I have always believed that great lessons are learned from experiences, and when someone shares them, they are meant to have a positive impact on others.
Today I will share with you the story of Linda Boreman, a young New Yorker, who was born in the Bronx into a Catholic family. The daughter of a policeman and a waitress; her mother raised her in a strict but abusive way, according to Linda.
This restrictive environment made her rebel and, at the age of 20, she married the man she believed to be her Prince Charming and who would change her life forever, Charles Traynor.
Traynor forced Lovelace, Linda’s stage name, to participate in short sexual films that were shown in ‘peep shows’ (a private show that is accessed visually through a panel, after depositing a few coins).
The director of ‘Deep Throat’, at a swinger party, saw one of these tapes and noticed something special about Linda. “My discoverer was Gerard Damiano. He had seen me in an eight-millimeter film and hired me to be in one of his”, Lovelace recounted.
As a result, Linda Boreman became Linda Lovelace thanks to Damiano, who was a fan of Brigitte Bardot (BB); because the initials repeat and he wanted his leading lady to do the same (LL). Thus was born the identity of the first great adult film star.
In 1972, the young woman became famous for the pornographic film, ‘Deep Throat’, and the success of the film in such a short time reached the U.S. Congress, where even the actress had to testify due to the conservative administration of President Richard Nixon.
Damiano got $25,000 to produce ‘Deep Throat’, money financed by the mafia who wanted to participate in the porn business. Traynor was the one who received $1,250 in profit for the tape. On the other hand, Linda never knew how much she earned for her performance.
It is estimated that the film grossed approximately 600 million dollars, and it is possible because the film was released in several countries outside the United States.
While the sudden stroke of luck achieved by the young actress made her more and more famous and recognized by the public, her marriage was a hell that led her to take refuge in drugs.
In 1974, after three troubled years of marriage, she escaped from Traynor during a night in Las Vegas and managed to divorce him, accusing him of having coerced her to film adult films “at gunpoint”.
“When you watch the film, you’re watching me being raped. It’s a crime that it’s still shown; there was a gun to my head the whole time”, Linda said.
In 1976, she ended her career as a porn actress because she admitted that “God had changed her life”, and she even gave love another chance and married Larry Marchiano, with whom she had two children.
In 1980, the actress revealed intimate details in her biography ‘Ordeal’, in which she admits that her ex-husband Traynor was violent and forced her to prostitute herself.
In the 80s, Lovelace led the anti-pornographic movement and pro-feminism, promoting marches in several places in the United States. She also testified before several congressional committees on the effects of pornography on women and girls.
In 1996, after 20 years of marriage, she divorced Marchiano and, six years later, on April 3, 2002, Linda suffered a serious accident which led to her death on April 22, 2002, at the age of 53.
The life of the Bronx actress was taken to the big screen in 2013 and even though it did not achieve a sweeping success like the iconic porn tape she starred in the 70s, she did leave a great message for women entering the adult entertainment business.
Linda’s reflection on her time in porn was very realistic: “I’m not ashamed or sad about my past. When I look in the mirror, I know very well that I was able to survive”.
Traducción del español: Catalina Oviedo Brugés
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