About Anna Nicole Smith

Vickie Lynn Marshall (November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007), better known under the stage name of Anna Nicole Smith was an American sex symbol, model, actress, celebrity, and spokeswoman. Her highly publicized marriage to oil business executive and billionaire J. Howard Marshall, 63 years her senior, resulted in speculation that she married the octogenarian for his money, which she denied. Following his death, she began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate; her case, Marshall v. Marshall, reached the U.S. Supreme Court on a question of federal jurisdiction.

Born and raised in Texas, Smith dropped out of high school and first married at the age of 17. She first gained popularity in Playboy, becoming the 1993 Playmate of the Year. She modeled for clothing companies, including Guess jeans. She starred in her own reality TV show, The Anna Nicole Show. In the months before her death, she was the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son, Daniel Smith.

Born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston, Texas, Anna Nicole was the only child of Donald Eugene Hogan (born July 12, 1947) and Virgie Mae Tabers (born July 12, 1951), who married on February 22, 1967. Her father then left the family; he and Virgie divorced on November 4, 1969. Virgie’s oldest child, Anna Nicole’s half-brother, is David Luther Tacker, Jr. (born 1966).

Anna Nicole was raised by her mother and aunt, Elaine (Todd) Tabers, wife of Virgie’s brother, Melvin Tabers.

Virgie, who worked as a law enforcement officer in Houston for 28 years, subsequently married Donald R. Hart in 1971. Their child was Donald Ray Hart, Jr. (born 1972). After Virgie married Donald Hart, Anna Nicole changed her name from Vickie Hogan to Nikki Hart. Virgie and Donald Hart divorced in 1983. Virgie then married Joe D. Thompson (1987, divorced 1991), James T. Sanders (1996, died 1996), and James H. Arthur (2000).

Anna Nicole’s father Donald married Wanda Faye Atkinson in 1970 and had the following children: Donna Hogan (born 1971), Donald Ray Hogan (born 1973), and Amy Hogan (born 1975). Donald and Wanda were divorced in 1978. Donald married Carolyn S. Vandver in 1996.
Anna Nicole attended Durkee Elementary School and Aldine Intermediate School in Houston.

When she was in the 9th grade, she was sent to live with her mother’s younger sister, Kay Beall, in Mexia, Texas. At Mexia High School, Anna Nicole failed her freshman year and later quit school during her sophomore year.

While working as a waitress at Jim’s Krispy Fried Chicken in Mexia, Anna Nicole met Billy Wayne Smith, who was a cook at the restaurant. The couple married April 4, 1985; she was 17 and he was 16. The next year, she gave birth to their son, Daniel Wayne Smith. She and Billy separated in 1987 and she moved to Houston with one-year-old Daniel. They were officially divorced February 3, 1993, in Houston.

Initially, Anna Nicole found employment at Wal-Mart, then as a waitress at Red Lobster. She then became an exotic dancer, and in 1991, began taking modeling and voice lessons. In October of that year, she saw an ad in the newspaper to audition for Playboy magazine.

Anna Nicole Smith Photo Archive