Marli Renfro
Encyclopedia
Marli Renfro is an American former showgirl, model, Playboy
cover girl
and actress.
She was the body double
for Janet Leigh
in the shower scene
of the 1960 film Psycho
.
. She also appeared on the cover of the September 1960 edition of Playboy.
Renfro spent some time working as a showgirl in Las Vegas, and also worked as a Playboy Bunny
.
for the actress Janet Leigh
in Alfred Hitchcock
's 1960 film Psycho
. She was paid $500. The shower scene
in Psycho is considered one of the most famous scenes in cinema history. It features more than 50 camera cuts in three minutes and took six days to film. Although nudity is implied in the rapid cuts, none is seen. Hitchcock and Leigh initially maintained that only Leigh appeared in the shower. Only later did Hitchcock acknowledge that when Leigh's face is seen it is her, otherwise it is Renfro.
Renfro subsequently appeared in Francis Ford Coppola
's 1962 film Tonight for Sure
.
to check lighting. Her name was Myra Davis, also known as Myra Jones. In 1988 Davis was raped and murdered by her neighbour and handyman Kenneth Dean Hunt. Possibly due to fascination with the shower scene, sections of the media confused Davis's role and published that she had been Leigh's body double. The BBC
went further and not only asserted that Davis was Leigh's body double, but also that Davis was the voice of Norman Bates
' mother, although this character had been voiced by Virginia Gregg
and Jeanette Nolan
. In his 2002 book Body Double, author Don Lasseter compounded the confusion and wrote that Davis and Renfro were the same person, meaning that Renfro was dead.
Author Robert Graysmith
, who had a lifelong fascination with Renfro, noted a comment by Davis's granddaughter that Davis would never have done nude work. He set out to find Renfro and discovered that she was living in California. He subsequently wrote a book, The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower, about Renfro's role in Psycho and the confusion over Davis's death.
since 1970.
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
cover girl
Cover girl
A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magazine....
and actress.
She was the body double
Body double
A body double is a general term for someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character in any recorded visual medium, in shots where the character's body is shown but the face is either not visible or shown indistinctly, or in shots where the image of the credited actor's face is joined,...
for Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
in the shower scene
Shower Scene
Shower Scene is a single by Saint Etienne. It was released by Mantra Records in Spain only. The single is lifted from the band's 2002 album Finisterre. The single featured two new b-sides and album track "New Thing"....
of the 1960 film Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
.
Early career
Renfro, described as a free spirit with a lifelong commitment to nudism, appeared in many men's magazines including Ace, Adam, Beau, Dude, Escapade, Follies, Gala and Modern ManModern Man (magazine)
Modern Man is a now defunct monthly men's magazine founded in 1952 and running for several decades. Predating Playboy, Modern Man focused on items of interest to adult men, with an emphasis on soft-core pornography, sex, humor, automobiles and popular culture...
. She also appeared on the cover of the September 1960 edition of Playboy.
Renfro spent some time working as a showgirl in Las Vegas, and also worked as a Playboy Bunny
Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006...
.
Film career
Unperturbed at working nude, Renfro was hired as the body doubleBody double
A body double is a general term for someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character in any recorded visual medium, in shots where the character's body is shown but the face is either not visible or shown indistinctly, or in shots where the image of the credited actor's face is joined,...
for the actress Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
in Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's 1960 film Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
. She was paid $500. The shower scene
Shower Scene
Shower Scene is a single by Saint Etienne. It was released by Mantra Records in Spain only. The single is lifted from the band's 2002 album Finisterre. The single featured two new b-sides and album track "New Thing"....
in Psycho is considered one of the most famous scenes in cinema history. It features more than 50 camera cuts in three minutes and took six days to film. Although nudity is implied in the rapid cuts, none is seen. Hitchcock and Leigh initially maintained that only Leigh appeared in the shower. Only later did Hitchcock acknowledge that when Leigh's face is seen it is her, otherwise it is Renfro.
Renfro subsequently appeared in Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
's 1962 film Tonight for Sure
Tonight for Sure
-External links:...
.
Confusion regarding death
During the filming of Psycho, Janet Leigh also had a stand-inStand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else...
to check lighting. Her name was Myra Davis, also known as Myra Jones. In 1988 Davis was raped and murdered by her neighbour and handyman Kenneth Dean Hunt. Possibly due to fascination with the shower scene, sections of the media confused Davis's role and published that she had been Leigh's body double. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
went further and not only asserted that Davis was Leigh's body double, but also that Davis was the voice of Norman Bates
Norman Bates
Norman Bates is a fictional character created by writer Robert Bloch as the central character in his novel Psycho, and portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the main antagonist of the 1960 film of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock...
' mother, although this character had been voiced by Virginia Gregg
Virginia Gregg
Virginia Gregg Burket was an American actress best known for her many roles in radio dramas.Born in Harrisburg, Illinois, Virginia Gregg was the daughter of musician Dewey Alphaleta and businessman Edward William Gregg.-Radio:Gregg was a prolific radio actor, heard on such programs as The...
and Jeanette Nolan
Jeanette Nolan
Jeanette Nolan was an American radio, film and television actress. Nolan was nominated for four Emmy Awards.-Early life:...
. In his 2002 book Body Double, author Don Lasseter compounded the confusion and wrote that Davis and Renfro were the same person, meaning that Renfro was dead.
Author Robert Graysmith
Robert Graysmith
Robert Graysmith is an American true crime author. He was working as a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 when the Zodiac Killer case came to light. Graysmith attempted to decode letters written by the killer...
, who had a lifelong fascination with Renfro, noted a comment by Davis's granddaughter that Davis would never have done nude work. He set out to find Renfro and discovered that she was living in California. He subsequently wrote a book, The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower, about Renfro's role in Psycho and the confusion over Davis's death.
Personal life
Renfro married and is known as Marli Renfro Peterson. She has lived in the Mojave DesertMojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
since 1970.
Further reading
- Graysmith, RobertRobert GraysmithRobert Graysmith is an American true crime author. He was working as a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 when the Zodiac Killer case came to light. Graysmith attempted to decode letters written by the killer...
, The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower ISBN 042523231X - Rebello, StephenStephen RebelloStephen Rebello is an American writer, screenwriter and former clinical therapist.-Biography:Born to parents of third-generation Portuguese-American and French-Portuguese American extraction in Fall River, Massachusetts, Rebello was raised in Somerset, Massachusetts. He graduated from Somerset High...
, "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho" ISBN 0942637143