Kari Kennell

Our Playmate of the Month is a firm believer that if you want your dream career to take shape, you have to make it happen. Dark-haired Kari Kennell was raised in Colorado Springs and quickly moved to Florida to soak up the sun and attend school. She never completed her degree from the University of Florida, but did begin to attain some fame after appearing on a popular television show. “I had booked two jobs on Miami Vice—once, I was a roller-skating waitress; the next time, I was a stoned-out girl tied to a bed—and I was hooked,” says Kari with her brown eyes sparkling. “I wanted to learn absolutely everything there was to know about acting, and New York was the obvious place to start.” All-natural Miss Kennell soon learned that New York wasn’t the best place for her sweet nature and sun-loving skin. She ran as fast as possible to Los Angeles and fell in love immediately with the warm weather, the people and the amount of work available for an upcoming actress. “I’m a real Colorado girl, but people from these parts have a laid-back, happy-to-be-here outlook on life. Someday, I hope to raise my children here,” admits Miss February 1988. “The big role hasn't come yet, but I'm always at that final call back.” Soon after her cross-country move, producers from The Tonight Show asked her to perform a skit which then snowballed into work with big names in Hollywood. Having appeared in movies like Beverly Hills Cop II and Men at Work, Kari Kennell was a name on everybody’s lips. She went on to act in television shows like The X-Files, NYPD Blue, Married With Children,Murder, She Wrote and Renegade. “I knew there had to be something else out there for me—something even more important,” says Miss Kennell. Like fellows Playmates Pamela Anderson and Lauren Anderson, Kari discovered her calling in life was to make a difference in the treatment of animals. “Every dime I make from acting gets donated to animal projects. I'm even working on a few children's books on the subject. After all, kids are the future protectors of animals,” explains Miss February 1988. Teaming up with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Playmate Lauren Anderson, the Playboy models have protested against functions they feel promotes animal cruelty like the Annual Hot Dog Lunch in Washington. Two gorgeous Playmates on Capitol Hill—politics just got interesting.