Pilar Lastra

Pilar Lastra has done it all, and from hand-me-downs to hair, makeup and wardrobe, our Miss August 2004 has done it her way. She’s Spanish, all natural, with dark hair and eyes and an irresistible smile – the second-ever Playmate to be named one of People Magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People, and we can see why. “I was born in Monterey Park, California, and raised in central Texas,” she says. “We were very poor, so I’m grateful for everything that I have.” At nineteen, Pilar decided to be an actress, so she spent four months rebuilding her 1990 Ford Mustang – from salvaged parts, no less – and drove over 1,000 miles to Los Angeles. “It wasn’t easy,” she admits. “My first role was a SeaWorld commercial.” After appearances on Days of Our Lives and Malibu Spring Break, she came to the attention of Playboy photo editors. “I used to be anti-nudity,” she says, “but Playboy does nudity the right way.” After her Centerfold, Pilar had roles in No Rules and Murder on the Yellow Brick Road, a recurring role on NBC’s Las Vegas, and was a case model on Deal or No Deal. She’s retired as a nude model, but continues to work for Playboy – she hosted The Playmate Hour on Sirius XM, and she test-drives new cars on our web series, Hot Laps. She’s a published author, too – her first book, Naked Came the Summer, was serialized on Sirius XM, and her second, Treat Me Like Your Car, gives dating advice to men in automotive terms. They say that the higher you get, the farther you fall – but that doesn’t bother Miss Lastra one bit. “I want to be a successful entertainer,” she says. “I would rather fall on my face a thousand times than live my life thinking, ‘What if?’”