Marli Renfro’s life forever changed when she stripped down in the shower and was stabbed by Norman Bates.
The former Playboy cover girl was quietly hired by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock to be Janet Leigh’s body double in his 1960 film “Psycho.” Nearly 60 years later, her role in one of the most iconic moments in film history was celebrated in the 2017 documentary “78/52.” She was previously the subject of Robert Graysmith’s 2009 book “The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock’s Shower.”
The model has been keeping busy. She’s a frequent face at Comic-Con. The 85-year-old still makes appearances across the country to meet with fans, and she has plenty more coming up. Most recently, she participated in an upcoming documentary about the Playboy Club that is slated to premiere in the fall of 2024.
Marli Renfro said Alfred Hitchcock treated her with kindness on set. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis)
When “Psycho” premiered in theaters, Renfro’s roommate was ecstatic to watch the film. Renfro wasn’t.
“I thought, ‘Oh, how boring,’” said Renfro. “[But] we went to see it, and it scared me half to death.”
Leigh was slashed to death 20 minutes into “Psycho.” The star’s brief performance earned her a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Leigh later told a reporter that she was so scarred by the scene that she stopped taking showers and resorted to baths instead.
“It scared me half to death,” Marli Renfro told Fox News Digital about watching “Psycho” for the first time. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis)
After filming wrapped, Renfro signed a confidentiality agreement, promising not to disclose anything about the movie, including her involvement. Even when she appeared on the cover of Playboy in 1960, Renfro had to keep mum.
Renfro kept busy by working with a college-aged director on his first film: Francis Ford Coppola.
“He was a student at UCLA film school at the time,” said Renfro about the “Godfather” icon. They worked together on his 1960 film “Tonight for Sure.”
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Marli Renfro worked with a young, then-unknown filmmaker named Francis Ford Coppola. (Getty Images)
“Just the way he … directed me, it just reminded me so much of Hitchcock,” she said. “I thought, ‘This young man’s going someplace.’ You just have that gut feeling. … I [recently] got a postcard from him. We started up a conversation again.”
And then Renfro received an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“I found out they were putting the finishing touches on the very first Playboy Club,” Renfro said. “I went back home [to Hollywood], squared everything away and moved to Chicago.“
Several Playboy Bunnies are shown at the original Playboy Club in Chicago. (Getty Images)
Renfro worked as a greeter at the door, but it was the waitresses who were earning big bucks.
“You go into a bar and drinks were 35 cents, this was 1960,” said Renfro, smiling. “It was 35 cents anywhere you go. But at the Playboy Club, it was $1.50. No one ever complained or anything. And I worked as a chorus girl in Las Vegas. I also had a job in New York City’s Latin Quarter.”
“I asked one of the managers, ‘Can I be a waitress?’” said Renfro. “He said, ‘Yeah, you have experience?’ I said no. And he said, ‘Well, no.’ So, I quit. I got a job as a waitress at a local jazz club, The Cloisters. I worked there for two or three weeks. Then I went back to the Playboy Club. I said, ‘I’m experienced.’ So, I got hired again.”
HITCHCOCK MUSE KIM NOVAK RECALLS FORBIDDEN SAMMY DAVIS JR ROMANCE: ‘I NEVER THOUGHT OF RACE’
Marli Renfro worked the door at the Playboy Club before she moved up as a waitress. (Stephen Deutch/Chicago History Museum)
As a Playboy Bunny, Renfro was required to slip into the iconic cocktail waitress suit, which was a high-cut corset that accentuated long, lean legs and an hourglass shape. It was paired with bunny ears and a fluffy tail. In 1962, the uniform got an upgrade with a collar and cuffs.
“I didn’t have men touch me, never,” said Renfro. “It was the women. Oh, they loved to pull your ears and try to get your tail. But it was no harm done or anything like that.”
Renfro’s involvement with films was seemingly forgotten until 2001. At the time, the Associated Press ran a story that a handyman had been convicted of “killing two people, including an actress who was a double for Janet Leigh in the film ‘Psycho,’” People magazine reported.
Marli Renfro said it was women, not men, who enjoyed pulling at her Playboy Bunny uniform. (Don Bronstein/Playboy)
The actress was Myra Davis. However, some press outlets mistakenly reported it was Renfro.
According to the outlet, it was Graysmith who learned while writing his book that Renfro and Davis were two different people. He also discovered that Renfro was still alive. Davis, who died in 1988, worked on “Psycho” as a lighting stand-in.
Since the book’s publication, there has been growing interest about Renfro’s contributions to films.
One of Renfro’s proudest achievements? Having her name appear on “Jeopardy!” twice.
Marli Renfro recently spoke out in an upcoming documentary about the Playboy Club’s history. (Pompeo Posar/Playboy)
“First time, it was on my 75th birthday,” she said. “We were all celebrating at a Mexican restaurant, enjoying margaritas and shots. … I got a phone call from a friend: ‘Your name’s on ‘Jeopardy!’ And then five years later, I was on again. I may not be famous, but I did do something famous.”
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.
Leave a Reply