pornographic actress
A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dist ...
active during the
Golden Age of Porn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_talk:Spam-whitelist/Archives/2018/01#Another_Worthy_Journal_Article_on_Wordpress --->
The term "Golden Age of Porn", or "porno chic", refers to a 15-year period (1969–1984) in commercial American porno ...
. She was inducted into the
XRCO
The X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO) is a group of writers and editors from the American adult entertainment industry who each year present awards in recognition of achievement within the industry. After the controversy and criticism of the ...
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
in 2008.
Film career
Clayton started her career in 1976 during the porn chic era when adult movies were shown in mainstream theaters. She started ouf first posing for magazines such as ''
Hustler
Hustler or hustlers may also refer to:
Professions
* Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a:
** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks
** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs
** Male prostitute
** Pimp
** Business man, more gener ...
'' and '' Swank'' before making the jump to adult films. Her name would often appear in ads in major newspapers of the time, alongside other stars such as
Annette Haven
Annette Haven (born December 1, 1954) is an American former pornographic actress popular during the 1970s and 1980s.
Biography
Haven was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raised in a Mormon family. Haven later claimed that part of her reason for en ...
and
Leslie Bovee
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.
One of Clayton's earliest movies was
Alex de Renzy
Alexander de Renzy (August 13, 1935 – June 8, 2001) was an American director and producer of pornographic movies.
Born in New York City, de Renzy served in the United States Air Force as a Survival Instructor. Back in the United States, h ...
's ''
Femmes de Sade
''Femmes de Sade'' is a 1976 pornographic film, adult Rape and revenge film, rape and revenge film directed by Alex de Renzy.
The film shows the parallel adventures of Rocky de Sade (Ken Turner) and Johny (John Leslie (porn star), John Leslie). R ...
'', which was the eighth film inducted into XRCO's Hall of Fame. Clayton also appeared in
Harold Lime
Edward E. "Ted" Paramore III (January 13, 1928 – July 8, 2008) was an American pornographic film director best known by his stage name Harold Lime.Elias, James (1999). ''Porn 101: eroticism, pornography, and the First Amendment.'' Prometheus Boo ...
's ''Desires Within Young Girls'' with
Georgina Spelvin
Shelley Bob Graham (born March 1, 1936), known professionally as Georgina Spelvin, is a former American actress and pornographic performer who is best known as the star of the classic 1973 pornographic film ''The Devil in Miss Jones'', released ...
and was the title character in Antonio Shepherd's ''7 Into Snowy'' a parody of ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...
''. Her last adult film was ''October Silk'' in 1980.
Personal life
The daughter of a successful doctor on the
East Coast
East Coast may refer to:
Entertainment
* East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop
* East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017
* East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004
* East Coast FM, a ra ...
Clayton worked as a film editor at Parker Labs in San Francisco. She dated actor Ken Scudder who she met filming a porn loop. Clayton later married a male nurse who was a junkie but then divorced. She had a daughter.Interview with Sandi Foxx ''
The Rialto Report
''The Rialto Report'' is a podcast and article series documenting the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984). It consists of oral history, audio, photo, and documentary archives. It is hosted by Ashley West and April Hall as well as guest contributors ...
'', 22 June 2014, accessed 30 December 2021
Mainstream films
Abigail Clayton was one of the first adult stars to move into mainstream films when she appeared in ''
Bye Bye Monkey
''Bye Bye Monkey'' ( it, Ciao maschio, french: Rêve de singe) is a 1978 Italian-French comedy-drama film, directed by Marco Ferreri and starring Gérard Depardieu, Marcello Mastroianni, James Coco, Gail Lawrence and Geraldine Fitzgerald. It is ab ...
'' with
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...
and
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...
. In 1980, she was cast as Rita in the horror film ''
Maniac
Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior.
Maniac may also refer to:
Film
* ' ...
''. Her last mainstream role was a small part as a nun in the
Ryan O'Neal
Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Place ...
Clayton only appeared in 16 original adult films during her career, far fewer than most other adult stars. She appeared in another 22 films that were compilations of scenes from her previous movies.
Adult films
*''The Girls in the Band'' (1976)
*''Dixie'' (1976)
*''Love Lips'' (1978)
*''Femmes de Sade'' (1976)
*''Spirit Of Seventy Sex'' (1976)
*''Naked Afternoon'' (1976)
*''Hot Cookies'' (1977)
*''Desires Within Young Girls'' (1977)
*''A Coming of Angels'' (1977)
*''7 Into Snowy'' (1977)
*''
Sex World
''Sex World'' (stylized as ''SexWorld'') is a 1977 American pornographic science fiction film directed by Anthony Spinelli and written by Spinelli and Dean Rogers, from a story by Spinelli. It stars Annette Haven, Lesllie Bovee, Sharon Thorpe, ...
Bye Bye Monkey
''Bye Bye Monkey'' ( it, Ciao maschio, french: Rêve de singe) is a 1978 Italian-French comedy-drama film, directed by Marco Ferreri and starring Gérard Depardieu, Marcello Mastroianni, James Coco, Gail Lawrence and Geraldine Fitzgerald. It is ab ...
'' (1978)
*''
Maniac
Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior.
Maniac may also refer to:
Film
* ' ...
XRCO Hall of Fame
The XRCO Hall of Fame lists well-known adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO Award
The XRCO Awards are given by the American X-Rated Critics Organizati ...
See also
*
List of pornographic actors who appeared in mainstream films
Over the past five decades there have been a number of adult film actors who have appeared in mainstream films with varying degrees of success. In the 1970s, adult film actors Marilyn Chambers and Linda Lovelace tried crossing over to mainstream ...