What is Cindy Margolis' net worth?
Cindy Margolis is an American model, Playboy Playmate, and actress who has a net worth of $5 million. Cindy Margolis is best known as one of the early Internet stars. At the dawn on the world wide web, Yahoo! named Cindy Margolis the Queen of the Internet from 1996-1999. She is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most downloaded person of 1999. At the height of her popularity, Margolis's images were downloaded 70,000 times in 24 hours. That was unheard-of at the time.
Cindy Margolis has appeared in ads for such brands as Reebok, Coors, Hanes, Sunkist, and Vidal Sassoon. On television, she hosted "The Cindy Margolis Show," competed on (and won) "Celebrity Cooking Showdown," and was the star of the reality dating series "Seducing Cindy." Among her other credits, Margolis played a fembot in the 1997 film "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" and posed nude for Playboy magazine.
Early Life and Education
Cindy Margolis was born as Cynthia Margolis on October 1, 1965 in Los Angeles, California to Jewish parents Karyn and William. For her higher education, she went to California State University, Northridge. For a class project there, Margolis created greeting cards featuring her wearing lingerie, unofficially kicking off her modeling career.
Modeling Career
Margolis started gaining major attention as a model during her time at CSUN. In 1986, she became Miss Makita Power Tools and made appearances at woodworking trade shows. Margolis went on to model in ad campaigns for such brands as Reebok, Coors, Hanes, Sunkist, Vidal Sassoon, and Frederick's of Hollywood. She also became known to late-night television viewers for co-presenting various infomercials with Tony Robbins and Don Lapre. In 1995, Margolis appeared as a model on the game show "The Price is Right." During the latter half of the decade and into the new millennium, she emerged as an early Internet star, and earned a Guinness World Record for being the "most downloaded" celebrity of 1999.
In late 2005, Margolis became the new hostess for Chipleaders on the World Poker Tour. A year later, she did her first nude photoshoot for Playboy magazine. Margolis posed nude for Playboy again in the summer of 2008 for the July issue. On her decision to pose nude, she stated that she wanted to serve as an inspiration to mothers and women her age, as she felt it was important to show her body as a 40-year-old woman in a culture that glorifies youth. In interviews, Margolis celebrated the feeling of being comfortable in her own skin.
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
Television Programs
Margolis has appeared on several television programs over the years. In 2000, she hosted the syndicated variety show "The Cindy Margolis Show," which featured young people partying and dancing around a stage that held various events. Lance Krall and DJ Skribble provided the dance music for the revelers. "The Cindy Margolis Show" ultimately ran for just 15 episodes. Margolis went on to appear as herself in an episode of the legal comedy series "Ally McBeal" in 2001. Five years later, she competed on the NBC reality show "Celebrity Cooking Showdown," hosted by Alan Thicke. Partnered with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, Margolis ended up winning the show by beating Miss USA Chelsea Cooley and singer Ashley Angel in the finals.
In early 2010, Margolis starred in her own reality series, "Seducing Cindy." A Fox Reality Channel original series, the show featured two dozen male contestants competing to win the affection of the newly single Margolis. The winner of the show was 24-year-old model Leighton Stultz. Margolis starred in another reality series, "Beverly Hills Nannies," in 2012. On that show, she appeared with her family. Margolis's other television credits include a supporting role in the 2015 made-for-TV movie "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!" and a starring role in the 2018 television film "Isle of Legends."
Other Appearances
Among her other notable appearances, Margolis played a fembot in the 1997 comedy film "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." The year after that, she played a tennis instructor in the Carrot Top comedy "Chairman of the Board." Elsewhere, Margolis competed as an amateur in a Pro Am Equalizer poker tournament.
Infertility Advocacy
Due to her personal struggles with conceiving a child, Margolis started her own charity focused on helping those with fertility issues. She also served as a spokeswoman for the charity Resolve, which works to get fertility treatment better covered by insurance companies. Continuing her advocacy, Margolis authored the book "Having a Baby… When the Old-Fashioned Way Isn't Working: Hope and Help for Everyone Facing Infertility."
Personal Life and Real Estate
Cindy was married to entrepreneur Guy Starkman from 1998 to 2009. They have three children together.
In the very early 2000s, Cindy and Guy paid $1.6 million for a home located in a gated community in the LA suburb of Tarzana.
In November 2020 Cindy paid $1.9 million for a home in Sherman Oaks, California. Around the time she bought this new house, she sold the Tarzana house for $3 million.
