Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man is a figure used in tobacco advertising campaigns for Marlboro cigarettes. In the United States, where the campaign originated, it was used from 1954 to 1999. The Marlboro Man was first conceived by Leo Burnett in 1954. The images initially featured rugged men portrayed in a variety of roles but later primarily featured a rugged cowboy or cowboys, in picturesque wild terrain. The advertisements were originally conceived as a way to popularize filtered cigarettes, which at the time were considered feminine.
William Thourlby
Compared to colleagues who were also the faces of Marlboro during that time, Thourlby claimed that he never smoked cigarettes or consumed alcohol. He was friends with the athlete Jim Thorpe when they partnered to open up a restaurant in Los Angeles. Thourlby said of his relationship with Thorpe, “Jim adopted me as his son in an Indian ceremony — I called him Dad and he called me 'my boy.'" Thorpe helped Thourlby land several roles in movies before his Marlboro campaign.
Thourlby owned and operated a men's clothing store on Peachtree St. in Atlanta in the 1970s where he personally consulted with each customer on style, fit and tailoring of each suit.
Until his death, Thourlby lived alone in the New York Athletic Club for 40 years and was one of its three permanent tenants.