Traci Lords Biography
Summary
"Traci Lords" (born "Nora Louise Kuzma" on May 7, 1968), also known as "Traci Elizabeth Lords" and "Tracy Lords", is an American film actress, producer, film director, writer and singer. She first achieved notoriety for her underage appearances in pornographic films and "Penthouse" magazine (she was 15 years old in her first film), later becoming a television and B-movie actress.
Early life
Nora Louise Kuzma was born in Steubenville, Ohio to Louis and Patricia Kuzma ("née" Briceland). Her stage name is said to be in tribute to Katharine Hepburn's character Tracy Lord from "The Philadelphia Story" (or the eponymous character played by Grace Kelly in "High Society"), or from the first name of her high school best friend Traci and the last name of her favorite actor from "Hawaii Five-O", Jack Lord. At twelve, she fled from her abusive, alcoholic, father to Lawndale, California, with her mother and three sisters. In 1983, she began attending Redondo Union High School. She eventually had an abortion, which she paid for by herself, went through a nervous breakdown, and ran away from home.
Porn career
While living with her mother's ex-boyfriend, who posed as her stepfather, she used a friend's birth certificate to obtain a driver's license indicating that she was twenty-two years of age, and faked her way into the porn industry at the age of fifteen. She started in the porn industry with Jim South at the "World Modeling Agency" in Sherman Oaks, while assuming the name Kristie Elizabeth Nussman.
Shortly after, she was modeling for widely distributed adult magazines, most notably "Penthouse", in the same September 1984 issue that exposed Miss America 1984, Vanessa Williams. She quickly ventured into adult movies. Her first movie was "What Gets Me Hot!", followed by "Those Young Girls" and "Talk Dirty To Me Part III", all made in the first half of 1984. Lords' youthful appearance and enthusiastic sexual performances propelled her to stardom. By the time she was 18, she had appeared in 100 adult films; however, Lords argued in her autobiography that about 80 of those films were composed from leftover and re-edited footage from the original 20 films that were shot.
In May 1986, authorities discovered she had been underage while making pornographic movies and arrested her, as well as the owners of her movie agency and X-Citement Video, Inc. (See "United States v. X-Citement Video".) The ensuing prosecution against the agencies cost the pornographic film and distribution industry millions of dollars, as they were obliged by law to remove hundreds of thousands of her videotapes, films and magazines from store shelves to avoid the risk of prosecution for trafficking in child pornography (the legality varies with countries: while it is illegal in France to produce a pornographic film involving an actor under 18, the film remains legal). In her book, Lords suggested hypocrisy on the part of the movie producers and the news media, arguing that the porn industry actually got richer from the publicity of the scandal, even as they complained of losing money after destroying her illegal movies. Lords felt she was also exploited by the reporters, who used censored stills from her unlawful films. Lords herself was never charged with a crime, since as a minor she was unable to give informed consent to perform sex acts on film for money. Instead, the agents and producers who accepted her fake IDs were charged and people affiliated with the films in question experienced legal troubles for years.
Like most starlets of the time, Lords received a salary for her appearances in X-rated movies and didn't own the rights of those films. According to her autobiography, she made $35,000 as total salary for all of those movies, including the $5,000 she received for her appearance in "Penthouse".
Most of this money was spent on rent and drugs. It also paid for a black Corvette that her boyfriend later wrecked.
For her last few films, she and another much older boyfriend, (Stewart Dell) , formed the (Traci Lords Company) , where he co-produced and directed the movies. Lords received a smaller salary, but also received part of the rights of these movies.
Only one of these films, "Traci, I Love You", was produced after her eighteenth birthday, making it the only one legally available in the United States. (However, in non-US jurisdictions where the age of consent is lower, as well as over the Internet, her earlier films continue to be distributed).
After her arrest, Lords sold her rights to this film for $100,000. This action led to claims that Lords herself had tipped off the authorities to gain immunity from prosecution, while profiting from the movie. No proof has ever surfaced to substantiate this claim. Lords denies this notion in her autobiography, and claims that she was reluctant to sell the rights, since at that time she was trying to become a mainstream actress and didn't want any older movies still available. Also, she wrote she knew nothing of people's real names or who produced which film, and did not provide such information to the FBI. The FBI agents, 'appeared annoyed' when she could not provide the information they wanted. She said that the agents claimed to have monitored her for three years.
Government prosecutors declared that Lords was a victim of a manipulative industry, maintaining she was drugged and made to do non-consensual acts. But industry insiders, like Ron Jeremy, Ginger Lynn and Tom Byron, say they never saw her use drugs, and that she was fully aware of her actions, even if, as a minor, she could not legally consent. One of her co-workers from that time, Christy Canyon, has gone so far as to say about Lords' autobiography: 'I think her book could have been fabulous, except that she was lying throughout the whole thing.'
While Lords decries the pornographic film industry, she continues to use the stage name she gave herself as a minor, and ultimately made it her legal name. She wrote, 'I chose to stop running from it. Instead, I won it, legally changing my name to Traci Elizabeth Lords. That's who I was, and that's who I was going to be.' Lords stated that she is not trying to deny her past, telling Oprah Winfrey: 'I found you can run but you cannot hide'.
Post porn career
Lords moved into mainstream films, and has appeared in a number of B-movies. At 18, Lords began studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and soon after, starred in a remake of Roger Corman's film "Not of This Earth". Then in 1990, she appeared in John Waters' "Cry-Baby", playing the role of Wanda Woodward. Other movies on her resume include "Blade", "Tommyknockers", "Black Mask 2: City of Masks", "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and "Chump Change". The latter won her a Best Actress Award at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. She has also made cameo appearances in "Serial Mom", "Nowhere" and "Virtuosity".
In addition to movies, Lords has also made many appearances in TV shows, including "Married... with Children", "MacGyver", "Highlander: The Series", "Tales from the Crypt", "Hercules", "Gilmore Girls", and "Will & Grace" among others, along with recurring roles in "Profiler", "Roseanne", and "Melrose Place".
From late in 2000 to 2001, Lords appeared in the Francis Ford Coppola produced sci-fi series "First Wave", playing Jordan Radcliffe, the newest member of a group called Raven Nation that combats extraterrestrial aliens.
In the 1990s, Lords began developing a career as a singer, performing vocals on the Manic Street Preachers U.K. Top 40 hit, 'Little Baby Nothing', and also appearing in the music videos of other performers and groups. In 1995, Lords made her solo debut, in collaboration with Juno Reactor and Jesus Jones' Mike Edwards, called "1000 Fires". The Juno Reactor-produced first single 'Control' reached #2 on the Billboard Dance Charts. The song 'Control' was featured in the 1995 movie adaptation of the game "Mortal Kombat", which played as an instrumental.
Lords returned to the music scene in 2004 with a new, independently produced recording, the double A-side 'Sunshine'.
In 2003 she published her autobiography, "Traci Lords: Underneath It All" (ISBN 0-06-050820-5), which made the "New York Times" bestseller list. In December 2003, Lords wrote and directed a short film with Fox Searchlab entitled "Sweet Pea", released and shown at film festivals in 2005. The film is loosely inspired by an experience recounted in her autobiography; a teenage girl finds herself overcome with doubt after being raped by her boyfriend.
Personal life
On October 7, 2007, Lords gave birth to a son, Joseph Gunnar, her first child with husband of five years, Jeff Lee.
Acting credits
Film
"Zack and Miri Make a Porno "(2008)
"Crazy Eights " (2006) - Gina Conte
"Novel Romance" (2005) - Max
"Frostbite" (2005) - Naomi Bucks
"Home" (2003) - Lorna
"Black Mask 2: City of Masks" (2002) - Chameleon
"You're Killing Me... (aka: The Killing Club)" (2001) - Laura Engles
"Chump Change" (2001) (as Traci Elizabeth Lords) - Sam
"Certain Guys" (2000) - Kathleen
"Epicenter" (2000) (as Traci Elizabeth Lords) - Amanda Foster
"Extramarital" (1999) - Elizabeth
"Me and Will" (1999) - Waitress
"Stir" (1998) - Kelly Bekins
"Blade" (1998) - Racquel
"Boogie Boy" (1998) - Shonda Lee Bragg
"Nowhere" (1997) - Valley Chick #1
"Underworld" (1996) - Anna
"Blood Money" (1996) - Wendy Monroe
"Virtuosity" (1995) - Media Zone Singer
"Skinner" (1995) - Heidi
"Ice" (1994) - Ellen Reed
"Serial Mom" (1994) - Carl's Date
"Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II" (1994) - Norma
"Desperate Crimes" (1993) - Laura
"Intent to Kill" (1993) - Vickie Stewart
"Laser Moon" (1992) - Barbara Fleck
"The Nutt House" (1992) - Miss Tress
" Raw Nerve" (1991) - Gina Clayton
"A Time to Die" (1991) - Jackie
"Shock 'Em Dead" (1991) - Lindsay Roberts
"Cry-Baby" (1990) - Wanda Woodward
"Fast Food" (1989) - Dixie Love
"Not of This Earth" (1988) - Nadine Story
Television
"Point of Entry" - 2007
"Celebrity Paranormal Project" (2006) (as herself)
"Gilmore Girls" (2003) (as Traci Elizabeth Lords) - Natalie Zimmermann
"Deathlands" (2003) - Lady Rachel Cawdor
"They Shoot Divas, Don't They?" (2002) (as Traci Elizabeth Lords) - Mira
"First Wave" (2000-01) (as Traci Elizabeth Lords) - Jordan Radcliffe
"D.R.E.A.M. Team" (1999) (as Traci Elizabeth Lords) - Lena Brant
"Profiler (TV series)" (1997-1998) - Sharon Lesher
"Dead Man's Island" (1996) - Miranda Prescott
"As Good as Dead" (1995) - Nicole Grace
"Melrose Place" (1995) - Rikki
"Dragstrip Girl" (1994) - Blanche
"Roseanne" (1994) - Stacy
"Bandit: Bandit's Silver Angel" (1994) - Angel Austin
"Highlander: The Series" (1993) - Greta
"Tales from the Crypt" (1993) - Emma Conway
"The Tommyknockers" (1993) - Nancy Voss
"Murder in High Places" (1991) - Diane
"Married...With Children" (1991) - Vanessa Van Pelt
"MacGyver" Jenny (1 episode, 1990)
Video games
"True Crime: New York City" (2005) - Cassandra Hartz
"Ground Control II: Operation Exodus" (2004) - Dr. Alice McNeil
"Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (2004) - Pestilence
"Defender" (2002) - Commander Kyoto
Music
'Come Alive' (2007) (single)
'You Burn Inside Me' (2005 - used for Duprey Cosmetics commercial)
'Walking in L.A.' (2004) (single)
'Sunshine' (2004) (single)
"1000 Fires" (1995) (CD)
'Fallen Angel' (1995) (CD single and vinyl LP)
'Control' (1994) (CD single)
"Acid Eaters" (1993 Ramones album) (background vocals on 'Somebody to Love')
"Generation Terrorists" (1992 Manic Street Preachers album) (vocals on 'Little Baby Nothing')
Notable adult videos
"What Gets Me Hot!" (1984) - Lannie (Her first 'Adult' movie; credited as Tracy Lords)
"A Night of Loving Dangerously" (1984) Janice (credited as Tracy Lords)
"Talk Dirty To Me Part III" (1984) - Mermaid
"Open Up Tracy" (1984) - Tracy
"Those Young Girls" (1984) - Traci
"Sister Dearest" (1984)
"Holly Does Hollywood" (1985) - Tracy
"Black Throat" (1985) - Debbie
"Sex Shoot" (1985) - Tracy
"Electric Blue 28" (1985) - Nikki (scenes deleted)
"Future Voyeur" (1985)
"The Grafenberg Spot" (1985)
"Hollywood Heartbreakers" (1985)
"Kinky Business" (1985)
"It's My Body" (1985) - Maggie
"New Wave Hookers" (1985) - The Devil. (Later reissued with Lords' scenes replaced by new scenes featuring Ginger Lynn)
"Traci Takes Tokyo" (1986) - Traci
"Beverly Hills Copulator" (1986) - Michelle Leon (credited as Tracy Lords)
"Traci, I Love You" (1987) - Traci
"Young & Restless II" (1984) - Traci
"Peaches & Cream II" (1985)
"Porn in The USA" (1984)- Ms. Tadom
Literature
Nicolas Barbano: "Verdens 25 hotteste pornostjerner" (Rosinante, Denmark 1999) ISBN 87-7357-961-0: Features a chapter on Traci Lords.
Steve Rag (= Tim Greaves): "Norma K." nr. 1-2 and "Nora K." nr. 3-6 (England 1990-1992): Traci Lords-fanzine
Steve Rag (= Tim Greaves): "The Nora K. Kompendium" (Media Publications, England 1996): The best from "Norma K."/"Nora K."
Suzanne Sommers (ed): "Wednesday's Children: Adult Survivors of Abuse Speak Out" (Putnam Adult, 1992)): Features a chapter on Traci Lords.
External links
(Traci Lords filmography @ EOFFTV)
(Interview) at Nerve.com
(NOTES on the HISTORY of PORNOGRAPHY: Traci Lords)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Traci Lords.
