Azizi Johari

Azizi Johari
Playboy centerfold appearance
June 1975
Preceded by	Bridgett Rollins
Succeeded by	Lynn Schiller
Personal details
Born	(1948-08-24) August 24, 1948 (age 76) New York City, United States
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)

Azizi Johari is the pseudonym of a Black American model and actress who was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for June 1975.

Early life

Azizi Johari was born in New York City on August 24, 1948. Due to her father's military service, her family moved frequently before settling in Seattle, where she attended high school and college. ^[1] While in school, she formed a singing group called the Marvelles with two friends and released the single "Call Me Back". She later moved to San Francisco and worked as a stewardess for United Airlines.

Modeling and acting

Johari joined the Black Arts West theatre group and appeared in productions of A Raisin in the Sun , Black Girl and Ladies in Waiting. She had an uncredited role in the 1974 film McQ .

She adopted the name Azizi Johari, meaning "precious jewel" in Kiswahili, and gained attention for the 1973 poster Supernatural Dream, which showed her seated with her head haloed by a large Afro wig. ^{[a] [3]} Among the poster's admirers was Sammy Davis Jr., who included her in his touring show. ^[4]

She was photographed nude for Playboy as the June 1975 Playmate of the Month ^[5] and the following year appeared nude on the cover of Leon Ware's 1976 album Musical Massage . ^[6]

She was featured in magazines such as Jet and Players , appearing on several Players covers between 1978 and 1980. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

Her height (5 ft 6 in (168 cm)) and measurements (36–24–37) led to television appearances and roles in several films between 1976 and 1981. She was reported to be cast in the science fiction film Assassins in Time in 1979, though it was never released. ^[11]

Legacy

The 1987 video game Dungeon Master includes a playable character named Azizi, described in some manuals as a nod to Azizi Johari. ^{[12] [13] [14]}

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974	McQ [15]	—	Uncredited
1976	Rocky II [16]	Ringside girl	—
1976	The Killing of a Chinese Bookie [17]	Rachel	—
1979	Dreamer [18]	Lady	—
1980	Seed of Innocence [19]	Denise	Also released as Teen Mothers
1980	Exit Sunset Boulevard [20]	—	—
1981	Body and Soul [21]	Pussy Willow	—

Television

Year	Title	Role	Episode or Notes
1975	The Six Million Dollar Man [22]	Girl	"Clark Templeton O'Flaherty"
1977	The Richard Pryor Show [23]	Blueberry	—
1977	Redd Foxx TV Special [24]	—	—

See also

• List of people in Playboy 1970–1979

References

Notes

1. Johari's Supernatural Dream poster, originally published as part of a 1973 calendar by The Old School Inc. and later distributed as a poster, is briefly visible in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining , hanging on the wall of Dick Hallorann's Florida apartment. ^[2]

Citations

1. Encyclopedia of African American Actresses. McFarland & Company. 2010. p. 177.
2. "FFFind: The picture of woman with afro in The Shining". Film and Furniture. July 23, 2018.
3. "Supernatural Dream poster". Oakland Museum of California. OMCA. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
4. "The Playmate". Playboy. Vol. 22, no. 6. June 1975.
5. "Azizi Johari – Playboy Playmate, Miss June 1975". Himeros Brothers.
6. Hanie, Hara (February 14, 2022). "Azizi Johari Is an American Model and Actress – 10 Unknown Facts".
7. "Azizi Johari 1978 photo".
8. "cover". Players. Vol. 7, no. 3.
9. "cover". Players. Vol. 9, no. 1.
10. "cover". Players. Vol. 9, no. 6.
11. "Starlog". Starlog. No. 26. September 1979. p. 14.
12. "Dungeon Master Handbook". FTL Games. 1987. p. 5.
13. "Appendix: Dungeon Master". Login. February 1990. p. 5.
14. "Azizi". Computer Game Review. No. 14. September 1992. p. 84.
15. "Jet". Jet. April 15, 1976. p. 56.
16. "Azizi Johari". Playboy Plus.
17. Lopate, Phillip (October 24, 2013). "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie: The Raw and the Cooked". The Criterion Collection.
18. Schmidt, J.R. (2017). The Bowling Chronicles. McFarland & Co. p. 111.
19. "Seed of Innocence (1980)". BFI.
20. "Azizi Johari". BFI.
21. Romano, Frederick V. (2004). The Boxing Filmography. McFarland & Co. p. 15.
22. Encyclopedia of African American Actresses. McFarland & Company. 2010. p. 177.
23. "Jet". Jet. July 28, 1977. p. 21.
24. "Jet". Jet. November 10, 1977. p. 24.

External links

• Azizi Johari at IMDb