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Biography courtesy and copyright of June at
www.bunnyjune.com.
Bunny June |
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June De Young
will never be labeled just another attractive young actress. Although
the slender, blue-green eyed, ambitious woman started life as a New
Jersey farm girl, she has left life on the farm far behind her and
through diligent and intense work, now excels at her chosen craft.
Along the way, she developed many other diverse talents that set her
apart from others making their way in the industry. De Young is an
excellent MC and TV host, an in-demand spokesperson, a gifted fashion
and interior designer and an amazing entrepreneur.
She numbers among
her many film credits, featured roles in Planes,
Trains & Automobiles, Heaven Help Us
and the The Toxic Avenger. June worked
with a variety of directors, learning, improving and perfecting her
character acting skills. Among them, such respected names as
Michael Dinner,
John Hughes and Walter Hill.
Blonde
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It was a career
in modeling that opened doors to work in films, television and stage.
Her background includes work in such theatrical productions as
Fiddler On the Roof,
Uncle Vanya, King
Lear, The Women and
Amahl and the Night Visitors. Her
interest in acting began in high school, lasted through college and
has never waned during her New York and Hollywood careers. She
continues studying and growing as an actress and developing her
dramatic and comedic gifts.
An acting job on
weekly PBS series, Enough is Enough, led
to a production assistant job at the network working with Howard Dando
(Broadway Producer of the rock-opera Tommy
and Sgt. Pepper). June quickly advanced
to the position of staff writer, followed by becoming a co-producer of
various PBS social issue projects. One segment she produced and wrote
on fad diets received special attention and recognition for its
content and viewpoint.
A master at
juggling time and projects, De Young picked up her degree in Film,
Radio and Television while working at a TV station. Other employment
opportunities included learning about the music video field,
distribution, sales and financing. De Young then rose to V.P. of
Theater Tunes, Inc., a music video corporation. Later, in Los Angeles,
she found herself working with Art Laboe in the music licensing
business.
June
fashion show |
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An innate style,
sense and constant interest in the world of fashion led De Young to
later form JDY Fashions; where she
created outrageous, attractive and definitive looks for those in the
entertainment industry. The small corporation grew and flourished. Her
new wardrobe which made heads turn wherever she went, evolved into a
line that was carried by stores in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, New
Jersey and even St. Thomas! These one-of-a-kind outfits of suede and
leather were snapped up by the young, the hip, the smart, and the
fashion-wise. Among the celebrities seen in De Young's creations were
MTV's Vide Jockey Nina Blackwood, Hugh
Hefner's girlfriend Carrie Leigh,
Saturday Night Live's Laraine Newman,
Soupy Sales, Kenny
Loggins, and bands such as Atlantic Records'
Savatage.
Bunny
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Working with
Playboy's The Empire Club in NYC from
1985 to 1986; De Young was hired to create looks for both male and
female Playboy Bunnies. Rich Melman, a top designer of theme
restaurants, was hired by Playboy to reshape the old New York Playboy
Club into the new Empire Club. Rich commissioned June to design thirty
new Bunny costumes. This was to be the last Playboy Club decorated in
history and the first of it's kind. Out of the thirty designs she
conceived; the Statue of Liberty Bunny
became June's own claim to fame. A dream and prediction of hers since
first grade, her historical costume provided her with unending
international media attention and she wore it well... tail and all.
Among the new Bunny costumes June designed were a Bride Bunny, Native
American Bunny, Miss America Bunny, Cupid Bunny, Mime Bunny, French
Maid Bunny, Army Bunny, Air Force Bunny, Navy Bunny, and a guerrilla
Bunny. Most famously the Empire Club had male Bunnies, called
"Rabbits", wearing tuxedos with the famous Bunny collars, cuffs, and
cufflinks. The Empire Club was the only Playboy Club which featured
these "Rabbits".
I had an
intuitive vision of myself as a Bunny when I was in first grade, in
New Jersey. At age seven, I told my class and teacher that I had
decided to be a Playboy Bunny! My vaccination mark on my arm also
looked like the Rabbit Head Logo. As I grew up I told people I was
born with the 'Mark of the Bunny'! I
always watched Hugh Hefner on his late night network TV Show. My
mother was even called into PTA meetings to discuss why her daughter
was up allowed up late to watch Hef!
And I was right,
I did become a Bunny! Andy Warhol was the
most unusual customer I ever served. He sat in the abstract art
gallery downstairs in the Empire Club. I met Andy four more times
after that in different places in New York City before he died. I had
dinner with him in various restaurants like Odeon and The Hard Rock
Cafe and also going to the fashion boutique shows, etc. He was such an
interesting and creative man! I learned a lot from his sense of art.
Bunny
June |
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People always ask
me "Do you still have your tail?" People
love Bunnies and always look at my butt, even now they are looking for
my Bunny tail as if all Bunnies have it implanted there!
The girls really
didn't make a lot of tip money. There was a non-inclusive policy in
that club. The keyholders thought the girls were getting tips. I was
told that in all of the clubs previous to this one that gratuity was
already included into a customer's bill.
All of us Bunnies
were a part of history and proud of it! If you say to someone that you
were once a Playboy Bunny, there are always a multitude of questions
that follow and a look of awe and interest on the person's face.
I think that
Bunny Clubs now would be different and would not have that uniqueness.
We are in a totally different time. It's hard to bring back previous
era's in totality, such as the 60's, the 70's or the 80's. It's like
trying to bring back BXW TV and say that it's cool! I think that the
Playboy Bunny Era should stand alone. I have a 'lucky' red rabbit's
foot on my key chain.
Playboy enhanced
my life in the entertainment industry in NYC and LA...I had my own
clothing line publicized, had my family accept my career and got to
meet many prominent musicians and also people associated with the life
of Marilyn Monroe. Plus I have done a lot of charity work for many
worthy causes since then!
David Cassidy and I met at the Playboy Mansion
in the 80's. He offered me M&M's from Hef's silver bowl and then we
met later that night at Hef's outdoor bar for a drink...He said "Hi,
I'm David from New Jersey and I said Hi, I'm June from New Jersey" and
we had fun all evening. Patrick Cassidy played piano, as David, and I
sang together with him. Then we began seeing each other romantically
on and off for years after. I still have a lot of love and respect for
him.
June
portrait |
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I have been told
that I stand out for my ability to work on classic cars, my acting and
singing, my being a fashion designer for entertainers, my intuition
and ability to talk to anyone about anything as I do in my work as a
producer and TV talk show host!
June did sexy
"savage and suede" fashion shows of her own designer clothing line on
the Empire Club's stage to the tune of Eartha Kitt's
I LOVE MEN, while Bunny Mother Nan Mason
narrated. PM Magazine taped it live. June also designed for pioneer
Video Jockey Nina Blackwood. Nina
appeared with other VJ's for the jungle-themed party which accompanied
the fashion show. One of Matt Lauer's first interviewee was June,
dressed as the Liberty Bunny. June remembers "he was young, cute and
really nervous during our press day!" June was the most publicized
Bunny of the Empire Club due to the 1886-1986 Centennial Liberty
Celebration that year, landing many fun magazine and newspaper
interviews (including a spot on Regis Philbin's
AM Show as New Upcoming Designer of the Year
for 1985).
Hand-made
one-of-a-kind JDY designs even graced the covers of Playboy! This
inspired June to go on to produce fashion videos featuring her new
suede and leather lines at places like New York's famous landmark
Studio 54, the Cat
Club, L.A.'s Acropolis and
Nippers nite spot. Her own fashion line
received European and American press coverage as she appeared on
numerous TV shows promoting her designs.
June
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Her on-camera
skills eventually led to the development of her career as an
on-location spokesperson. She toured Japan as a representative for the
National Olympic Volleyball Team, has co-hosted fund drives for United
Cerebral Palsy and KOCE-TV, and has been seen on CNN, ABC, Lifetime
Network, and the BBC.
Combining her
spokesperson and television producer talents, De Young also wrapped up
a series of segments on a yearly basis for CBS News promoting the
Daytime Emmy Awards. She interviewed cast members of
The Young and the Restless soap
opera...speaking with J. Eddie Peck,
Scott Reeves,
Heather Tom, Lauralee Bell,
Jess Walton, Doug
Davidson and Victoria Rowell. June
and her camera crew also went behind the scenes and into the control
room to get the scoop from Y&R's Executive Producer
Edward Scott.
In 1993, Kodak
representatives along with celebrity photographer
Gene Trindl approached June to appear on
Kodak's first photo CD-ROM. This western modeling shoot sparked her
interest in the computer age. Early in 1994, a hands-on opportunity
arose and she produced and directed a series of seven CD-ROM's for
international distribution. These interactive discs were created with
a Sports Illustrated style, featuring
beautiful men and women, combining still photographs, music and
"real-time" video.
Psychic
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Parlaying a
lifetime of being psychic with an interest in psychic phenomena into a
TV series called Vibrations... Of the Known and
the Unknown...; June De Young discovered a new niche and became
a pioneer of the 'New Age'. In 1986 to 1988, she produced, hosted and
wrote an on-location, how-to, interview formatted, metaphysical
magazine series. It was the first programming of its kind and included
a New Age music interview with KITARO. These paranormal, alternative
healing and entertainment episodes aired on the BBC. This led her to a
guest spot on AM Los Angeles where De
Young subsequently became a New Age Correspondent and to her
co-producing a piece on the near-death experiences of
Dannion Brinkley for UPN's
Paranormal Borderline.
Exploration into
the unknown was always one of De Young's fascinations and one which
took her from the New Age to the Space Age. As a matter of fact, she
got a few pointers from a TV Host she looked up to from childhood...
Lou Steel of BXW
Creature Features fame. He made the prediction that June would
take after him hosting SCI-FI TV! It became quite a natural
progression and "Lifestyles of the SCI-FI," was born where June
interviewed SCI-FI celebrities Forrest J.
Ackerman, Richard Matheson,
Eric Allard, Tracy
and Jennifer Torme in their own homes.
UFOlogist
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TV talk shows led
her to TV news and to working on UFO television programming.
Approached to take on two talk shows, positioned as host, June studied
UFOlogy and interviewed researchers such as John
Lear, Norio Hayakawa and
Darryl Anka. June also discussed the
making of the movie Roswell with
Executive Producer and Co-Writer Paul Davids along with Hollywood
award winning animatronics effects artist Steve Johnson. De Young was
investigating the validity of newly released alien autopsy photos and
it's meaning to our society. Absorbed in this work, De Young penned
articles as writer for The International UFO Library Magazine from
interviews with artist Luis Gasparetto,
actor Richard Hatch of
Battlestar Galactica fame, and
Tracy Torme; co-producer and writer of "Fire in the Sky" and the hit television series
Sliders. Due to her work as a UFO
Reporter, she acquired the name "Miss UFO,"
from her colleagues in the field. With over fifteen years of
experience in the UFO realm she has a rapport with the utmost in
scientific researchers. As a matter of fact, De Young was eye-witness
to a UFO on September 10th, 1998 in California, placing her on
The Art Bell Show with notables
Whitley Streiber,
General A and Dr. Roger Leir
uncovering the results of valuable unprecedented material she led them
to at the UFO site.
Beyond this,
through the urging of psychic experts, June finally came out of the
closet as a psychic! She was 'undercover' over the years working on
numerous noteworthy cases as a 'true psychic detective' and counseling
celebrities on set. De Young is an advanced medium and medical intuit
who has been seeing spirit holographically and hearing their messages
since age six. She believes that her abilities have been enhanced by
touching the light of GOD during her
three near-death experiences and by being hit by lightning. June
translates messages from the other side daily to help people who have
experienced the loss of a loved one. She has been trained in grief
counseling and hospice as well. Clientele fly in from around the
world, just to spend a few hours with her and experience her healing
touch. Taking after Jeane Dixon; De Young
makes numerous precise world predictions that are unfolding as each
day passes. THE DOORS recently were
opened unto De Young when she channeled Jim
Morrison for VH-1's ROCK OF AGES.
Presently, June resides in Los Angeles, California and has lectured
and counseled around the country; while completing a forthcoming book
based on her life. While talking on the subject of her goals... she
would like to see her life story made as a feature film, concentrate
on her acting career, producing several of her projects for
television, and to having her own family in the upcoming years. De
Young spells it out: "But before I leave this world kicking and
screaming, I want to make a big statement towards opening the hearts
of people around the world!" To accomplish this goal, June has
established her own foundation - ANGEL WINGS
ABOVE THE WORLD. For more details contact June.
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