Lori Jo Hendrix was born in Ojai, California, an idyllic enclave of writers and artists nestled among the mountains north of Ventura. The youngest of three children, Lori spent her early year's horseback riding, swimming, trekking and going to the beach. After graduating high school, she studied cosmetology and worked as a cosmetologist for nine years, eventually retiring to pursue a career in modeling. Within a short time, she turned to modeling and acting full time.

Lori's modeling career began after participating in several local designers' swimwear fashion shows, trade shows, as well as features in posters and catalogs. She eventually joined the Southern California "bikini contest" circuit, winning the title of "Miss Fiesta Del Sol" at the Ventura County Fair two years in a row.

Despite the variety of modeling and acting Lori has done, she is best known for her work with Playboy as well as some of her "B" film work, which has a cult following. Throughout her modeling and acting career, Lori appeared in the pages of Playboy Special Editions along with models and actresses such as Anna Nicole Smith, Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Suzi Simpson, Petra Verkaik, Shannon Lee Tweed, and Cindy Margolis. She has been published in Playboy (the magazine and the Special Editions combined) approximately 30 times throughout the 90's and early 2000's