Like her mother, Toni is an avant garde feminist. Raised in California, Connecticut and New Jersey, Toni graduated from West Covina (CA) High School in 1962, began fashion modeling when she was 13, then was one of the first women to enroll in formerly all-male Cal Poly-Pomona University. She won her interior design degree from Woodbury School of Design in Los Angeles.

With Elinor’s urging, Toni posed for Playboy and at age 19 became the magazine’s February 1963 centerfold (as Toni Thomas) and its Playmate of the Decade in 1969. She’s one of Playboy’s most distinguished alums and a leading light of the Playboy Centerfold Alumni Association. She’s frequently called upon to participate in Playboy philanthropic events, has made several TV appearances, written a health and fitness book called "Life Force" and recently filmed a health and fitness TV video for middle-aged women. Toni’s picture (above, taken in 1995) clearly shows she’s a living example of the video’s message. Photographs and stories about Toni have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the National Enquirer and other newspapers.