About Merle Pertile
Lived 1941 – 1997 (aged 55). Merle Pertile was an American actor, model and playboy Playmate.
Biography Pertile was born on November 23, 1941, in Whittier, California, and grew up in Indiana and Illinois. She attended and graduated from Hammond High School, Hammond, Indiana in 1959. Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles, where she became a contract player with Universal Pictures and had guest spots on several TV shows. During the second season of the Playboy's Penthouse TV series (1960–61), Pertile became a regular cast member. It was there that she first met Hugh Hefner.
She was married to Jed S. Levitt, with whom she had a son, Krishna Joseph Levitt, and a daughter, Kenya Johanna Levitt. She also had a daughter, Christi, by actor Peter Brown. According to The Playmate Book, Pertile died on November 28, 1997, aged 56, in Lake Arrowhead, California, from complications following heart surgery.
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Important facts
People in Merle Pertile's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Merle Pertile's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Merle Pertile?
American actress (1941-1997)
When was Merle Pertile born?
Merle Pertile was born on 23 November 1941 in Whittier.
When did Merle Pertile die?
Merle Pertile died on 21 February 1997 in Lake Arrowhead.
What was Merle Pertile's occupation?
Merle Pertile was an actor, model and playboy Playmate.
What nationality was Merle Pertile?
Merle Pertile was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Merle Pertile. https://biography.guide/merle-pertile/
MLA: "Merle Pertile." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/merle-pertile/.
Chicago: "Merle Pertile." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/merle-pertile/.
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