After Janice Pennington lost her place as one of Barker’s Beauties on The Price is Right, her career as a public figure declined as she led a private life. However, she soon found ways to continue to stand as a cofounder of the Hollywood Festival with her husband Carlos de Abreu. She also featured in a 2020 documentary Hopper/Welles and spoke about Bob Barker’s death in a 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
She is now 82 years old and her name is still relevant. This is owing to her successful career as a former American model, playmate, and a model on the American TV game show, The Price is Right. Pennington is also an author famous for Husband, Lover, and Spy.
What to Know About Janice Pennington’s Life Now
She is Married to a New York Times bestselling Author
Pennington lives a private life with her husband, Carlos de Abreu whom she married in 1985. Together, they attend several events, including the 2020 Hollywood Film Awards.
Pennington’s husband is a New York Times bestselling author known for Opening the Doors to Hollywood: How to Sell Your Idea, Story, Screenplay, Manuscript.
He is also the founder of Hollywood Network, and the former president of the North American Marketing Services, Inc.
In another aspect of his life, Carlos de Abreu is of Portuguese descent and was born in Mozambique in Eastern Africa. He attended one of the best universities in Africa, the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.
Prior to the time they were married, she was married twice. Her first husband was Glenn Jacobson. The former model’s marriage was to a German mountain climber Friedrich “Fritz” Stammberger.
She married Fritz in 1974 when she was 32 and they were married for only about a year before he disappeared in October 1975 while scouting an expedition in Pakistan.
He died in the 1980s and worked for the CIA at the time of his disappearance. Before then, he set a world record for the highest ski descent (he broke records at the fifth and sixth highest mountains in the world – Makalu and Cho Oyu).
Janice Pennington is 82 Years Old and Spoke About Barker’s Death in August 2023
The Price is Right original model stayed away from interviews and many other public speeches and acts. However, when her former boss Bob Barker of The Price is Right died on August 26, 2023, at 99, Pennington spoke to Entertainment Tonight about him and their career together.
She praised him for loving his job and being good at it. She further revealed a lot about his life following his retirement at 80 in 2007. Pennington opened up that Barker led a private life, cared for his many animals, and was very happy afterward.
Looking into her history with Barker, her kind words towards him came as a surprise to many. This is due to her being terminated from Barker’s show abruptly and not given a chance to say goodbye on air.
In fact, the other models Anitra Ford and Dian Parkinson whom Pennington lost her job sued Bob Barker for wrongful termination and sexual harassment respectively. Regardless of these, Pennington defended him long before his demise and he appreciated her in an interview.
She Made an Appearance in the Hopper/Welles Documentary
In the 2020 documentary, Hopper/Welles, about the lives of film giants Dennis Hopper and Orson Welles, Janice Pennington makes a comeback to TV. It marked one of her few appearances since she left The Price is Right in 2000.
She was a cast member alongside Hopper, Welles, and Glenn Jacobson. It was produced by Filip Jan Rymsza and directed by Orson Welles.
Pennington’s Life and Career Before Now
Janice Pennington was Born 82 Years Ago in Seattle
Janice Maurine Pennington was born on July 8, 1942, in Seattle, Washington, United States. She is the older sister of Ann Pennington, an American former model, actress, and Playmate.
Janice led a quiet early life but found love in entertainment. This led to her becoming a dancer such that by the time she was 19, she had already made her professional dancing debut at the Seattle World’s Fair.
Pennington’s career as a dancer led to her relocating to New York. There, she worked for actor, comedian, and singer Jimmy Durabte; and the late singer and actor Eddie Fisher.
She Had a Short-Lived Career as a Singer
At a point in her career, Pennington was a singer and member of a rock group known as The Models. The band group was formed in New York and she alongside Susan Schell were members.
In August 1967, the girl group released a single Bend Me, Shape Me. The song is a psychedelic rock and garage rock.
On a website, rateyourmusic.com, the song was ranked no. 316 in 1967 and has a 3.81/5 rating.
In her music career, Pennington was signed to the MGM Records label. She also performed on different stages, including the Olympia Theater as one of Liza Minnelli’s opening acts.
A Look at Pennington’s Life as an Actress
In the 1970s, Janice had a career as an actress. She played Wife in season 4 episode 5 (Noel’s Gonna Fly) of the Ironside TV series. The series won 2 Primetime Emmys awards and has actors such as Raymond Burr, Don Mitchell, Don Galloway, Barbara Anderson, Elizabeth Baur, Gene Lyons, Johnny Steven, and Barry Cahill.
The same year, 1970, she featured as Nurse Cynthia in I Love My Wife. Other actors to feature in the movie are JoAnna Cameron, Leonard Stone, Elliot Gould, Brenda Vaccaro, and Angel Tompkins.
In addition to these, she was a guest performer in Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Lottie Garland in Lucas Tanner, and Price Is Right Hostess in Martial Law.
Pennington has made several other appearances throughout her career. Some of the notable shows she appeared on include To Tell the Truth in 1968, Lucas Tanner (1974), Match Game (mid-1970s), Hour Magazine (1980), Playboy Mid Summer Night’s Dream Party (1985), People Are Talking (1986), and The Oprah Winfrey Show (1996).
The Washington-born entertainer had a Career as a Model
Janice Pennington’s career as a model is one important aspect of her career that brought her to stardom.
Tracing back to how her career as a model kicked off, she moved to New York. She was 23 years old at the time and was signed to Eileen Ford Agency which also represented renowned models such as Jerry Hall, Christie Brinkley, Rene Russo, Lauren Hutton, Karen Graham, and Susan Blakely.
Her career bloomed and she appeared in numerous commercials that count over seventy. Some notable brands she worked with at the time include Dove, Chrysler, Max Factor, Whirlpool, and Anacin.
She also modeled for Playboy and became the Playmate of the Month in May 1971.
Janice Pennington Appeared on The Price is Right For Over 2 Decades
In 1972, Pennington landed a new career path that would define her career for the next 28 years. She was hired on The Price is Right TV series with the late Bob Barker as a host.
She was known for handing Barker his microphone at the opening of the show. She played this role in more than 6,000 episodes of the renowned show.
Speaking of her experience on the show, the former American recounted that the crew, host, and those involved in it became like her family. She didn’t only speak about her experience but also that of the show’s host, Barker who according to her loved every part of the job, the audience, and more.
After spending 28 years, her contract was terminated.
She Had a Talk Show
While she was still working as a Price is Right model, Pennington also started a talk show in 1991-1992. The show was called Breaking In and she talked about Hollywood, stars, and more.
This career was short-lived but was able to make a name for herself.
See Also: Alicia Rickter: Meet Former Model and Mike Piazza’s Wife
Pennington is an Author of a Famous Book
Janice Pennington is the author of Husband, Lover, and Spy: A True Story. The book was released in January 1994 and her husband Carlos De Abreu.
The book is a detailed story about her second husband, Fritz Stammberger who disappeared and was later pronounced dead.
Before she wrote the book, the former model traveled to Russia with the aim of finding out about what actually happened to her ex. It was there that she found out that he was helping the CIA establish mountain bases along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border before his disappearance and death in 1984.
The book became a success and was also used as a prize in The Price is Right.
Janice Pennington’s Major Injury on The Price Is Right
In 1988 while Pennington was on the set of The Price is Right, a cameraman accidentally swung his camera in the wrong direction. This threw Pennington off the stage and left her unconscious.
She was badly injured, the production taping was stopped and was rushed to the hospital for an emergency. Surgeries were carried out on the former model and TV star and it kept her away from The Prize is Right while Holly Hallstrom stood in for her.
The accident left one of her shoulders shorter than the other. She also had to deal with scars that led to her dropping her signature swimsuits.
In 1989, she filed suit against CBS, citing negligence. Three years later in 1992, the court granted her $1.3 million for injuries she sustained on the show.
