Sharon Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 Mitchell in 2006 | |
| Born | 1957 or 1958 (age 67–68) |
| Occupations | Sexologist, pornographic film actress, director |
Sharon Mitchell (born 1957 or 1958[1]) is an Americansexologist and formerpornographic film actress anddirector. In 1998, she founded theAdult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM), which tested over 1,000 adult film performers per month before a 2011data breach led to a lawsuit and the clinic's closure.
Anonly child, Mitchell wasadopted and raisedRoman Catholic inMonmouth County, New Jersey. She married briefly at age 17 before becoming anoff-Broadway actress and dancer, performing with theMartha Graham Dance Company.[1] She legally changed her last name in 1975 as a tribute toMartha Mitchell, wife of former attorney general John Mitchell.[1] In the mid-1970s, she began appearing inpornographic films such asCaptain Lust and the Pirate Women (1977),[1]Sexcapades (1983),[1]Water Power (1976), andThe Devil in Miss Jones 2 (1982).[citation needed] She also had small roles in mainstream films, such asTootsie (1982) andThe Deer Hunter (1978).[1]
Mitchell made approximately 1,000 pornographic films over a 20-year career, including 38 as a director.[1] She is the subject of the 1986 verité filmKamikaze Hearts, directed byJuliet Bashore, which follows her behind the scenes of a porn adaptation of Georges Bizet'sCarmen and explores her tumultuous relationship with then-girlfriend Tigr Mennett.[2]
During her years in the adult industry, Mitchell developed aheroin addiction.[1][3]
In 1993, she was presented with theFree Speech Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award.[4][independent source needed]
In 1996, after a malestalker who was obsessed with her porn filmsassaulted,raped, and nearly killed her, she quit drugs, became a certifiedaddiction counselor, and later obtained aMA and aPhD from theInstitute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality[5] while working a variety of jobs including video engineer's assistant, caterer, florist, dog walker, and maid.[5]
In 1998, Mitchell founded theAdult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM), an organization which provided information andSTD testing to workers in adult entertainment. As of 2004, they were testing 1,200 pornography performers a month.[1] According to theAssociated Press, many in the adult industry credit her with raising the visibility of the risks ofHIV/AIDS in the pornography industry.[3]
Mitchell is a member of theAVN Hall of Fame[6] andXRCO Hall of Fame (since 1988).[7] In 2004, she was also inducted into thePorn Block of Fame.[8]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
