Would You Pay $10,000 To See This Model's Face?
Before the Kardashians, there was Angelyne, the Billboard Queen.
Getty Images Never heard of her? Well, that's because her fame was, and still is, centralized around Hollywood.
The Hollywood Reporter spent the day with her and revealed these tidbits of the iconic Hollywood Barbie.
She was the beginning of the famous-for-being-famous and brand yourself social media phenomena occurring in the 2000s. From her DIY billboard campaign, she became known for her appearances on several billboards, as well as her signature pink corvette cruising through the city for 30 years — way before Paris Hilton's fame even took off.
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After running into Paris in Santa Monica Boulevard one day, Angelyne discovered that the young heiress was a fan of hers.
"She told me she was inspired by me before she was known," she revealed. "I whispered to her, 'I'm good luck to you.' She said, 'Yeah!'"
Although she's no longer in these billboards, her fan base "remains intensely potent and admirably inclusive across the racial, sexual and gender spectrum."
B. Akerlund, a celebrity stylist who's worked with celebrities like Beyoncé, Madonna, and Lady Gaga, is a close friend of Angelyn's.
"She's a cult figure in Hollywood," she said. "When you ask New Yorkers, 'Do you know Angelyne?' they don't. But here, she's a legend."
Some of her fans include Fergie, who dressed as her for Halloween, and Kim Kardashian, who posted a photo of the icon's car on Instagram with the caption, "She looks the same & in the same car! Made me smile."
In 2002, Angelyne ran for mayor in Hollywood, promising "hot pink glamour." And in 2003, she was a candidate in the California gubernatorial recall, campaigning for smaller class sizes, the end to homelessness, and painting the Capitol pink. She finished 28th out of 135 other candidates.
Even though Angelyne can no longer be found on every other billboard in Hollywood, she claims to still being bombarded with inquiries for the use of her image. She takes image licensing very seriously, and charges $10,000 for each photo.
Her attorney, William Remery, says, "She certainly has a lot of opportunities come her way. But she controls her image. She understands her value and her product, and she protects it."
And if you happen to want a memorabilia? You can't find it anywhere; instead, you have to find her directly and get them. She charges $5 for bumper stickers, $10 for magnets, and $60 for T-shirts.
It's how she makes money these days.
Although famous for her self-promotions, Angelyne is a very private person. Allegedly, her contact details were difficult to find, and details about her personal life were rare and still a mystery.
What we do know, in terms of magazine's findings, is that she's an only child, her state records reveal her name to be Angelyne Llyne, and she's 53 years of age. She describes herself as having "matrimony-phobia" and is originally from Idaho.
As for the rest of her past, she says, "I want to save it for my memoirs — that's my right, for my own financial interest," Angelyne said to the magazine.
She also dispelled rumors of a sugar daddy investor behind her rise to fame. She insisted that her relationship with former business partner Hugo Maisnik, the heir to a display-printing business in LA at the time, was strictly platonic.
Unlike the famous-for-being-famous stars of today, Angelyne refuses to participate in a reality show about herself, expressing disdain at the Kardashians' infamous reality show.
"Who wants to know what she does every day?" she said, and described the show as "boring and gauche and claustrophobic." "I want to uphold the glamour," she said.
In 2020, it was announced that actress Emmy Rossum would play Angelyne in a new series on NBC's streaming service Peacock.
Caithlin Pena is an editor for YourTango who enjoys books, movies, and writes about astrology and lifestyle topics.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on August 20, 2015 and was updated with the latest information.