{{Short description|Australian television presenter and beauty queen (born 1957)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Karen Pini | image = | caption = | birth_name = Karen Jo Pini | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1957|07|30}} | birth_place = Perth, Western Australia | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = {{hlist|Model|actress|television presenter}} | known_for = | spouse = {{marriage|Stephen Fitzsimmons|1980||end=divorced}}<br /> Garry Carpenter | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | awards = Miss West Coast 1976<br />Miss Australasia Beachgirl 1976<br />Miss World 1976 (1st Runner-up) | website = {{URL|www.karenpini.com.au}} }}
'''Karen Jo Pini''' (born 30 July 1957)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51589382 |title=You wanted to know with Kevin Schluter|newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly|date=26 November 1980 |access-date=26 March 2014 |page=178 Supplement: Free Your TV magazine |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> is an Australian actress, model, TV personality and beauty pageant titleholder. She represented her country at the 1976 Miss World pageant held in London, United Kingdom and finished first runner up. She was also the nude centerfold in the first Australian edition of ''Playboy'' magazine in February 1979. Pini also co-hosted the weekly televised New South Wales lotto draw for twelve years.
==Career==
===Modelling=== In 1976 Pini entered her first beauty pageant, winning the title of Miss West Coast.<ref name="PMN">{{cite news |url=https://www.portnews.com.au/story/1857655/karen-pini-finds-her-home-in-the-haven/#slide=1 |title=Karen Pini finds her Home in the Haven |newspaper=Port Macquarie News |date=23 October 2013|last=Tisdell|first=Lisa|access-date=25 March 2014 |publisher=Fairfax Media}}</ref> As a result, she automatically qualified for the Miss Australasia Beachgirl competition, which was held in Perth in March that year. Pini won that title,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110807513 |title=In Brief|newspaper=Canberra Times |date=10 March 1976 |access-date=26 March 2014 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> qualifying her to enter the Quest of Quests pageant, a competition to select the Australian entrants for the Miss Universe and Miss World contests. She was selected as the Miss World representative for Australia and Australia's Golden Dream Girl.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19760924&id=AO5UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UJIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4427,6259898|title=Karen aims for the top|work=The Age|date=24 September 1976|page=7|access-date=25 March 2014}}</ref> In November she appeared at the 1976 Miss World pageant held at Royal Albert Hall in London, where she was chosen as first runner up<ref name="PMN"/> to the winner Cindy Breakspeare from Jamaica.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19761119&id=rjUjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LdUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2581,2233875|title=Islanders win World|work=The Southeast Missourian|date=19 November 1976|access-date=25 March 2014}}</ref>
After the Miss World Contest she toured England and Scotland, calling games of bingo.<ref name="PMN"/> Pini also appeared as a topless "Page 3 girl" in ''The Sun'' newspaper and was the cover model for the December 1977 US edition of ''Penthouse'' magazine.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://wonderclub.com/magazines/PENTmagPENT197712.htm|title=Penthouse Magazine|journal=Penthouse Max|date=December 1977|issn=0090-2020}}</ref> She was photographed in France<ref name="PMN"/> by Patrick Lichfield<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/exhibitions/patrick-lichfield-nudes-exhibition-opens-in-london-7669747.html?action=gallery&ino=7|newspaper=London Evening Standard|title=Patrick Lichfield: nudes exhibition opens in London|access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref> for the 1979 Unipart calendar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4477642.stm|title=Lichfield photos for new calendar|publisher=BBC News|date=28 November 2005|access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Most Beautiful Women|last=Lichfield|first=Patrick|date=1988|publisher=Crescent Books|page=31|isbn=978-0517423233}}</ref> In 1978 she returned to Australia and was selected as the inaugural Australian Playmate of the Month, appearing in the first Australian edition of ''Playboy'' magazine,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/opinion/how-a-womnas-touch-was-on-the-mark/story-e6frg99o-1226303262211#|title=How a Woman's Touch Was on the Mark|work=The Australian|last=Day|first=Mark|date=19 March 2012|access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/20/1040174392042.html|title=Men's fantasies don't handle curves like they used to|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 December 2012|last=Robotham|first=Julie|access-date=25 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="TV">{{cite web|url=http://televisionau.com/2009/04/1979-april-28-may-4.html|title=1979: April 28 – May 4 |date=25 April 2009 |publisher=Television.au|access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref> which was issued in February 1979.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Playboy (Australian Ed.)|journal=Playboy|date=February 1979|issn=0156-8892}}</ref>
===Television=== On 5 November 1979 Pini made her first television appearance on Channel Nine, hosting the weekly New South Wales Lotto draw with Mike Walsh,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tatts.com/nswlotteries/about/our-history|title=NSW Lotteries – Our History|publisher=NSW Lotteries|access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://from.ph/319940 |title=Lotto Ball Drawing Machine |author=Powerhouse Museum |access-date=26 March 2014 |publisher=Powerhouse Museum, Australia}}</ref> a role she held for twelve years.<ref name="PMN"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57125133 |title=How to Make Hay with Corn and Pizza|newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |date=29 April 1981 |access-date=25 March 2014 |page=147 Section: TV World |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Between 1979 and 1982 she appeared in the Australian soap opera ''The Young Doctors'',<ref name="PMN"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110966772 |title=Television Celebrating adoration of the Shekel. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=9 November 1979 |access-date=25 March 2014 |page=19 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> in the role as Nurse Sherry Andrews.<ref>{{cite book|title=Why Not Cast An Aussie?: The Story of Darren Gray Agent to Australian Actors |last=Gray|first=Darren|date=2012|publisher=Trafford Publishing|page=11|isbn=9781466916364}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51386891 |title=Go Health!|newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |date=2 September 1981 |access-date=25 March 2014 |page=147 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The series was Australia's first medical drama and followed the lives of the doctors, nurses, administrators, and patients of the fictitious Albert Memorial Hospital. It screened on the Nine Network for 1,396 episodes (from 1976 until 1983) making it one of Australia's longest-running television drama series.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52256013 |title='The Young Doctor Australia's longest running serial |newspaper=Australian Women's Weekly|date=23 June 1982 |access-date=26 March 2014 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She also made several appearances on ''The Paul Hogan Show'',<ref name="PMN"/><ref name="TV"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51585321 |title=In his First TV Special of the '80s: Hoges goes it alone with gusto. |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |date=30 April 1980 |access-date=25 March 2014 |page=29 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> a popular Australian comedy show that aired on Australian television from 1973 until 1984, starring Paul Hogan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A138136;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10|title=The Paul Hogan Show|publisher=National Film and Sound Archive|access-date=30 March 2014|archive-date=5 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105180138/http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number:138136;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Personal life== On 3 December 1980 Pini married Stephen Fitzsimmons, a real estate executive, in Bunbury.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126162583 |title=Karen Pini Wed|newspaper=Canberra Times |date=6 December 1980 |access-date=26 March 2014 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52261140 |title=What Marriage means to Karen Pini |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |date=3 November 1982 |access-date=26 March 2014 |page=49 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name="KHP">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55458356 |title=Karen's Honeymoon Paradise|newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly|date=11 March 1981 |access-date=26 March 2014 |page=132 Section: TV World |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Fitzsimmons was also Pini's second cousin.<ref name="KHP"/> She is currently married to Garry Carpenter and resides in Camden Haven, New South Wales.<ref name="PMN"/>
==Filmography==
===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1979–1982 | ''The Young Doctors'' | Nurse Sherry Andrews | |- | 1979–1991 | ''Go Lotto'' | Co-host (with Brian Bury) | |- | 1980 | ''The Paul Hogan Show'' | Various roles | |- | 1982 | ''Beauty and the Beast'' | Panellist | |- | 1987–1988 | ''Home Shopping Show'' | Co-host (with Brian Bury) | <ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QYFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xuQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3159%2C2058610|title=Home Shopping Denies the Chop|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=17 January 1988|last=Eastway|first=Jocelyn|access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref> |- | 2007 | ''Where Are They Now?'' | Guest (with ''The Young Doctors'' cast) | 1 episode |}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{cite web | title=Biographical cuttings on Karen Pini, actress, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals| date=2000 | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/35911562 | access-date=25 March 2014 }} * {{IMDb name|id=0684279|name=Karen Pini}} * {{cite news | title=Model tells naked truth as Playboy centrefolds | newspaper=The Australian | date=16 February 2000 | page=5 | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/72687721 | access-date=26 March 2014 }}
{{Miss World 1976 delegates}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pini, Karen}} Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:Australian beauty pageant winners Category:Female models from Western Australia Category:Models from Perth, Western Australia Category:Australian soap opera actresses Category:Australian television presenters Category:Miss World 1976 delegates Category:Australian women television presenters