Merle Pertile
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| Merle Pertile | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Playboy centerfold appearance | |
| January 1962 | |
| Preceded by | Lynn Karrol |
| Succeeded by | Kari Knudsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 23, 1941 Whittier, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 28, 1997 (aged 56)[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
Merle Pertile (November 23, 1941 – November 28, 1997)[1] was an American model and actress. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its January 1962 issue.[2]
Pertile was born on November 23, 1941, in Whittier, California, and grew up in Indiana and Illinois. She attended and graduated from Hammond High School, Hammond, Indiana in 1959.[3] Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles, where she became a contract player with Universal Pictures and had guest spots on several TV shows. During the second season of the Playboy's Penthouse TV series (1960–61), Pertile became a regular cast member. It was there that she first met Hugh Hefner.[citation needed]
She was married to Jed S. Levitt, with whom she had a son, Krishna Joseph Levitt,[4][better source needed] and a daughter, Kenya Johanna Levitt.[5][better source needed] She also had a daughter, Christi, by actor Peter Brown.[6] According to The Playmate Book, Pertile died on November 28, 1997, aged 56,[1] in Lake Arrowhead, California, from complications following heart surgery.[3]