Maria Richwine

Maria Richwine (born María Eugenia Agudelo; June 22, 1952 – March 12, 2024) was a Colombian-born American actress who was also the first Latina Playboy Bunny.

Maria Richwine
Born	María Eugenia Agudelo (1952-06-22)June 22, 1952 Cali, Colombia
Died	March 12, 2024(2024-03-12) (aged 71) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–2024
Known for	The Buddy Holly Story a.k.a. Pablo

Her first film role was as Buddy Holly's wife Maria, in the 1978 biopic movie The Buddy Holly Story. Her performance received positive reviews.^[1] Newsweek critic David Ansen commented, "Her attractive performance suggests complexities of character that the script fails to explore."^[2] She was a regular on Norman Lear's 1984 series a.k.a. Pablo, and also appeared in the television series Three's Company, Sledge Hammer!,^[3] and Freddy's Nightmares.

On March 12, 2024, Richwine was found unresponsive in a hot tub, at a residence in Palm Springs, California, and was later pronounced dead. She was 71.^[4]

References

1. Frank Javier Garcia Berumen, Latino Image Makers in Hollywood: Performers, Filmmakers and Films Since the 1960s (McFarland & Company, 2014), ISBN 978-1476614113, pp. 89-90. Excerpts available at Google Books.
2. David Ansen, "The Buddy Holly Story" (review), Newsweek, June 1978, reprinted in David Sterritt, ed., The B List: The National Society of Film Critics on the Low-budget Beauties, Genre-bending Mavericks, and Cult Classics We Love, Da Capo Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0306815669, p. 166. Excerpts available at Google Books.
3. Al Carlos, "First Person: Maria Richwine: Latina Playboy Bunny Turned Actress", La Prensa San Diego, December 30, 2010, via HighBeam Research.
4. McAllister, Toni (March 13, 2024). "Former Playboy Bunny, Buddy Holly Movie Wife, Found Dead In PS Hot Tub". Patch. Retrieved March 16, 2024.

External links

• Maria Richwine at IMDb
• Maria Richwine at Rotten Tomatoes