Bambi Woods is an Americanpornographic film actress andexotic dancer best known for her appearance as the title character in the 1978 filmDebbie Does Dallas. Her success during theGolden Age of Porn and later disappearance fueled speculation that she had died of adrug overdose in 1986.[1]
Woods was known for her first role as the eponymous character of "Debbie" in the 1978 feature adult filmDebbie 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 realDallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, but never made the squad.[3]
Woods said in an interview for the public-access television programLate Late Blue that she performed inDebbie 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 performstriptease.[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 characterBambi: "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 herpseudonym, being reminiscent of a deer in headlights.[2]
In the trailer forDebbie 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 includedRobert Kerman and others drawn from the small group of veteran performers who appeared in mosthardcore pornographic films made in the U.S. during that era.[2] She also appeared in two sequels,Debbie Does Dallas Part II (1981) andDebbie Does Dallas III: The Final Chapter (1985).[1]
Woods' adult-entertainment career occurred towards the end of theGolden Age of Porn, when the filmmakers operated in a legal gray area, making them vulnerable toextortion 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 includingStudio 54 andPlato's Retreat. Woods disappeared completely from the public eye by the mid-1980s.[2]
In 1986, Woods was reportedmissing. According to Australian newspaperThe Age, she died the same year of adrug overdose.[5] However, the 2005 documentary "Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered" suggests Woods' disappearance was a cover story to allow her to resume living a private life.[1][6] According to Clark, a private investigator learned that Woods was living nearDes Moines, Iowa and wished to avoid any further publicity.[2]
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'.
