Bambi Woods | |
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 Woods in Debbie Does Dallas (1978) |
Bambi Woods is an American former pornographic film actress and exotic dancer best known for her appearance as the title character in the 1978 film Debbie Does Dallas . Her success during the Golden Age of Porn and later disappearance fueled speculation that she had died of a drug overdose in 1986. [1]
Woods was known for her first role as the eponymous character of "Debbie" in the 1978 feature adult film Debbie Does Dallas . She received top billing and a photo of her in a bogus uniform was prominently advertised on theater marquees where she was billed as a "former Dallas Cowgirl". [2] Woods had previously tried out for the real Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, but never made the squad. [3]
Woods said in an interview for the public-access television program Late Late Blue that she performed in Debbie Does Dallas as a one-off to clear a debt to a friend, but later spent all her earnings, so the same friend arranged for her to perform striptease. [4] The film's producer and director Jim Clark said in an interview for the Channel 4 documentary "Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered" that he created the stage name "Bambi Woods" as an allusion to the Disney character Bambi: "I named her Bambi Woods. There wasn't any real reason behind it. Bambi ... a deer. In the woods. Do you want to get deeper?" [2] One reviewer said that Woods' demeanor during sex scenes was in keeping with her pseudonym, being reminiscent of a deer in headlights. [2]
In the trailer for Debbie Does Dallas, Woods insists that none of her experiences were used for the completely fictional storyline, though she surmised that they could have happened. The partners with whom she had unsimulated sexual intercourse in the film included Robert Kerman and others drawn from the small group of veteran performers who appeared in most hardcore pornographic films made in the U.S. during that era. [2] She also appeared in two sequels, Debbie Does Dallas Part II (1981) and Debbie Does Dallas III: The Final Chapter (1985). [1]
Woods' adult-entertainment career occurred towards the end of the Golden Age of Porn, when the filmmakers operated in a legal gray area, making them vulnerable to extortion by organized criminals who controlled distribution. At the time, there were no laws requiring mandatory verification and record keeping of participants' true identities and ages, and the real names of even the most prolific actors remained unknown outside their profession until decades later, when the identities of almost all famous performers were circulated on the Internet. Despite the huge profits being made, female performers' fees rarely exceeded the low hundreds of dollars. [2]
The film became a huge success, and Woods mixed with various celebrities in New York City clubs including Studio 54 and Plato's Retreat. Woods disappeared completely from the public eye by the mid-1980s. [2]
In 1986, Woods was reported missing. According to Australian newspaper The Age , she died the same year of a drug overdose. [5] However, in "Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered", Clark said that a private investigator had learned Woods was living near Des Moines, Iowa and wished to avoid any further publicity. [2]
Debbie Does Dallas is a 1978 American pornographic film produced and directed by Jim Clark, and starring Bambi Woods. The plot focuses on a team of cheerleaders attempting to earn enough money to send the title character to Dallas, Texas to try out for the famous "Texas Cowgirls" cheerleading squad. The fictional name "Texas Cowgirls" was seen as an allusion to the real-life Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Woods had previously tried out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in real life, but was cut during auditions.
Marie Louise Hartman, known professionally as Nina Hartley, is an American pornographic film actress and sex educator. By 2017 she had appeared in more than one thousand adult films. She has been described by Las Vegas Weekly as an "outspoken feminist" and "advocate for sexual freedom", and by CNBC as "a legend in the adult world".
Shannon Michelle Wilsey, better known by her stage name Savannah, was an American pornographic film actress who starred in over 100 videos during her career. One of the most prominent adult industry models of her time, she achieved notoriety within her short (1990–1994) career due to her onscreen presence and personal life. In January 2002, AVN ranked her at #19 on its list of the top 50 porn stars of all time.
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Eric Edwards is an American pornographic actor, photographer, and director. Everett started in mainstream theater and transitioned into porn, starting in the late 1960s. Everett had a long career in the adult entertainment industry – over 40 years, making him the only actor in the world to appear in porn films in every decade through the 2000s since the porn industry started in the 1960s. Everett starred in and directed many films and photo shoots, including co-starring in the iconic film Debbie Does Dallas. He is a member of both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame. Bill Margold called Everett "one of the legends of the business" and "the Babe Ruth of porn."
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Casey Calvert is an American pornographic actress and film director. She has won several awards in the pornographic film industry, and has written about it in mainstream media publications. Calvert entered the adult media industry with early work as an art model and fetish model at age 21. She chose her stage name after one of her college professors, Clay Calvert.
Mercedes Grabowski, known professionally as August Ames, was a Canadian pornographic actress. She appeared in more than 100 films, including a non-pornographic film in 2016, and was nominated for several AVN Awards. With a self-disclosed history of sexual abuse and mental illness, Ames died by suicide in 2017 at the age of 23 after a social media backlash following a tweet she posted, due to some perceiving the tweet as homophobic. Her death led to considerable industry attention, as discussion circulated as to the degree of the influence of cancel culture.
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Well it's very funny how I got into it. I owed somebody money, a girlfriend of mine who had done porno movies before. And she said, 'Listen, you owe me the money so why don't you just go over and see about doing this film'.
