Asia Carrera
Asia Carrera | |
---|---|
Born | Jessica Steinhauser[1] August 6, 1973[2] New York City, U.S.[2] |
Other names | Asia Lemmon[1][3] |
Alma mater | Utah Tech University (BS) Texas A&M (MSEd) St. Mary's University (JD) |
Height | 5 ft 8.5 in (174 cm)[2] |
Spouses | |
Children | 3 |
Website | asiacarrera |
Asia Carrera Lemmon (born Jessica Steinhauser, August 6, 1973) is an American former pornographic actress.
Early life
[edit]Asia Carrera was born Jessica Steinhauser[4][5] in New York City to a German mother and Japanese father,[6] the oldest of four siblings.[7] She was raised in Little Silver, New Jersey, and attended Red Bank Regional High School.[8][9] At the age of 16, she taught English at Tsuruga College in Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan.[10] At 17 years old, Carrera ran away from home due to overwhelming parental pressures that led to multiple suicide attempts as a young teen.[11]
After winning the National Merit Scholarship Program's most prestigious scholarship award in 1991, Carrera joined the elite ranks of "Notable National Merit Scholars", listed alongside previous winners such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Steve Ballmer.[12] After being a homeless runaway, Carrera was eager to use her scholarship at Rutgers University for free room and board, but she eventually dropped out of college when she discovered fast financial security from dancing and modeling.[11] After leaving Rutgers, she moved to Los Angeles to make movies, and quickly became Vivid Entertainment's first Asian contract girl.[13]
Carrera is a member of Mensa,[10][14] with an IQ of 156.[1][15]
Career
[edit]Adult film career
[edit]Carrera's adult film career started in 1993[16] and appeared in over 350 adult films.[11] In 1995, she became the first Asian performer ever to win the AVN Female Performer of the Year Award.[17] Carrera retired from the film industry in 2003, following her marriage to Don Lemmon.[2]
Carrera lent her voice to several erotic hentai OVAs for publisher Pink Pineapple, such as Inmu (2001)[18] and Shusaku (1999).[19] In October 2001, Carrera attended the Big Apple Anime Fest in New York City for her voice roles and along with Kobe Tai was an Opening Night Guest of Honor at the fest's Midnight Anime Concourse.[20]
Carrera was also in the 2012 documentary After Porn Ends, which documents the lives of actors after they leave the adult film industry.[21] In the documentary, she discusses her membership in Mensa. Despite being a celebrity member of the group, the organization refused to link to her website because it contained pornographic elements.[22]
Other work
[edit]In 1998, she appeared in an uncredited cameo role in the film The Big Lebowski in the faux pornographic movie Logjammin' within the film.[23][24]
Carrera was a guest reviewer for Maximum PC magazine.[25]
Personal life
[edit]Carrera is an atheist.[26] In November 2014, she wore a colander on her head for her Utah driver's license photograph. State law normally prohibits the wearing of hats in driver license photos, but there is an exception for religious headwear and Carerra's colander was worn in honor of the religion of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.[1][3] She is one of about a dozen "Pastafarian" Utahns who have worn a colander in their official state ID photos.[27]
In September 1995, Carrera married adult film director Bud Lee. They divorced in 2003, but remain good friends.[2] She married nutritionist and author Don Lemmon on December 19, 2003.[28] The couple moved to St. George, Utah, where she gave birth to a daughter on March 4, 2005. On June 10, 2006, Lemmon was killed in a car accident outside of Las Vegas. Seven weeks later, on July 31, Carrera gave birth to the couple's second child.[2][29][30][31] In June 2012, she gave birth to a boy whom she later placed for adoption.[32]
In 2015, she was arrested for DUI with "a reported blood alcohol content of .254 percent – more than three times Utah’s .08 legal limit." She pleaded no contest in exchange for avoiding jail time and was sentenced to house arrest.[33]
In 2015, Carrera began studies at Utah Tech University,[34] where she was joined two years later by her 11-year-old daughter.[35] At that time, Carrera's daughter was the youngest student to attend college at Utah Tech, and the youngest full-time college student in the state of Utah.[36]
Carrera has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Utah Tech, a Master's in Education from Texas A&M University, and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law.[37]
Awards and nominations
[edit]- 1995 AVN Female Performer of the Year[38]
- 2000 AVN Best Couples Sex Scene – Film (Search for the Snow Leopard)[38]
- 2000 AVN Award nominee - Best Actress – Film[39]
- 2001 AVN Hall of Fame inductee[40]
- 2007 XRCO Hall of Fame inductee – XRCO Members' Choice[41][42]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b c d Samantha Sadlier (November 18, 2014). "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster 'Pastafarian' makes statement". The Spectrum. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bio". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "Ex-porn star wears colander in driver's license photo". USA Today. Associated Press. November 17, 2014. p. 1. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
Asia Lemmon, whose legal name appears on her driver's license as Jessica Steinhauser, said the pasta strainer represents her beliefs in the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
- ^ McDonagh, Maitland. "Question: Is Barbara Carrera, ..." TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Jenkins, Jack (November 19, 2014). "'Pastafarian' Ex-Porn Star Gains The Right To Wear A Pasta Strainer In Her Driver's License Photo". ThinkProgress. Archived from the original on June 13, 2019.
- ^ "Asia Carrera: Why I do porn".
My father was born in Japan, and my mother was born in Germany.
- ^ "House of Truth: Asia Carrera interview". House of Truth. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ Carrera-Lemmon, Asia (December 7, 2016). (Untitled). Facebook. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ "The Top 10 Porn Stars From New Jersey", WCHR-FM, November 1, 2016. Accessed October 8, 2018. "Asia Carrera - Born in NYC, but grew up in Little Silver, going to Red Bank Regional High School."
- ^ a b "The Women of Porn", Playboy, March 2002, page 128
- ^ a b c Sager, Mike. "The Porn Identity". Playboy, September 2011: 118.
- ^ "Notable National Merit Scholarship Honorees" Accessed December 9, 2024.
- ^ "List of Notable Vivid Girls over the last 30 years" Accessed December 9, 2024.
- ^ "They're Accomplished, They're Famous, and They're Mensans". Mensa Bulletin (476). American Mensa: 23. July 2004. ISSN 0025-9543.
- ^ Cosmin Turcu; Dana Chiru (May 30, 2011). "Căutătorii de genii au recrutat 173 de români" (in Romanian). adevarul.ro. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Asia Carrera - iafd.com". Internet Adult Film Database. iafd.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ Steve Javors (February 27, 2013). "Interview: AVN Female Performer of the Year Asa Akira". AVN. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- ^ Clements, Jonathan; Helen McCarthy (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia (Revised & Expanded ed.). Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. p. 301. ISBN 1-933330-10-4.
- ^ "Shusaku and Inmu Details". Anime News Network. May 8, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ "BAAF Wrap-up PR". Anime News Network. November 14, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ "'After Porn Ends' Documentary Reveals The Dark Side of the Industry and Life After Porn". Huffington Post. May 15, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
- ^ Berlatsky, Noah (September 13, 2012). "Ex Porn Stars are the 99 Percent". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
- ^ Green, Bill; Peskoe, Ben (2007). I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski: Life, the Big Lebowski, and What Have You. Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-1-59691-246-5.
- ^ Tyree, Joshua M.; Walters, Ben (2007). The Big Lebowski. BFI Film Classics. London, England: British Film Institute. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-84457-173-4. OCLC 156919357.
- ^ Maximum PC. July 2002. p. 72.
- ^ Jenkins, Jack (November 19, 2014). "'Pastafarian' Ex-Porn Star Gains The Right To Wear A Pasta Strainer In Her Driver's License Photo". Think Progress. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Sadlier, Samantha (November 18, 2014). "Ex-porn star OK'd to wear colander in DMV photo". USA Today. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ "Donald Lemmon Jr. Obituary". Las Vegas Review-Journal. June 14, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2020.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Asia Carrera. "Asia's Bulletins". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ "Obituaries: Lemmon Jr., Donald". Las Vegas Review-Journal. June 16, 2006. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
- ^ "Asia's Bulletins!". Archived from the original on March 15, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ Asia Carrera-Lemmon (September 21, 2012). "I struggled long and hard with many..." Facebook. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ^ Jenkins, Kevin (January 8, 2016). "Colander-wearing atheist enters plea in DUI case". The Spectrum. The Spectrum & Daily News. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ Ricks, Spencer (December 21, 2017). "Mom, 11-year-old daughter team up as DSU classmates". Dixie Sun News. St. George, Utah: Dixie State University. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Havens, Emily (November 4, 2016). "11-year-old prodigy enrolled full-time at DSU". The Spectrum. Utah. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Paul, James (November 29, 2017). "An 11-year-old College Student Gets All A's!". USA Today. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ "List of 2024 Graduates & Accolades". Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Past AVN Award Winners". Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
- ^ "AVN 2000 Nominations". AVN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2000. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
- ^ "AVN Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
- ^ Hunter, Todd (April 6, 2007). "Hillary Scott Big Winner at XRCO Awards". xbiz.com. XBIZ.
- ^ "XRCO 2006 AWARD CATEGORIES, NOMINATIONS, AND WINNERS". April 5, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
Sources
[edit]- Nakamura, Eric (1999). "Big Money Shot: Asia Carrera". Giant Robot.
- Pollard, Nate (2011). "Interview: Asia Carrera". Verbicide.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Asia Carrera at IMDb
- Asia Carrera at the Internet Adult Film Database
- Asia Carrera at the Adult Film Database
- Sadlier, Samantha (November 17, 2014). "Ex-porn star wears colander in driver's license photo". USA Today.
- 1973 births
- Living people
- Actresses from New York City
- Actors from Monmouth County, New Jersey
- Red Bank Regional High School alumni
- Utah Tech University alumni
- Texas A&M University alumni
- Rutgers University alumni
- American women bloggers
- American female adult models
- American pornographic film actresses
- American people of German descent
- American pornographic film actors of Japanese descent
- People from Little Silver, New Jersey
- People from St. George, Utah
- Pornographic film actors from New Jersey
- Pornographic film actors from New York (state)
- American atheists
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- American actresses of Japanese descent
- Mensans