Dalene grew up in Barstow, California and began her modeling career by entering and ultimately winning a Venus Swimwear contest. Dalene then was featured in Playboy magazine as the Miss September 2001 Playboy Playmate Centerfold after being spotted at the Miss Hawaiian Tropic pageant.
Dalene's Playmate pictorial is considered to be the first Playmate pictorial of the Month without any pubic hair at all. Another signature attribute of Dalene's is her lower back tattoo of an artful butterfly just above her buttocks.
In 2003, Playboy Corporation released a soft plastic Playboy Doll of Dalene Kurtis. The doll was based on complex computer scans of her body and face; hence it is considered to be an anatomically accurate model of her.
Dalene is frequently mentioned in the NY Times best selling book The Game as the first women the author Neil Strauss attempts to hit on and pick up.
Appearances in Playboy special editions
* Playboy's Playmate Review Vol. 18 August 2002 - cover, pages 1-3, 62-71.
* Playboy's Playmates in Bed December 2002 - pages 10-17.
* Playboy's Book of Lingerie Vol. 89 January 2003.
* Playboy's Sexy 100 February 2003.
* Playboy's Nude Playmates April 2003 - pages 58-61.
* Playboy's Playmates in Bed November 2003 - Mizuno, pages 64-69.
