Historically, the Spanish are known as conquerors, and the same is true of globe-trotting Playmate Samantha Torres. Born and raised on the Spanish island of Ibiza, Samantha was made to become a model. Tall and slender at 5’9”, with honey-blonde hair and green eyes, she stood out from all the other bellezas, and in her career became one of the world’s hottest models. “I’m happy with who I am,” she says in a fluent English accent. “I’m shy in a way, but when I’m in front of a camera, I bring out what I don’t show in public.” After a few years in a London boarding school, Samantha’s friends entered her in a Spanish beauty contest, and to no one’s surprise but her own, she won first place. From there, she became one of the hottest, most in-demand models in Europe, going on to become Miss Spain and Playboy’s Miss December 1995. “I think of modeling as a stepping stone to acting,” she admits, unfazed by her success. “I want to become a sexy, sensual actress, just like Kim Basinger in 9 ½ Weeks.” Unsurprisingly, Miss Torres lists the film as one of her biggest turn-ons, along with acting out choice scenes with a ready, willing partner. Lest you think of Samantha as too perfect, she offers up a few of her so-called flaws: she can't sit still, eats banana sandwiches for lunch, and likens her laugh to a donkey’s bray. “Please, don’t ever tickle me,” she jokes. “This is me, like it or lump it!” After her appearance in Playboy, Samantha went on to play a model alongside Angelina Jolie in 1998’s Gia, followed by roles in Shadow of a Doubt and Camino de Santiago. “I don’t have a master plan,” says Samantha. “I’m happy with what I’m doing.” Master plan or not, it looks like her dream of becoming a sexy actress came true.