Shannon Tweed

Shannon Tweed

Tweed in 2007
Born Shannon Lee Tweed
(1957-03-10) March 10, 1957
St. John's,
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada[1]
Nationality Canadian
Occupation actress, model, reality star, voice over and narrator
Spouse(s) Gene Simmons (m. 2011)
Children Nicholas Adam Simmons
Sophie Alexandra Simmons
Playboy centerfold appearance
November 1981
Preceded by Kelly Tough
Succeeded by Patricia Farinelli
Playboy Playmate of the Year
1982
Preceded by Terri Welles
Succeeded by Marianne Gravatte
Personal details
Measurements Bust: 36"C[1][2]
Waist: 25"
Hips: 36"
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]

Shannon Lee Tweed Simmons (born March 10, 1957)[1] is a Canadian actress and model. One of the most successful actresses of mainstream erotica,[3] she is identified with the genre of the erotic thriller. Tweed lives with her husband Gene Simmons, co-lead singer of the band Kiss, and their two children; Nicholas Adam Simmons and Sophie Alexandra Simmons. Tweed is also known for Gene Simmons Family Jewels, a television reality show that portrayed the life of her family from 2006 to 2012.

Early life

Tweed was born in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador to Donald Keith Tweed, a mink rancher, and Louise (Wall) Tweed[4][2] She was raised on a mink ranch in Markland. She is one of seven children and has three sisters, including actress Tracy Tweed.[5]

After her father fell into a coma after a car crash, Tweed moved the family to her mother's home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, studying nursing while the family survived on welfare. She became involved in beauty pageants following breast enhancement surgery at age 20. In 1978, she was third runner-up in the Miss Ottawa event and won the Miss Canada talent competition for her singing.[2]

Career

Tweed in the 2012 Heart Truth celebrity fashion show

After the Canadian wish-fulfilment TV series Thrill of a Lifetime arranged for her to pose for Playboy magazine, Tweed was chosen to be the Playmate of the Month for the November 1981 issue and eventually the Playmate of the Year for 1982.[6][7][8] Tweed and her sister Tracy appeared together in a Playboy spread.[9]

Tweed resided at the Playboy Mansion for around 14 months as Hefner's partner. The Mansion was the location of her first meeting with her future musician husband, Gene Simmons.[10]

Tweed primarily acted in TV series such as the HBO comedy 1st and Ten,[11] the prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest, and appeared as a guest on Frasier, as well as B movies.[12] She also appeared in an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard as well as Married With Children. In 1985, she landed a year-long role on Days of Our Lives as Savannah Wilder.[5]

Her first major theatrical film appearance was in the teen sex comedy Hot Dog... The Movie in 1984. Since then, Tweed has appeared in more than 60 films including Detroit Rock City, produced by Simmons, in 1999. Tweed and her sister Tracy co-starred in the film Night Eyes 3.[13]

Tweed was featured along with her family on the television reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels from 2006 until 2012. One of the highlights of the series was Simmons' proposal to her and their subsequent marriage at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, US.[14] Her sister Tracy occasionally made appearances on Gene Simmons Family Jewels and in one episode she offered her sister her frozen embryo, as Tweed had been considering adoption.[15]

In 2010, an episode of the series was taped in Tweed's former hometown of Saskatoon. During the visit, she was presented with an honorary street sign denoting the (nonexistent) "Tweed Lane". Tourism Saskatoon subsequently requested Saskatoon City Council approve the naming of a real Tweed Lane in her honor.[16] The Council approved the request and the street is located in the neighborhood of Rosewood.[17]

She has a video game featuring her voice and appearance called Shannon Tweed's Attack Of The Groupies.[18][19]

Tweed is the narrator of the reality TV show, Ex-Wives of Rock.

Personal life

Early in her life, Tweed was in a relationship with the CFL linebacker Ron Foxx, who then played for the Ottawa Rough Riders. After a brief relationship with Hugh Hefner[2] (which coincided with her Playmate appearances and being named 1982 Playmate of the Year), Tweed has been in a relationship with Gene Simmons since 1983. Simmons explained in a 2011 interview, "I need Shannon in my life. Not just because of love and family but because she holds me accountable."[20] After 28 years together, the couple wed in an outdoor evening ceremony on the crystal lawn of the Beverly Hills Hotel on October 1, 2011.[21]

Selected filmography

Selected television appearances

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Playmate data". Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "That New Bird on Hugh Hefner's Arm Is a Falcon Crest Fledgling from Canada Named Shannon Tweed". Retrieved 18 July 2010.
  3. ↑ Green, Phillip. Cracks in the Pedestal: Ideology and Gender in Hollywood. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1998: 170
  4. ↑ Maria Thiesson Obituary Legacy.com
  5. 1 2 Jonathan Riggs. "Shannon Tweed- Biography". Yahoo! Movies Canada. Yahoo!. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  6. ↑ de Arakal, Byron (1983). "Hanging Around with Shannon Tweed, 'Falcon Crest's Confident Belle". Orange Coast (April 1983): 18–25. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  7. ↑ Axworthy, Tom (1987). Our American Cousins: The United States through Canadian Eyes. Toronto: Lorimer. p. 182. ISBN 9780888628787.
  8. ↑ Wolfe, Morris (1987). Jolts: the TV wasteland and the Canadian oasis. Toronto: Lorimer. p. 66. ISBN 978-0888626486.
  9. ↑ "Shannon Tweed, Tracy Tweed - Playboy May 1991 (5-1991) USA". Scanof.net. 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Shannon Tweed". Askmen. Askmen. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  11. ↑ Jef Dinsmore (11 November 2013). "HBO Classics: 1ST & TEN". HBO Watch. Reinhart Web Development LLC. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Shannon Tweed". Filmbug. MISJA.COM. 1998–2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  13. ↑ David Andrews (1 January 2006). Soft in the Middle: The Contemporary Softcore Feature in Its Contexts. Ohio State University Press. pp. 313–. ISBN 978-0-8142-1022-2.
  14. ↑ Strause, Jackie. "EXCLUSIVE: Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed Renew Wedding Vows!". Life and Style magazine. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "'Gene Simmons Family Jewels': Shannon's Sister Offers Her Embryo, But Then Takes It Back (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  16. ↑ "Saskatoon street could be named after Shannon Tweed". CBC News. June 28, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  17. ↑ David Hutton (June 29, 2011). "Tweed Lane new jewel on city map". The StarPhoenix. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Shannon Tweed's Attack Of The Groupies on Steam". Store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
  19. ↑ "Interview with developer".
  20. ↑ "The Smart Ass Wedding Announcement". TMZ.com. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  21. ↑ McNiece, Mia (1 October 2011). "People Exclusive: Gene Simmons Is Married". People.com. Retrieved 27 March 2014.

External links

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