can look like we Are absolutely in our prime. Even if you re badly out of shape you can put yourself in Good shape in two years  Benton works out three hours a Day before most people Are out of bed. She lifts weights runs works on aerobics swims and bicycles. She ran a Marathon in less than five hours last year. She and Gradow often bicycle As far As Palm Springs from their Pasadena calif., Home. Their diet is limited to vegetables fruit fish and poultry except when they Dine in restaurants. It s essential for me to be in shape to compete with women half my age for some of the roles i play she said. My Young face keeps me in the running for Youthful roles. If my face is going to look 22 then so should my  Kris Kristofferson cleans up his act by Bob Thomas associated press the Man who ambled into the film production office at the Royal hawaiian hotel in Honolulu resembled an aging Beach boy. But he was really Kris Kristofferson the Rock country Singer and composer movie actor and onetime athlete and Rhodes scholar. The Beard was gone also any sign of paunch. He had the biceps and build of a lightweight Boxer and Kristofferson who will in 50 in june looked about half his age. Early in his career Kristofferson often needed help to make it through the night and his prospects of reaching a half Century Mark seemed dim because of a drug and alcohol problem. I started to clean up my act when i turned 40," he said. I never went to a alcoholics Anonymous or anything like that but i gradually got off the chemicals. I stopped everything when i became a single Parent caring for my daughter Casey. Nowadays i might have a Beer when i m with my wife or in a social situation. Rarely do i have  Kristofferson was Given custody of Casey when she was 6. His three marriages including the second to Singer Rita Coolidge have produced five children Tracy 23 Kris 17 Casey 11 Jesse 2 Jody 4 months. The last two Are with his wife of three years Lisa. He has also become a Long distance runner and while in Hawaii has discovered the thrill of Riding the Waikiki surf. Kristofferson s newfound vitality has resulted in a rebirth of his creative drive. He has t released an album since 1980. Partly because his record company had been floundering partly because his career slowed Down while caring for his daughter. Kristofferson began composing again when he filmed songwriter with Willie Nelson and he recently finished another album. It sounds pretty Strong to me Kristofferson said. I think it s probably my Best work since the me and Bobby Mckee Days. The band and i sound the Way we did in 1969, when we All knew How Good we were but nobody else  the son of a two Star general Kristofferson moved from one army Post to another before settling in California where he played football and majored in creative writing at Pomona College. During his army training As a Ranger and a helicopter Pilot Kristofferson almost took a Job teaching English literature at the . Military Academy at West Point . But he wanted to try his hand at country music. With Johnny Cash s encouragement he began turning out hits. As his music reputation grew film companies sought him for films. His career has ranged from Box office hits a Star i born Alice does t live Here anymore Semi Tough to notable failures heaven s Gale Convoy rollover. You can see i gotta keep working Kristofferson grinned and that s what i want to do. I m full of creative Energy now. I always played real hard when i was playing football and i always worked hard too. I20 stripes Magazine november 21,1985