Hollywood Memorial

A scheming self-promoter began dating her and convinced her to pose for nude photographs, while attempting to get her selected as Playboy’s 25th Anniversary Playmate. Although she lost out to Candy Loving, she was made Playmate of the month for August 1979. Soon afterwards, she married the bum, Paul Snider, who wanted more control over her personal life as well as professional life. After the centerfold was published, she found work in films and her big break came with the lead role in ‘Galaxina.’ In 1980, Playboy announced that Stratton would be the 1980 Playmate of the Year. Meanwhile, things were not going well with her marriage. Snider was present on the set of ‘Galaxina,’ interfering with her acting, and when he discovered she was developing a close relationship with director Peter Bogdonavich, Snider and Stratton separated. Snider remained in their Los Angeles apartment, and Stratton moved in with Peter Bogdonavich. Snider then hired a private detective to follow her around and report on her activities. One evening, Snider convinced her to come to their apartment, where he tied her up, raped her and then put a shotgun to her head, pulling the trigger, then turned the gun on himself. Since her death, she has been the subject of a number of movies and TV stories, including two by Playboy, and one on ‘E! True Hollywood Stories’ and the films ‘Star 80’ and ‘Death of a Centerfold.’ The murder scene in one was filmed in the actual apartment where she died. On her Playmate data sheet, she listed ‘jealous people’ as her major turn-off. Later, obsessive, Peter Bogdonavich married Dorothy’s younger sister, Louise Stratten, although they later divorced. Her epitaph reads ‘If people bring so much courage to this world, the world has to kill them to break them so of course it kills them….it kills the good and the very gentle, and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry. We love you D.R.’ She is buried in Westwood Memorial Park not far from two other who died tragically and young, Natalie Wood & Marilyn Monroe. Only in Hollywood.