Barbi Benton’s Daughter Appears with ‘Beautiful’ Smile 37 Years after Her Mom Gave up Career for Husband Kids

Barbi Benton moved to Los Angeles at 16 years to pursue a career in show business. She modeled for Playboy and became an actress and singer, but her career never took off. She eventually ventured into interior design, but she made a rare public appearance after 37 years of being off-screen.

Barbi Benton is a retired model, singer, actress, and television personality. Born in New York in 1950, she moved to Los Angeles at 16 to build her show business career.

The actress landed modeling jobs and started dating the then editor and chief of Playboy Magazine, Hugh Hefner, in 1968. He was 42 at the time, and Benton was just 18 years old.

Hugh Hefner and Barbi Benton in Los Angeles in 2007 | Source: Getty Images

Besides her appearance in Playboy Magazine, Benton acted in a few movies like “X-Ray,” “The Love Boat,” and “Fantasy Island.”

However, the actress’s career did not reach its full potential. She starred in the TV show “Hee Haw” for six years and released two averagely successful country albums.

Barbi Benton Ricardo Montalban and Edie Adams on “”The Man From Yesterday” in 1981 | Source: Getty Images

Benton went on to land a part in another show called “Sugar Time,” but its time on air was not long. From there, the singer toured with a nightclub singing act and dreamed of headlining a show in Las Vegas one day.

But that dream never came to fruition; the actress was reportedly ill-advised by her previous agent and missed out on many opportunities. “I kept making the wrong moves,” she confessed.

Barbi Benton and Bert Convy on “”The Man From Yesterday” in 1981 | Source: Getty Images

After the downward spiral of her entertainment career, Benton switched professions and became an interior designer in 2002.

Regarding her romantic life, Hefner reportedly regretted not marrying Benton, but he still moved on to date other people. On the other side, Benton married George Gardow, a real estate developer, in 1979. The couple has two children, Alexandra and Ariana.

Barbi Benton on “Sugar Time” in 1977 | Source: Getty Images

Benton made her last red carpet appearance and the 2022 Oscars, and during her interview, she spoke about how much she appreciated how women’s standards have evolved.

Looking back at her time, Benton remembered when wearing pants was taboo, but as she graced the carpet in a black sequenced pantsuit, she said she felt elegant and that women were on the right track to regaining their power.

Barbi Benton on “Sugar Time” in 1989 | Source: Getty Images

Although her modeling days are over, some still remember the young blond bombshell Benton from back in the day. One netizen commented, “OMG, Barbi is still so beautiful! I guess my 50-year crush won’t be ending anytime soon.”

Barbi Benton in Los Angeles in 1980 | Source: Getty Images

As the actress watched women transform in the world, she was also raising her two daughters with who she has a very close relationship and shares a stunning smile.

Who Is Barbi Benton’s Daughter with a Beautiful Smile?

One of Benton’s daughters, Ariana, has an active social media presence where she shares some of her business ventures, candid moments with her family, and funny videos of herself.

Barbi Benton and her daughter Adriana Gradow in Los Angeles in 2007 | Source: Getty Images

Ariana posed in one quirky video, and fans could not help but notice the beautiful smile she got from her mother. “Lol, you have a beautiful smile, darling,” remarked an Instagram user.

Ariana is also a business owner. She founded the “Art of Air,” a professional event production and brand activations specializing in creative entertainment concepts, and prides itself in bringing anyone’s vision to life.

Aside from being a hardworking entrepreneur, Ariana also shares a close relationship with her mother. On Mother’s Day, she posted an adorable picture of her and Benton smiling.

She thanked her mother for giving her life and the joys and lessons she earned. Fans were also happy to see the mother-daughter duo, “Beautiful ladies, enjoy! Said one user, and another added, “Happy Mother’s Day, Barbi; you’re both so beautiful.”

Beauty Barbi Benton Reveals Secret of 44 Years of Marriage, and It Is Not Only Love

Benton and Gradow’s love story felt like a fairytale, at least for the singer’s husband. In 1977, one of his employees, Liz Prince, asked the real estate developer when he would get married, and he said, “When I find someone who looks like Barbi Benton.”

Barbi Benton in California in 2019 | Source: Getty Images

Gardow had seen Benton on “Sugar Time,” but little did he know that Prince knew the singer’s mother. So he arranged for the couple to meet.

For Benton, the meet-up was solely based on business because, at the time, she was seeing someone else. But she invited Gardow to the Academy of Country Music Dinner when her relationship ended.

Gardow, who was luckily single then, could not have been happier about their date. He fell in love instantly and popped the question after four months of dating.

Barbi Benton with her husband George Gradow in 1979 in Los Angeles | Getty Images

However, the country star rejected the rushed proposal, but after a few weeks, she gave it a bit more thought and agreed to marry him.

Benton said her husband was funny and had a lot of energy, and she realized they had much in common. She loved that Gardow was a one-woman man and that there would not be many Hollywood people claiming to have been with him.

George Gradow and Barbi Benton in Los Angeles in 1989 | Source: Getty Images

After getting married, Gardow planned to live a life where he was not at anyone’s mercy. He reiterated, “I want to have children to show them how to enjoy life and avoid going through the traumas I did.”

Marrying Benton was like a fairytale to the father of two; he gushed over how lucky he felt every time he got to sleep beside his beautiful wife.

Since tying the knot in 1979, the couple has only gotten stronger, and the secret behind it is “We have a good relationship, and one reason is that it’s not only built on love,” Gardow explained.

Barbi Benton and George Gradow in Los Angeles in 2020 | Source: Getty Images

After 44 years of marriage, Gardow, still in disbelief, married the woman of his dreams. He often wonders how he could have the beautiful Benton when she could have had several other options.

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