Jenna Jameson Biography

Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada to a family with Italian roots; her father was a police officer while her mother was a showgirl. Her mother died when Jameson was three years old. During her childhood, she took ballet classes, which helped future career in dancing, and was a frequent entrant in beauty pageants.

At age 16, Jameson began dancing in strip clubs with the help of a false I.D. Initially rejected from dancing at the Crazy Horse strip club because of her braces, they quickly relented when she removed them herself. During her dancing, she became a voracious drug user, using such drugs as acid and speed.

When she was 18, she moved to California, where her father had moved, and with his help she became clean. By age 20, and with her father's blessing, this quickly led to nude pictorials in such magazines as Hustler, Penthouse and Chéri.

After a bidding war, Wicked Pictures, a pornographic film production company, signed Jameson to an exclusive contract. After only a few films, she quickly achieved fame and critical success, and, in 1996, won top awards from three major industry organizations.

Jameson has also made cameo appearances in some mainstream movies and other media, including Howard Stern's 1997 film Private Parts and, in 2002, as the voice of a porn star called "Candy Suxxx," in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

In 1997, she made an appearance for an Extreme Championship Wrestling PPV as the valet for the Dudley Boyz, followed by a few months where she was the ECW interviewer. She also filmed a vignette with Val Venis in the WWF.

In 2001, she debated the merits of porn against a panel of anti-porn activists at the Oxford Union and won the debate 204 to 27.

In 2004, Jameson's autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale (ISBN 0060539097) was released. Co-written with Neil Strauss, it was an instant best-seller.

She currently is co-owner of ClubJenna, a website and movie-production company, along with her husband, porn-director Jay Grdina (who performs and directs under the stage name of "Justin Sterling"). The couple reside in Arizona.

In 2005, her moan tones (moaning sounds) were made available for downloads as ringtones.

As of April 13, 2005 she and publisher ReganBooks are currently in the midst of a lawsuit. The point of contention is the new reality show around Jameson's "everyday life" -- a deal that was being inked out between her husband and A&E. ReganBooks indicates however that this is a breach of Jameson's contract, as the contract indicates that ReganBooks has a stake in the profits generated by two different venues: a one-hour special based on her memoir and reality-based series. As of this writing, an agreement has not been reached regarding this suit.

In August 2005, she launched Club Thrust, an interactive website for her gay fans, which includes videos, galleries, sex advice, gossip, and downloads. Jameson is one of the few actresses in straight porn to have developed a following among gay audiences.

In October 2005, production began on The Provocateur, in which Jameson made her directorial debut. The film is expected to be released in late 2006.

In 2005 she opened Babes Cabaret, a strip club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The club faces closure under a new Scottsdale ordinance limiting adult-entertainment venues.

She is the host of Playboy channel's Jenna Jameson's American Sex Star.

On February 12, 2006, Jameson, Savanna Samson, and several other Vivid Girls will host the first ever Porn Star Super Bowl Party at the Zoo Club in Detroit Michigan. The event commands a $1,000 ticket price, and is causing controversey with the NFL who have not sanctioned this as an offical Super Bowl event.