Jenna Jameson (born Jenna Marie Massoli on April 9, 1974) is an American pornographic actress and entrepreneur who has been called the world's most famous porn star forbes/2005/0704/124.html" target="_blank">"The (Porn) Player" by Matthew Miller, Forbes magazine, July 4 _2005. Retrieved February 1, 2007. jamesons_forbidden_desires" target="_blank">"Jenna Jameson's Forbidden Desires" by _Vanessa Grigoriadis, Rolling Stone magazine, August 11 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2007. Reprinted as "Jenna Jameson: Girl On Top", by Vanessa Grigoriadis, The Independent, 05 September 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2007. blank">"A Star Is Porn", by Dan Ackman, _Wall Street Journal, August 27 2004, Page W13. Online at author's web site. Retrieved February 1, 2007. and "The Queen of Porn". blank">"Jenna Jameson: 'I chose the right profession'" interview with Anderson Cooper on Anderson Cooper 360°, _CNN, August 28, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2007. She started acting in erotic films in 1993 after having worked as a stripper and glamour model. By 1996, she had won the three top newcomer awards from pornographic film industry organizations. She has since won more than 20 adult film awards, and has been inducted into both the X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO) and Adult Video News (AVN) Halls of Fame. blank">Hall of Fame at xrco.com. Retrieved February 1, 2007. Hall of Fame page at avnawards.com. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
Jameson founded pornographic entertainment company _ClubJenna in 2000 with Jay Grdina, whom she later married. Initially an individual website, this business expanded into managing similar websites of other stars and began producing pornographic films in 2001. The first such film, Briana Loves Jenna (with Briana Banks), was named at the 2003 AVN Awards as the best-selling and best-renting pornographic title for 2002. By 2005, Club Jenna had revenues of US$30 million with profits estimated at half that. Advertisements for her site and films, often bearing her picture, have towered on a forty-eight-foot-tall billboard in New York City's Times Square. Playboy TV hosts her Jenna's American Sex Star reality show where aspiring porn stars compete for a Club Jenna contract.
Jameson is also noted for her relative success in crossing over into mainstream celebrity, starting with a minor role in Howard Stern's 1997 film Private Parts. Her mainstream appearances continued with guest-hosting E! television, an award-winning voice role in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and a recurring role on the 2003 NBC television series Mister Sterling. Her 2004 autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale, spent six weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. Jenna created a horror comic book with Virgin Comics entitled Jenna Jameson's Shadow Hunter, which was released in February 2008.
Jenna was born and raised in Las Vegas by her father, and by the time she was 18, the bright lights were already drawing her in. She studied ballet as a student, but it was stripping that started Jenna on her road to superstardom. Dancing led to nude modeling, and by her 20th birthday Jenna had appeared in dozens of top men's mags, including Penthouse, Hustler, High Society and Cheri. A visit to a porn set piqued Jenna's interest in a hardcore career, and Wicked Pictures signed her to an exclusive contract after a bidding war. It took only a few releases for Jenna to become the most popular young starlet around. She catapulted to the top of the porn heap, and in 1996 she scored an unprecedented triple crown by taking home the XRCO Best New Starlet, the F.O.X.E. Video Vixen and the AVN Best New Starlet awards. Jenna has been branching out into more mainstream projects lately, including a featured role in Howard Stern (I)'s Private Parts (1997) film. She remains one of the most popular pornstresses in the industry today.
