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Jason Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, to Eileen (Yates), a dancer, and Barry Statham, a street merchant and lounge singer. He was a Diver on the British National Diving Team and finished twelfth in the World Championships in 1992. He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman and finally of course, actor. He received the audition for his debut role as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) through French Connection, for whom he was modeling. They became a major investor in the film and introduced Jason to Guy Ritchie, who invited him to audition for a part in the film by challenging him to impersonate an illegal street vendor and convince him to purchase fake jewelry. Jason must have been doing something right because after the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) he teamed up again with Guy Ritchie for Snatch (2000), with co-stars including Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio Del Toro. After Snatch (2000) came Turn It Up (2000) with US music star Ja Rule, followed by a supporting actor role in the sci-fi film Ghosts of Mars (2001), Jet Li's The One (2001) and another screen partnership with Vinnie Jones in Mean Machine (2001) under Guy Ritchie's and Matthew Vaughn's SKA Films. Finally in 2002 he was cast as the lead role of Frank Martin in The Transporter (2002). Jason was also in the summer 2003 blockbuster remake of The Italian Job (1969), The Italian Job (2003), playing Handsome Rob.
Throughout the 2000s, Statham became a star of juicy action B-films, most significantly Crank (2006) and Crank: High Voltage (2009), and also War (2007), opposite Jet Li, and The Bank Job (2008) and Death Race (2008), among others. In the 2010s, his reputation for cheeky and tough leading performances led to his casting as Lee Christmas in The Expendables (2010) and its sequels, the comedy Spy (2015), and as (apparently) reformed villain Deckard Shaw in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Apart from these blockbusters, he continued headlining B-films such as Homefront (2013).
In 2017, he had his first child, a son with his partner, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
With an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, who would have ever believed that a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village would become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and one day be the Governor of California!?
The amazing story of megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger is a true "rags to riches" tale of a penniless immigrant making it in the land of opportunity, the United States of America. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947, in the town of Thal, Styria, Austria, to Aurelia Schwarzenegger (born Jadrny) and Gustav Schwarzenegger, the local police chief. From a young age, he took a keen interest in physical fitness and bodybuilding, going on to compete in several minor contests in Europe. However, it was when he emigrated to the United States in 1968 at the tender age of 21 that his star began to rise.
Up until the early 1970s, bodybuilding had been viewed as a rather oddball sport, or even a mis-understood "freak show" by the general public, however two entrepreneurial Canadian brothers Ben Weider and Joe Weider set about broadening the appeal of "pumping iron" and getting the sport respect, and what better poster boy could they have to lead the charge, then the incredible "Austrian Oak", Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over roughly the next decade, beginning in 1970, Schwarzenegger dominated the sport of competitive bodybuilding winning five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles and, with it, he made himself a major sports icon, he generated a new international audience for bodybuilding, gym memberships worldwide swelled by the tens of thousands and the Weider sports business empire flourished beyond belief and reached out to all corners of the globe. However, Schwarzenegger's horizons were bigger than just the landscape of bodybuilding and he debuted on screen as "Arnold Strong" in the low budget Hercules in New York (1970), then director Bob Rafelson cast Arnold in Stay Hungry (1976) alongside Jeff Bridges and Sally Field, for which Arnold won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture". The mesmerizing Pumping Iron (1977) covering the 1975 Mr Olympia contest in South Africa has since gone on to become one of the key sports documentaries of the 20th century, plus Arnold landed other acting roles in the comedy The Villain (1979) opposite Kirk Douglas, and he portrayed Mickey Hargitay in the well- received TV movie The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980).
What Arnold really needed was a super hero / warrior style role in a lavish production that utilized his chiseled physique, and gave him room to show off his growing acting talents and quirky humor. Conan the Barbarian (1982) was just that role. Inspired by the Robert E. Howard short stories of the "Hyborean Age" and directed by gung ho director John Milius, and with a largely unknown cast, save Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones, "Conan" was a smash hit worldwide and an inferior, although still enjoyable sequel titled Conan the Destroyer (1984) quickly followed. If "Conan" was the kick start to Arnold's movie career, then his next role was to put the pedal to the floor and accelerate his star status into overdrive. Director James Cameron had until that time only previously directed one earlier feature film titled Piranha II: The Spawning (1982), which stank of rotten fish from start to finish. However, Cameron had penned a fast paced, science fiction themed film script that called for an actor to play an unstoppable, ruthless predator - The Terminator (1984). Made on a relatively modest budget, the high voltage action / science fiction thriller The Terminator (1984) was incredibly successful worldwide, and began one of the most profitable film franchises in history. The dead pan phrase "I'll be back" quickly became part of popular culture across the globe. Schwarzenegger was in vogue with action movie fans, and the next few years were to see Arnold reap box office gold in roles portraying tough, no-nonsense individuals who used their fists, guns and witty one-liners to get the job done. The testosterone laden Commando (1985), Raw Deal (1986), Predator (1987), The Running Man (1987) and Red Heat (1988) were all box office hits and Arnold could seemingly could no wrong when it came to picking winning scripts. The tongue-in-cheek comedy Twins (1988) with co-star Danny DeVito was a smash and won Arnold new fans who saw a more comedic side to the muscle- bound actor once described by Australian author / TV host Clive James as "a condom stuffed with walnuts". The spectacular Total Recall (1990) and "feel good" Kindergarten Cop (1990) were both solid box office performers for Arnold, plus he was about to return to familiar territory with director James Cameron in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). The second time around for the futuristic robot, the production budget had grown from the initial film's $6.5 million to an alleged $100 million for the sequel, and it clearly showed as the stunning sequel bristled with amazing special effects, bone-crunching chases & stunt sequences, plus state of the art computer-generated imagery. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) was arguably the zenith of Arnold's film career to date and he was voted "International Star of the Decade" by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
Remarkably, his next film Last Action Hero (1993) brought Arnold back to Earth with a hard thud as the self-satirizing, but confusing plot line of a young boy entering into a mythical Hollywood action film confused movie fans even more and they stayed away in droves making the film an initial financial disaster. Arnold turned back to good friend, director James Cameron and the chemistry was definitely still there as the "James Bond" style spy thriller True Lies (1994) co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold was the surprise hit of 1994! Following the broad audience appeal of True Lies (1994), Schwarzenegger decided to lean towards more family-themed entertainment with Junior (1994) and Jingle All the Way (1996), but he still found time to satisfy his hard-core fan base with Eraser (1996), as the chilling "Mr. Freeze" in Batman & Robin (1997) and battling dark forces in the supernatural action of End of Days (1999). The science fiction / conspiracy tale The 6th Day (2000) played to only mediocre fan interest, and Collateral Damage (2002) had its theatrical release held over for nearly a year after the tragic events of Sept 11th 2001, but it still only received a lukewarm reception.
It was time again to resurrect Arnold's most successful franchise and, in 2003, Schwarzenegger pulled on the biker leathers for the third time for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). Unfortunately, directorial duties passed from James Cameron to Jonathan Mostow and the deletion of the character of "Sarah Connor" aka Linda Hamilton and a change in the actor playing "John Connor" - Nick Stahl took over from Edward Furlong - making the third entry in the "Terminator" series the weakest to date.
Schwarzenegger married TV journalist Maria Shriver in April, 1986 and the couple have four children.
In October of 2003 Schwarzenegger, running as a Republican, was elected Governor of California in a special recall election of then governor Gray Davis. The "Governator," as Schwarzenegger came to be called, held the office until 2011. Upon leaving the Governor's mansion it was revealed that he had fathered a child with the family's live-in maid and Shriver filed for divorce.
Schwarzenegger contributed cameo roles to The Rundown (2003), Around the World in 80 Days (2004) and The Kid & I (2005). Recently, he starred in The Expendables 2 (2012), The Last Stand (2013), Escape Plan (2013), The Expendables 3 (2014), and Terminator Genisys (2015).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Actor and musician Bruce Willis is well known for playing wisecracking or hard-edged characters, often in spectacular action films. Collectively, he has appeared in films that have grossed in excess of $2.5 billion USD.
Walter Bruce Willis was born on March 19, 1955, in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany, to a German mother, Marlene Kassel, and an American father, David Andrew Willis (from Carneys Point, New Jersey), who were then living on a United States military base. His family moved to the U.S. shortly after he was born, and he was raised in Penns Grove, New Jersey, where his mother worked at a bank and his father was a welder and factory worker. Willis picked up an interest for the dramatic arts in high school, and was allegedly "discovered" whilst working in a café in New York City and then appeared in a couple of off-Broadway productions. While bartending one night, he was seen by a casting director who liked his personality and needed a bartender for a small movie role.
After countless auditions, Willis contributed minor film appearances, usually uncredited, before landing the role of private eye "David Addison" alongside sultry Cybill Shepherd in the hit romantic comedy television series Moonlighting (1985). His sarcastic and wisecracking P.I. is seen by some as a dry run for the role of hard-boiled NYC detective "John McClane" in the monster hit Die Hard (1988), in which Willis' character single-handedly battled a gang of ruthless international thieves in a Los Angeles skyscraper. He reprised the role of McClane in the sequel, Die Hard 2 (1990), set at a snowbound Washington's Dulles International Airport as a group of renegade Special Forces soldiers seek to repatriate a corrupt South American general. Excellent box office returns demanded a further sequel Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), this time co-starring Samuel L. Jackson as a cynical Harlem shop owner unwittingly thrust into assisting McClane during a terrorist bombing campaign on a sweltering day in New York.
Willis found time out from all the action mayhem to provide the voice of "Mikey" the baby in the very popular family comedies Look Who's Talking (1989), and its sequel Look Who's Talking Too (1990) also starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Over the next decade, Willis starred in some very successful films, some very offbeat films and some unfortunate box office flops. The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) and Hudson Hawk (1991) were both large scale financial disasters that were savaged by the critics, and both are arguably best left off the CVs of all the actors involved, however Willis was still popular with movie audiences and selling plenty of theatre tickets with the hyper-violent The Last Boy Scout (1991), the darkly humored Death Becomes Her (1992) and the mediocre police thriller Striking Distance (1993).
During the 1990s, Willis also appeared in several independent and low budget productions that won him new fans and praise from the critics for his intriguing performances working with some very diverse film directors. He appeared in the oddly appealing North (1994), as a cagey prizefighter in the Quentin Tarantino directed mega-hit Pulp Fiction (1994), the Terry Gilliam directed apocalyptic thriller 12 Monkeys (1995), the Luc Besson directed sci-fi opus The Fifth Element (1997) and the M. Night Shyamalan directed spine-tingling epic The Sixth Sense (1999).
Willis next starred in the gangster comedy The Whole Nine Yards (2000), worked again with "hot" director M. Night Shyamalan in the less than gripping Unbreakable (2000), and in two military dramas, Hart's War (2002) and Tears of the Sun (2003) that both failed to really fire with movie audiences or critics alike. However, Willis bounced back into the spotlight in the critically applauded Frank Miller graphic novel turned movie Sin City (2005), the voice of "RJ" the scheming raccoon in the animated hit Over the Hedge (2006) and "Die Hard" fans rejoiced to see "John McClane" return to the big screen in the high tech Live Free or Die Hard (2007) aka "Die Hard 4.0".
Willis was married to actress Demi Moore for approximately thirteen years and they share custody to their three daughters.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Mohanlal was born to Viswanathan Nair (father) and Santhakumari (mother) in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, which is located in the southern part of India on the 21st May 1960. Starting his career with a classic villain role, he has now become an outstanding actor in Malayalam Cinema. Without a doubt, Mohanlal is today's one of the best actors India has ever produced. He is also rated as one of the most talented actors in India. His ranges of movies are enviable, his comedy roles are incomparable and his unique style of dialogue delivery is effortless. Not many actors can portray both comedy and serious roles with the same ease. And with all these rare talents he has received "Padma Shri" and "Padma Bhushan", the nation's highest civilian honors. He has also won 5 National Film Awards, including Best Actor twice for Bharatham (1991) and the highly acclaimed Vaanaprastham (1999), as well as numerous other awards and honors.
He has reached this position with his hard work and devotion to the movie industry. As far as his acting is concerned, it's been acknowledged many times that he's the most gifted actor in the Indian movie field.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, British India (present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India) to legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan & Teji Bachchan. He also has a brother named Ajitabh. He completed his education from Uttar Pradesh and moved to Bombay to find work as a film star, in vain though, as film-makers preferred someone with a fairer skin, and he was not quite fair enough. But they did use one of his other assets, his deep baritone voice, which was used for narration and background commentary. He was successful in being cast in Saat Hindustani. He got his break in Bollywood after a letter of introduction from the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, as he was a friend of her son, Rajiv Gandhi. This is how Bachchan made an entry in Bollywood, starting with Zanjeer, co-starred with his future wife Jaya Bhaduri, and since then there has been no looking back.
He married Jaya Bhaduri, an accomplished actress in her own right, and they had two children, Shweta and Abhishek. Shweta is married, lives a non-filmy life and has two children.
Being friends with Rajiv Gandhi, got him to decide to run for seat in the Indian National Congress (political party) from his home town but had to leave mid-term because of controversies, particularly after Rajiv and he were implicated in the now infamous "Bofors" case along with the U. K. based Hinduja Brothers.
After a four year break, he was back in the unsuccessful Mrityudaata (1997), a comeback which the actor wanted to forget. Critics written him off but his career was saved with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998). But four flops in 1999 and incurring debt of over 90 crore rupees of his sinking company ABCL saw him at an all-time low. To make matters worse, after the defeat of the Congress party, Bachchan lost considerable political support, the opposition made him a target, and his credit rating deteriorated to such an extent that a leading nationalized bank, Canara Bank, sued him for outstanding loans. He did bounce back, presenting the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire called Kaun Banega Crorepati? (2000). After a series of hits with Mohabbatein (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and Baghban (2003) and Khakee (2004), Bachchan is showing no signs of slowing down and proving the critics wrong once again.
Amitabh and Jaya were interested in getting their son Abhishek married to Karisma Kapoor, the daughter of Babita and Randhir Kapoor, they went through a formal engagement, but later broke it off.
The former Miss World and Bollywood actress, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek, were formally engaged on Sunday January 14, 2007, at the Bachchan residence in Juhu, Bombay, with the marriage taking place at the Bachchan residence on April 20, 2007.
On November 16, 2011, he became a Dada (paternal grandfather) when Aishwarya gave birth to a daughter in a Mumbai Hospital. He is already a Nana (maternal grandfather) to Navya and Agastye - Shweta's children.
He continues to be one of the busiest actors and singers in Bollywood as well as on TV, as can be seen from the commercials that he appears on, especially on Sahara One. Looks like there are no limits for this super-star and once the "Angry Young Man" of Bollywood.- Actress
- Producer
- Executive
Amy Lou Adams was born in Vicenza, Veneto, Italy, to American parents, Kathryn (Hicken) and Richard Kent Adams, a U.S. serviceman who was stationed at Caserma Ederle in Italy at the time. She was raised in a Mormon family of seven children in Castle Rock, Colorado, and has English, as well as smaller amounts of Danish, Swiss-German, and Norwegian, ancestry.
Adams sang in the school choir at Douglas County High School and was an apprentice dancer at a local dance company, with the ambition of becoming a ballerina. However, she worked as a greeter at The Gap and as a Hooters hostess to support herself before finding work as a dancer at Boulder's Dinner Theatre and Country Dinner Playhouse in such productions as "Brigadoon" and "A Chorus Line". It was there that she was spotted by a Minneapolis dinner-theater director who asked her to move to Chanhassen, Minnesota for more regional dinner theatre work.
Nursing a pulled muscle that kept her from dancing, she was free to audition for a part in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), which was filming nearby in Minnesota. During the filming, Kirstie Alley encouraged her to move to Los Angeles, where she soon won a part in the Fox television version of the film, Cruel Intentions (1999), in the part played in the film by Sarah Michelle Gellar, "Kathryn Merteuil". Although three episodes were filmed, the troubled series never aired. Instead, parts of the episodes were cobbled together and released as the direct-to-video Cruel Intentions 2 (2000). After more failed television spots, she landed a major role in Catch Me If You Can (2002), playing opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. But this did not provide the break-through she might have hoped for, with no work being offered for about a year. She eventually returned to television, and joined the short-lived series, Dr. Vegas (2004).
Her role in the low-budget independent film Junebug (2005) (which was shot in 21 days) got her real attention, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well as other awards. The following year, her ability to look like a wide-eyed Disney animated heroine helped her to be chosen from about 300 actresses auditioning for the role of "Giselle" in the animated/live-action feature film, Enchanted (2007), which would prove to be her major break-through role. Her vivacious yet innocent portrayal allowed her to use her singing and dancing talents. Her performance garnered a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Adams next appeared in the major production, Charlie Wilson's War (2007), and went on to act in the independent film, Sunshine Cleaning (2008), which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Her role as "Sister James" in Doubt (2008) brought her a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award, and a British Academy Film award. She appeared as Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and as a post-9/11 hot line counselor, aspiring writer, amateur cook and blogger in Julie & Julia (2009). In the early 2010s, she starred with Jason Segel in The Muppets (2011), with Philip Seymour Hoffman in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master (2012), and alongside Clint Eastwood and Justin Timberlake in Trouble with the Curve (2012). She played reporter Lois Lane in Man of Steel (2013) and con artist Sydney Prosser in American Hustle (2013), before portraying real-life artist Margaret Keane in Tim Burton's biopic Big Eyes (2014).
In 2016, she reprised her role as Lane in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and headlined Denis Villeneuve's science fiction drama Arrival (2016) and Tom Ford's dark thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016). In 2018, she received another Oscar nomination, her sixth, for starring as Lynne Cheney in the biographical drama Vice (2018), opposite Christian Bale as Dick Cheney.- Actor
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Since the demise of the legendary John Holmes in March 1988, the short, mustachioed, heavyset Ron Jeremy has assumed the mantle as the number one U.S. male star of adult cinema. However, don't confuse Ron with the similar looking mustachioed 1970/'80s adult film star, Harry Reems, who has long since retired from the adult film industry. Portly Ron is not blessed with film star looks and a chiseled six-pack (a decidedly unchiseled 12- or 18-pack would be more like it) - his appeal and talents lie in other areas (which happen to be in his long 'member' measuring nearly 10 inches, erect!) and his "regular guy" appearance and amazing endurance in front of the camera have undoubtedly contributed to his phenomenal success in an industry notorious for dumping those men who can't perform on cue.
He's also one of the very few adult film stars to make the jump into mainstream cinema, with minor appearances in movies such as Reindeer Games (2000), Detroit Rock City (1999) and The Boondock Saints (1999). He was born Ron Jeremy Hyatt on March 12, 1953, in New York City and graduated from Cardozo High School (Queens, NY) in 1971, attained a masters degree from Queens College and then commenced special educational teaching in the New York City area. In 1978, a girlfriend sent his photo off to "Playgirl" magazine for appearance in its "Boy Next Door" pages. It was an understatement to say that Ron was deluged with female fan mail, and letters of interest from adult filmmakers!
Beginning in 1979, he has appeared in well over 800 adult feature films including Inside Seka (1980), Debbie Does Dallas Part II (1981), Terms of Endowment (1986) Lust of Blackula (1987), 21 Hump Street (1988) and Natural Born Thrillers (1994). At 50+ years of age, the charismatic and often comedic Ron Jeremy is still appearing in front of the camera in adult films and he's definitely attained iconic status in the adult entertainment industry and beyond.- Actor
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Born John Curtis Estes on August 8, 1944, in rural Pickaway County, Ohio, the youngest of four children, porn legend John Holmes was raised by a religious fanatic mother named Mary and an abusive alcoholic stepfather named Harold Bowman. He was a bible student, but at the age of 16 dropped out of school, left home and enlisted for a hitch in the US Army, where he was stationed in West Germany for three years. After his discharge he moved to Los Angeles in 1964 where he married a young nurse, and worked odd jobs such as taxi driver, door-to-door salesman, postal clerk, temp worker, coffee vat attendant, ambulance driver and forklift driver.
In the late 1960s he gravitated to the underground porno industry. One story was that a female neighbor was making porno loops and advised Holmes he could make good money. Unfortunately, his first check bounced and, after that, he always insisted on payment in cash. Another story is that in 1967 Holmes was frequenting a men's card playing club in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena when a photographer for an underground magazine noticed his large "member" while standing next to him at a restroom urinal and gave Holmes his business card, telling him he could get plenty of work in still photo magazines. By 1969, with the advent of X-rated porn films, Holmes moved into the movie business. His tall, slim build, curly light brown hair, a light mustache and bright blue eyes made him an instantly recognizable star. John was not lacking for work, bringing not only a professional attitude but also his legendary endowment (12-5/8" long, according to a Screw Magazine interview, while other stories put it at 13-1/2" long). His enormously long penis got him starring roles in over 2,000 loops, stag films and adult features in a career that spanned nearly 20 years (with a peak of a $3,000-a-day salary). His lucrative off-screen penis-for-hire business took him around the world.
His most famous character is probably Johnny Wadd, a lusty, always-on-the-make private detective he played in several crude porno films like Tell Them Johnny Wadd Is Here (1976), The Jade Pussycat (1977), China Cat (1978), Liquid Lips (1976) and Blonde Fire (1978), the last of which is considered the best of the so-called "Wadd films". Better still were the big-budgeted pictures that co-starred some of the adult film industry's top leading ladies, including Marilyn Chambers, Seka, Annette Haven and even a young--and underage--Traci Lords.
In the late 1970s Holmes developed a serious drug habit to cocaine (both snorting and freebasing), which prevented him from performing in the on-screen sex he was famous for, resulting in his dropping out of the adult-film business. By late 1980 he was broke, most of the huge amounts of money he made having gone to feed his drug addiction. He was reduced to making money by robbing people's houses and stealing cars, as well as delivering drugs for the local gangsters. The lowest point in his life was when he was implicated in four grisly, drug-related murders on July 1, 1981. He was allegedly present at the drug-related torture and murders at a house in the hills above Hollywood of William Deverell, Ronald Launius, Joy Miller and Barbara Richardson--a group suspected by many in the drug underworld of specializing in ripping off drug dealers--by a gang of killers sent by a powerful local gangster named Eddie Nash. A fifth victim, (Susan Launius, Ronald Launius' estranged wife), barely survived the attack and had no memory of the event. The bloody crime made lurid headlines throughout Southern California and became known as The Wonderland Murders, after the street in the wooded Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles where the killings took place. Holmes was implicated in the crime but refused to tell police what he knew and went on the run for nearly six months with his teenage mistress, Dawn Schiller, before he was arrested while hiding out in Florida and returned to Los Angeles. The L.A. authorities, angered by Holmes' refusal to cooperate with the investigation, charged him with committing all four murders. After a three-week, public trial, Holmes was acquitted on June 26, 1982. Although found not guilty of the murders, he remained in jail on previous burglary and contempt-of-court charges until his release in November 1982. The true nature and details of the Laurel Canyon murders remains unsolved to this day.
After his release from prison, Holmes tried to clean up his act and continue his porno career with a new generation of porno stars. His cocaine addiction continued off-and-on, and although work in the porno business was still plentiful, it was no longer as lucrative as it had been, given the explosion in the use of cheaply made videotapes that saturated the market. In addition, Holmes was no longer the powerhouse star that he had once been. He was diagnosed with AIDS late in 1985 but continued working--without telling producers or his co-stars--until 1986, when his increasingly gaunt and frail physical appearance sent up "red flags" in the industry and he could no longer find work.
During the last five months of his life, John Holmes received treatment and stayed at the local VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital on Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles from November 1987 to his death on March 13, 1988 from AIDS-related complications at age 43, with his second wife at his side, former porn star Misty Dawn. Holmes once estimated he'd had sex with over 14,000 women (on and off screen), and was truly a porn legend. His life was the basis for the film Boogie Nights (1997), and he was portrayed by Val Kilmer in Wonderland (2003), about the infamous murders, but the conflicting truths about his life, as always, was stranger than fiction.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Composer
Sharon Kane was without a doubt one of the single most prolific and ubiquitous actresses in hardcore porn. Born on February 24, 1956 in Ohio, Kane grew up as a tomboy in a rural community with her mother and grandparents. Sharon briefly worked as a secretary for the Salvation Army before beginning her career in the adult entertainment industry in the mid-1970's as an exotic dancer at the theater The Screening Room in San Francisco, California. After making her hardcore debut in Alex de Renzy's Pretty Peaches (1978), Kane went on to act profusely in a slew of X-rated features over the course of several decades that encompass gay, straight, bondage, and even transsexual fare as well as 8mm loops and video productions. Outside of her acting credits, the versatile Sharon also worked on adult movies in a variety of behind-the-scenes capacities that include director, writer, producer, set designer, make-up artist, art director, set decorator, production assistant, and even composer (she often sang and played multiple instruments for the latter). Kane has since retired from the adult film industry and now resides in a remote rural area.- Anna Ventura was one of the biggest stars in porn in its heyday, from the early to the mid-'80s. A completely natural beauty, this dark-haired, pouty-lipped, full-breasted, lush-bodied Italian vixen from New York was around for only a short time but managed to collect a huge fan following. However, as quickly as her star rose it disappeared, with Anna apparently leaving the adult-film business to marry and raise a family.
- Actress
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Beautiful, intelligent and musically-gifted Bobbi Starr arrived on the porn stage in 2006 at age 23. Born April 6, 1983, in Santa Clara, California, of Italian and Hungarian descent, with three other siblings, Bobbi grew up around music and singing--her mother was involved in the church choir and drama programs. In later years Bobbi attended San Jose State University, earning a music degree. Eventually she met someone who introduced her to the adult film business but it wasn't until a year later she finally decided to get involved in it. Her early efforts in the industry include bondage and submissive-based scenes, before she expanded into broader and more diverse areas. During the course of her career she has worked with various studios, including Red Light District Video, Combat Zone, New Sensations and Evil Angel. She also appeared as a finalist on the reality show "America's Next Hot Porn Star", a program similar to America's Next Top Model (2003). Bobbi has an interest in pursuing a study in pre-med, as she wishes to eventually become a gynecologist due to the lack of female gynecologists in the adult entertainment industry.- Connie Carter was born on 24 November 1988 in the Czech Republic. She is an actress.
- Buxom and shapely blonde bombshell Spencer Scott was born on April 4, 1989 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Scott grew up in Dallas, Georgia. She was a cheerleader in high school. Spencer moved to Los Angeles, California after graduating from high school at age sixteen in 2007. Scott did some bikini modeling prior to being chosen as the Playmate of the Month for the October, 2007 issue of "Playboy." Spencer appeared as herself on an episode of the reality TV series "The Girls Next Door."
- Very cute and slim 5'2" brunette Mary Jane Johnson was born on January 5, 1993. Mary Jane's first job was working at a Culver's fast food restaurant in a small town in Wisconsin (she worked for Culver's for two years). Moreover, Johnson also worked for the Applebee's restaurant chain prior to doing her first hardcore shoot in Arizona one day after turning eighteen in 2011. Among the notable companies Mary Jane has appeared in X-rated features for are Filly Films, Lethal Hardcore, Kick Ass Pictures, Overboard Video, and Forbidden Fruit Films. In addition, Johnson has also worked for such adult websites as BangBros, Amateurs Raw, Nubile Films, Nubiles Porn, Banged Babysitters, and Reality Kings. Mary Jane gave birth to a daughter in February, 2012.
- Tiny (5'1"), but buxom, gorgeous, and shapely redhead knockout Nikki Rhodes was born Nicole Stevenson on January 20, 1982 in Simi Valley, California. Nikki was raised in Palmdale, Lancaster, Littlerock and other areas of the Antelope Valley in California's Mojave Desert. A straight-A student in grade school, Rhodes was already attending college at age 15 and went to law school for two and a half years. Nikki started out in the adult entertainment business as a make-up artist. She first began performing in explicit hardcore movies at age 24 in 2006. Rhodes was nominated for AVN Awards for Best Oral Sex Scene in 2009, both Best Threeway Sex Scene and Female Performer of the Year in 2010, and Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene in 2011. Nikki won an AVN Award for Most Outrageous Sex Scene in 2009. She has several tattoos and a pierced navel. Moreover, Rhodes has also posed for photo shoots that include nude pictorials for the popular adult publication Penthouse.
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Tiny (5'1") but buxom and shapely brunette stunner April O'Neil was born on April 7, 1987, in Phoenix, Arizona. Of Mexican descent, April grew up as a tomboy. She moved to northern New Jersey shortly after graduating from high school, and then went right back to Arizona. She moved a second time to Los Angeles, California, in December of 2007 and worked as a receptionist for six months. She became interested in a career in porn after meeting adult-film starlet Kylee Reese at a party in September of 2008. O'Neil first began performing in explicit hardcore movies in her early 20s in 2009. She was nominated for an XBIZ Award for New Starlet of the Year in 2011, and for AVN Awards for Best Tease Performance and Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene in 2012. She enjoys cooking and playing video games on her Xbox.- Very fetching and petite 5'2" brunette Veronica Radke was born on May 27, 1993. Radke hails from North Carolina. Veronica first began performing in explicit hardcore fare at age nineteen in 2013. Among the notable companies and adult websites that Radke has worked for are Nubiles, BangBros, PornPros, Pay Ones, Filly Films, Team Skeet, AMK Empire, FM Concepts, Amateur Allure, Pure Passion, Digital Sin, Reality Kings, Elegant Angel, and New Sensations.
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Angela White was born on 4 March 1985. She is an actress and producer, known for Knockaround Guys (2001), Herschell Gordon Lewis' BloodMania (2017) and The Northlander (2016).- Tiny (5'3"), but extremely cute and petite redhead Ashlyn Rae was born Ashlee Stidham on August 31, 1990 in Prescott, Arizona. She's of mixed Scottish, German, Irish, and Mexican descent. Ashlyn grew up in Laguna Beach, California and has an older sister. Rae was a cheerleader in high school and lost her virginity at age 15. The green-eyed beauty started performing in explicit hardcore movies at age 19 in 2009; she's worked for such companies as Reality Kings, Twistys, Penthouse, Hustler, Little Mutt, Digital Sin, Combat Zone, and New Sensations. Ashlyn specializes in lesbian features and has a pierced navel. She was nominated for several AVN Awards in 2011.
- Slim and sexy blonde Brea Bennett was born on February 7, 1987, in Mesa, Arizona. She originally planned on being a singer and studied opera as a kid (she also recorded a CD with her father). The green-eyed stunner worked as a beauty consultant and as a receptionist at a real estate office prior to getting involved in the adult film industry in her late teens in 2005. She achieved her greatest popularity by becoming the first winner of the reality TV series Jenna's American Sex Star (2005) and worked as a contract girl for Club Jenna for a year. An open bisexual, Brea has been nominated for two AVN Awards. In addition, she has done nude modeling for such adult websites as Foxes and Digital Desire. She was the Twistys Treat of the Month for October, 2008 and the Penthouse Babe of the Day for September 1st, 2009. Brea writes her own acoustic and alternative music in her spare time.
- Gorgeous, buxom, and shapely 5'6" brunette stunner Brooke Lee Adams was born Rebekah Farris on July 9, 1986 in San Diego, California. She's of British and Persian descent. Adams participated in debate and drama in both high school and college. In addition, Brooke also studied symphonic piano and viola as well as was involved in dressage, track and field, and cross country running while growing up. Adams attended the University of Southern California in San Diego, where she majored in Biochemistry and minored in Visual Arts. Moreover, Brooke did an internship with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and acquired an education in infectious disease and AIDS on the ground in the southern African country of Swaziland. Adams first began performing in explicit hardcore movies at age 22 in December, 2008. She both graced the cover of and was the centerfold in the November, 2009 issue of the men's magazine Hustler. In 2011 Brooke was nominated for both an AVN Award for Best New Starlet and an XBIZ Award for Best Starlet of the Year.
- Tall (5'8"), buxom, and slender blonde looker Aimee Addison was born on March 8, 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona. She's the oldest of three children (she has a younger brother and a younger sister). Addison lost her virginity to a preacher's son and majored in anthropology in college. Aimee first became involved in the adult entertainment industry after answering an ad on Craigslist for a foot fetish shoot. Addison subsequently set up her own page on the ModelMayhem website and went on to work as a nude model -- she was the "Penthouse" Babe of the Day for February 27, 2011 -- prior to branching out with solo masturbation videos on various adult websites. Addison has since gone on to do both lesbian scenes and boy-girl couplings in a handful of explicit hardcore films.
- Gorgeous and slender 5'7" blonde bombshell Heather Starlet was born on August 14, 1989 in Dayton, Ohio. Of mixed German and Polish descent, she was a cheerleader in high school and started out in the adult entertainment industry as a nude artistic model. She began performing in explicit hardcore movies in her late teens using the name "Heather Starlet" in 2008; she has worked for such major companies as Hustler, Evil Angel, Red Light District, and New Sensations. Heather signed an exclusive contract with Digital Playground in September, 2009. Heather has several tattoos and piercings in her tongue and navel. She was nominated for an AVN Award for Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene in 2010. She enjoys shopping, hiking, camping, going to beaches, clubs, and gyms, and listening to music in her spare time.