Jenna Jameson
About
Biography
Filmography
Bibliography
Biography
As the self-described "most downloaded person on the Internet," adult film star Jenna Jameson emerged from college dorm room stardom to become a household name. Contrary to popular belief, Jameson never used her profession as a stepping stone to mainstream acting or as a substitute for a career in entertainment gone bad. With the determination to become the most popular star in the industry, Jameson accomplished just that, becoming so famous that she wound up atop her own merchandising company with carte blanche to appear in any movie of her choosing-or none at all.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jameson lost her showgirl mother to skin cancer when she was 3 years-old. Left to her own designs by her well-meaning, but constantly working dad, Jameson and her brother, Tony, were free to roam and explore new things, like sex and drugs. While a young teen, she lost her virginity to a boy she liked while passed out drunk at a party. She was later gang-raped by several boys from another high school at a time when her family had moved to Montana-an experience Jameson was convinced she was not meant to survive. At 16, she feel in love with a tattoo artist who gave Jameson her trademark double-heart on her bum. After moving in together, she was encouraged to find work as a stripper. Her boyfriend took nude photos while Jameson shopped herself around Vegas for dancing jobs. One club told her to reapply after she had her braces removed-which she did that night with the help of her brother and a pair of needle-nose pliers. The next day she got the job.
Stripping at clubs like Crazy Horse Too led to posing for various magazines, including Penthouse and Hustler. Meanwhile, Jameson had developed an addiction to crystal meth-so crippling was her problem that she moved back in with her dad, who had moved to California, to cleanse her system. Then in 1993, Jameson began making softcore pornography, which soon segued into hardcore-surprisingly, with her father's blessing. Her first video, "Up and Cummers 11," was made in 1994. At first she only performed girl-on-girl scenes, but soon made her first film with a man, "Cherry Pie" (1994), in which she played a character called Betty Blueballs. After doing several films with Vivid Video, she signed an exclusive contract with Wicked Pictures, telling founder Steve Ornstein that "the most important thing [was] to become the biggest star the industry has ever seen."
Jameson quickly made good on her promise. At 21, she won Best New American Starlet at the Hot D'Or Awards in Cannes-the industry's version of the Academy Awards. Meanwhile, she sent photos to radio Shock Jock Howard Stern and soon appeared regularly on his morning program. Stern was instrumental in boosting Jameson's career, casting her-albeit for a brief nude scene-in his autobiography, "Private Parts" (1997). In 1999, Jameson was honored with two lifetime achievement awards: one from Adult Video News, the other from the Hot D'Or Awards. Meanwhile, her personal life began to brighten. After marrying and quickly separating from coworker Rodney Hopkins (a.k.a. Brad Armstrong), she met porn producer Jay Grdina, who proposed to Jameson while she was still technically married. Before the ink had dried on the divorce, Jameson and Grdina married and eventually bought a home in Scottsdale, AZ, where the two formed Club Jenna, a merchandising company that featured movies for download and a variety of products, including bobble head dolls, Got Jenna? T-shirts and a mold of her pelvic region-complete with lubricant and talcum powder.
As her popularity at video stores and online grew, she started crossing over to mainstream entertainment. She hosted episodes of E! Entertainment Television's "Wild On" and provided household tips on "The Man Show" (Comedy Central, 1994-2004), while making appearances on "Entertainment Tonight" (Syndicated, 1981- ) and "Extra" (Syndicated, 1994- ). She also provided her voice on an episode of "Family Guy" (Fox, 1998- ) and had a recurring role as herself on the short-lived political drama, "Mister Sterling" (NBC, 2003). In 2003, E! Entertainment aired a two-hour "True Hollywood Story" in which she talked about overcoming her inner demons and her rise as the industry's most powerful porn actress. Meanwhile, she appeared with other industry stars in the documentary, "Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy" (2001), then made her first mainstream feature film as a fictional character in the straight-to-video comedy about a slow-witted gumsh (Danny Masterson), "Dirt Merchant" (2002). Jameson also crossed-over to the video game realm, providing the voice of the prostitute Candy Suxx in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. She even made a cameo appearance-again as herself-in the Robert DeNiro-Billy Crystal comedy, "Analyze That" (2002).
Throughout her career, Jameson made upwards of fifty films, some of which were big sellers, including her most popular, "Brianna Loves Jenna" (2001), which sold 100,000 copies on video and DVD. Though warning prospective actresses about the perils of the industry, she has debated the merits of porn on society, most notably at the Oxford Union in London and on "The O'Reilly Factor (Fox News, 1996- ) with host Bill O'Reilly. Meanwhile, her popularity soared and her acceptance into the mainstream continued unabated. Her autobiography-ghost written by former New York Times music writer Neil Strauss-was well-reviewed and quickly became a best seller, debuting on the Times' list at No. 9. Then in 2003, she inked an exclusive deal with Vivid Entertainment: a seven year contract that allowed her to direct and star in 15 videos-an unprecedented amount of control for a porn star. In 2006 Jameson lent her voice to "Samurai Love God," an animated series from Comedy Central delivered directly to mobile-phone users.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1994
Made her adult film debut with "Up and Cummers 11"
1995
Began making regular appearances on the "Howard Stern" show
1996
Voted "Best New Starlet" by AVN, XRCO and FOXE, making her the only actress ever to win the award from all three groups in the same year
1997
Made mainstream feature film debut in Howard Stern's autobiographical film "Private Parts"
1997
Made an appearance for "Extreme Championship Wrestling PPV" as the valet for the Dudley Boys; also appeared as a recurring interviewer
1999
Honored with a lifetime achievement award at the "Hot d'Or" adult-film awards in Cannes, France
1999
Provided household tips on "The Man Show" (Comedy Central)
2000
Formed Clubjenna Inc., a website and movie-production company, which she co-owned with her then-husband, porn director Jay Grdina
2001
Made her most successful adult film to date "Brianna Loves Jenna," which sold 100,000 copies on video and DVD
2001
Voiced a cartoon of herself on the animated series "Family Guy" (Fox)
2002
Made her MTV debut in the Eminem video "Without Me"
2002
Voiced porn star Candy Suxxx in the popular video game "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City"; also voiced Daisy in Tony Hawk's "Pro Skater 4"
2002
Appeared as a stripper in "Analyze That," starring Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal
2002
Appeared as a fictional character in "Dirt Merchant," a straight-to-video comedy starring Danny Masterson
2003
Signed by Vivid Entertainment to an unprecedented seven-year deal in which she'll direct and star in 15 movies
2003
Landed recurring role as herself on the short-lived political drama "Mister Sterling" (NBC)
2004
Released autobiography <i>How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale</i>, co-written with Neil Strauss
2006
Lent her voice to "Samurai Love God," an animated series from Comedy Central
2008
Played the lead in the comedy horror film "Zombie Strippers"
2009
Appeared in the documentary "Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry"
