Jean Bell

Jean Bell (born Annie Lee Morgan on November 23, 1944) is a former Playboy Playmate of the Month, and one of the first African American women to feature in this role. She later had a career as an actress in movies, most prominently in TNT Jackson, in which she played the title character, and supporting roles in Mean Streets and The Klansman, as well as occasional TV appearances. Biography Bell grew up in Houston, Texas, along with three younger sisters and attended Texas Southern University, majoring in business administration. Jean was the first African American woman to participate in the Miss Texas Pageant, which is part of the Miss Universe competition. She aspired to professional bowling or acting. When she appeared in the October 1969 issue of Playboy, Bell was only the second African-American woman to be the centerfold (the first being Jennifer Jackson, in March 1965). Her centerfold was photographed by Don Klumpp. A few months later, Bell became the first black person to grace the magazine cover. Darine Stern, who is often erroneously credited with this distinction, was actually the first black woman to appear alone on the cover of Playboy, in the October 1971 issue. Bell was featured with four other playmates on the January 1970 cover. After Bell's appearance in Playboy, she enjoyed a brief acting career, working on such films as Mean Streets and The Klansman (for some roles she was credited as Jeanne Bell). Her most popular role was the title character in 1975's TNT Jackson.