- Original name:
- Vickie Lynn Hogan
Anna Nicole Smith
Who was Anna Nicole Smith?
What was the cause of Anna Nicole Smith’s death?
How much money did Anna Nicole Smith leave her daughter?
Anna Nicole Smith (born November 28, 1967, Houston, Texas, U.S.—died February 8, 2007, Hollywood, Florida) was an American model, actress, and television personality who rose to fame in the early 1990s as a Playboy cover girl and as the face of the clothing brand Guess. She later appeared in films and starred in The Anna Nicole Show (2002–04), a reality series chronicling her day-to-day life. A favorite subject of the tabloid press, Smith drew frequent public scrutiny, particularly for her marriage to billionaire oil magnate J. Howard Marshall II—who was more than 60 years her senior—the lengthy inheritance battle following his death, and her apparent struggle with drug use. After a difficult period of professional decline and personal tragedy, Smith died from an accidental overdose in 2007 at the age of 39.
Childhood and first marriage
Anna Nicole Smith was born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston. Her parents divorced shortly before her second birthday, marking the beginning of her long estrangement from her father. By her own account, she endured a strict, impoverished, and abuse-ridden childhood while living with her mother, Virgie Mae Hogan, who worked in law enforcement. These claims were later disputed by several sources, including her mother and her brother, Donald Hart.
About 1984 Vickie Hogan moved into her maternal aunt’s home in the small town of Mexia, Texas. She dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. During this period she began dating Billy Wayne Smith, a cook at the fried chicken restaurant where she worked as a waitress. The two teenagers were married in 1985, and she gave birth to their son, Daniel, the following year. Unsatisfied with a humble small-town life, she dreamed of becoming rich and famous, envisioning herself as the next Marilyn Monroe. In pursuit of better opportunities, she soon left Mexia and her first husband behind, taking her young son with her. (The couple separated in 1987 but did not officially divorce until 1993. Anna Nicole Smith kept his surname as part of her stage name for the rest of her life.)
Dancing career and J. Howard Marshall II
Smith settled in Houston and supported herself through a series of low-wage jobs. Seeking better pay, she started working as a dancer at strip clubs. Determined to become a successful model, she set about transforming herself into a marketable, idealized vision of beauty; she dyed her hair platinum blonde and underwent cosmetic surgery to enhance her figure.
Smith’s fortunes changed dramatically in 1991 when she met widowed billionaire J. Howard Marshall II, whose wealth was from petroleum investments. The pair immediately began a romantic relationship. Marshall showered Smith with luxury gifts and offered generous financial support, even providing a house for her and Daniel. Smith, however, remained determined to build her own career.
Playboy, stardom, and marriage
After sending photographs of herself to Playboy, Smith appeared on the cover and in the centerfold of the adult magazine’s March 1992 issue. Her images caught the eye of Paul Marciano, cofounder of the fashion company Guess. He soon signed her to a multiyear contract, and she began appearing in international ad campaigns for the brand’s signature jeans collection. It was Marciano who persuaded Smith to use Anna Nicole Smith as her professional name.
With her newfound celebrity status, Smith was offered more opportunities in modeling and within the entertainment industry. In 1993 she was named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year. During this time she modeled for other brands, including H&M, and appeared in magazine spreads for Vogue Italia and Marie Claire. Smith made her film debut in 1994, cast in small roles in the Coen brothers’ The Hudsucker Proxy and Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult. She later made appearances in a handful of TV shows and other movies.
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In June 1994 Smith and Marshall were married in a private ceremony in Houston. After the wedding Smith continued to reside primarily in southern California, while Marshall remained in Texas. Tabloid publications seized on their age gap—she was 26 and he was 89—and although Smith often was accused of being after Marshall’s fortune, she maintained that their relationship was based on genuine affection. Their marriage lasted only 14 months, ending with Marshall’s death in August 1995. Smith engaged in a yearslong, highly publicized legal battle against her late husband’s son E. Pierce Marshall, who denied her any portion of his father’s estate, which was valued at $1.6 billion; she ultimately received nothing from Marshall’s estate.
Birth of daughter and personal struggles
Meanwhile, following a lull in her career in the late 1990s, Smith returned to the spotlight in 2000. That year she started modeling for Lane Bryant, and in 2002 The Anna Nicole Show debuted. The popular reality series, which ran until 2004, offered a glimpse into the model’s personal life, which included numerous instances of her appearing inebriated.
On September 7, 2006, Smith gave birth to her daughter, Dannielynn Stern, in Nassau, Bahamas; Howard K. Stern, Smith’s attorney and boyfriend, was listed as the father on the birth certificate. Her joy at having another child was quickly punctured by grief, as her 20-year-old son, Daniel, died suddenly three days later while visiting his mother and newborn half-sister in the hospital. His cause of death was an accidental overdose of prescription pills. Smith was especially close to Daniel and was devastated by his death. Her life was further complicated by ongoing legal disputes and financial troubles, and her weight fluctuations and seeming dependence on prescription drugs were relentlessly covered in the media.
Death and legacy
On February 8, 2007, Smith was discovered dead in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Café Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Her death was ruled an accidental overdose involving multiple prescription drugs. In 2010 her psychiatrist, Khristine Eroshevich, and Howard K. Stern were convicted on charges related to obtaining prescription drugs for Smith under false names; Smith’s physician, Sandeep Kapoor, was acquitted. A trial judge later set aside most of the convictions, though those rulings were the subject of appeals.
There was a great deal of speculation about the paternity of Dannielynn after Smith’s death. DNA testing proved that Smith’s ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead—not Stern—was Dannielynn’s biological father. Birkhead was granted legal custody.
Smith continues to draw intense public fascination, inspiring a number of films including the 2013 drama Anna Nicole and the Netflix documentary Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me (2023). The biopic Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, based on a memoir by Kapoor, was released in October 2026.