Asia Carrera

Asia Carrera

Carrera in 2003.
Born Jessica Steinhauser[1]
(1973-08-06) August 6, 1973[2]
New York City, New York, U.S.[2]
Residence St. George, Utah, U.S.[3]
Nationality American
Other names Asia Lemmon[1][4]
Education Rutgers University
Home town Little Silver, New Jersey
Height 5 ft 8 1⁄2 in (174 cm)[2]
Weight 128 lb (58 kg)
Spouse(s) Bud Lee (1995–2003; divorced)[2]
Don Lemmon (2003–2006; widowed)[2]
Website Official website

Asia Carrera Lemmon (born Jessica Steinhauser[5] on August 6, 1973) is an American former pornographic actress.[2]

Early life

Asia Carrera was born Jessica Steinhauser[5][6] in New York City to a German mother and Japanese father,[7] the eldest of four siblings.[8] She was raised on Lippincott Road[9] in Little Silver, New Jersey, attending the Little Silver School District and Red Bank Regional High School. She studied piano as a child and performed at Carnegie Hall twice before the age of 15.[2] At the age of 16, she taught English at Tsuruga College in Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan.[2][10]

Carrera won a National Merit Scholarship for scoring over 1440 on the SAT,as well as a Garden State Scholarship for her grades. She attended Rutgers University on full academic scholarship, where she majored in Japanese and business, but did not graduate.[2] Carrera is a member of Mensa,[2][10][11] with an IQ of 156.[1][12]

Career

Adult film career

Carrera's adult film career ran from 1993 to 2003 and included over 400 films and video features.[13] According to interviews, she chose her stage name surname from actress Tia Carrere, changing the spelling for legal reasons.[14]

Carrera was the first Asian performer ever to win the award AVN Female Performer of the Year Award.[15]

Carrera lent her voice to several erotic hentai OVAs for publisher Pink Pineapple, such as Inmu (2001)[16] and Shusaku (1999).[17] In October 2001, Carrera attended the Big Apple Anime Fest in New York City for her voice roles and along with Kobe Tai was an Opening Night Guest of Honor at the fest's Midnight Anime Concourse.[18]

Carrera was also in the 2010 documentary After Porn Ends, which is about life after being a porn actor.[19]

Other work

In 1998, she appeared in an uncredited cameo role in the film The Big Lebowski in the faux pornographic movie Logjammin' within the film.[20][21]

Carrera was a guest reviewer for Maximum PC magazine.[22]

Personal life

Carrera on a film set in 2002.

Carrera is an atheist.[6][23] As of November 2014, she wore a colander on her head for her Utah driver's license photograph. State law normally prohibits the wearing of hats in driver license photos, but there is an exception for religious headwear, and Carerra's colander was worn in honor of the religion of the Flying Spaghetti Monster;[1][4] she is one of about a dozen "Pastafarian" Utahns who have worn a colander in their official state ID photos.[24]

In September 1995, Carrera married adult film director Bud Lee. They divorced in 2003, but remain good friends.[2] Carrera dated a former grip from her porn sets for a few years until his visa expired and he returned to England. She married nutritionist and author Don Lemmon on December 19, 2003,[2] after which she took the name Asia Lemmon.[25] The couple moved to St. George, Utah, where Lemmon gave birth to her first child, daughter Catalina, on March 4, 2005.[2][26] Don Lemmon was killed in a car accident near Las Vegas on June 10, 2006. At the time, Lemmon was almost eight months pregnant with their second child, son Devin.[27] Concerned about her livelihood and worries of not being able to support her two children on her own, Lemmon began to solicit donations on her personal web site.[28][29] Eventually, Lemmon was notified by an insurance company that a life insurance policy she had forgotten about did exist for her husband, and she was granted it after mandatory investigation.[29]

On May 13, 2007, she announced on her website that she had filed a request to legally change her son's name from Donald Edward Lemmon III to Devin Lemmon to her husband. "Devin D'Artagnan Lemmon" had been what Lemmon and Don had originally planned to name their son, but after Don's death, Lemmon named the boy after his father, a decision she regretted soon after. She explained that "He's not Don, he never will be Don, and it made me want to start crying every time a random stranger would say, 'Oh he's so cute, what's his name?'" The state made an error in changing the boy's name, however, and he is legally named "Devin D'Artagnan Lemmon III."[30]

On April 14, 2010, Lemmon confessed on her blog that she became an alcoholic after Don's death, that she had joined Alcoholics Anonymous, and was in her third week of sobriety. She emphasized that she still did not believe in God, as such a belief is "actually not mandatory for joining AA."[31] Lemmon later gave birth to a boy she named Niko. On September 21, 2012, she wrote on her Facebook page that she gave him up for adoption.[32]

On March 5, 2015, Carrera was charged with "driving under the influence with a child," since her daughter was in the car with her, lodged at the Purgatory Correctional Facility and released on bail.[33][34][35]

She identified investor Warren Buffett as her hero on her website,[36] which Buffett was pleased to learn.[37]

Lemmon stated that her children are "twice-exceptional" which means they are gifted in some areas and delayed in others. Catty struggles with anxiety and her Devin is autistic and has ADHD. Lemmon states that there are few professionals trained specifically in helping such children. Catty was was rejected from entering kindergarten for being too young at age four, so Lemmon struggled to keep her academically challenged, homeschooling her and Devin for 10 years.

In November 2016, Lemmon and her family were living in St. George, Utah, where Lemmon was a sophomore psychology major at Dixie State University. Since there was no school appropriate for Catty, who had already gotten an A in a college pre-calculus class over the summer and scored a perfect grade on Dixie State's math placement test, Lemmon decided to enroll the 11-year-old Catty in Dixie State as well. Catty began the Fall 2016 semester as a freshman education major, taking classes in trigonometry, English and art. She stated, "I don't have plans for what happens after college, because even after I graduate, I'll still be too young to drive or get a job."[25]

Commentary on the Susan Russell pornography case

In 2006, Carrera was asked for commentary by The Spectrum, a St. George, Utah-area newspaper, on the local case of Susan Russell, who was charged with 15 counts of third-degree felony distribution of pornographic material. Russell allegedly sold pornographic materials and sex toys from a back room in her Earrings and More store, potentially violating the "community standards" of the Mormon-dominated town per the Supreme Court case Miller v. California. Carrera opined:

"I deliberately moved to St. George with my husband so we could raise our kids in a conservative atmosphere, in a low-crime, family-friendly state. I do appreciate that the laws are there, and will make it harder for my kids to get into trouble when they get older."

However, she also said,

"Do I have a problem with porn being sold here? No, not per se. I have no problem with porn at all. Trust me, they don't exploit women, and watching porn has never been scientifically shown to lead to any increase in crime rates, be it rape, pedophilia, or any other sexual crimes."

Nevertheless, she reiterated that the community's conservatism was the reason she moved there, and that she had no plans to challenge it.[38]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Samantha Sadlier (November 18, 2014). "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster 'Pastafarian' makes statement". The Spectrum. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Bio". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  3. ↑ Associated Press (November 17, 2014). "Ex-porn star wears colander in driver's license photo". USA Today. p. 1. Retrieved November 18, 2014. Lemmon, a St. George resident, is a former porn star who performed under the name Asia Carrera, The Spectrum of St. George reported Monday.
  4. 1 2 Associated Press (November 17, 2014). "Ex-porn star wears colander in driver's license photo". USA Today. p. 1. Retrieved November 18, 2014. Asia Lemmon, whose legal name appears on her driver's license as Jessica Steinhauser, said the pasta strainer represents her beliefs in the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
  5. 1 2 McDonagh, Maitland. "Question: Is Barbara Carrera, ...". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Jenkins, Jack (November 19, 2014). "‘Pastafarian’ Ex-Porn Star Gains The Right To Wear A Pasta Strainer In Her Driver’s License Photo". ThinkProgress.
  7. ↑ "Asia Carrera: Why I do porn". My father was born in Japan, and my mother was born in Germany.
  8. ↑ "House of Truth: Asia Carrera interview". House of Truth. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  9. ↑ June 2, 2003 appearance on the TechTV show "Unscrewed"
  10. 1 2 "The Women of Porn", Playboy, March 2002, page 128
  11. ↑ "They're Accomplished, They're Famous, and They're Mensans". Mensa Bulletin. American Mensa (476): 23. July 2004. ISSN 0025-9543.
  12. ↑ Cosmin Turcu; Dana Chiru (May 30, 2011). "Căutătorii de genii au recrutat 173 de români" (in Romanian). adevarul.ro. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  13. ↑ Carrera, Asia. Filmography, AsiaCarrera.com. Retrieved September 10, 2012
  14. ↑ Asia Carrera. "How did you pick your name?". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
  15. ↑ Steve Javors (February 27, 2013). "Interview: AVN Female Performer of the Year Asa Akira". AVN. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  16. ↑ Clements, Jonathan; Helen McCarthy (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia (Revised & Expanded Edition). Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. p. 301. ISBN 1-933330-10-4.
  17. ↑ "Shusaku and Inmu Details". Anime News Network. May 8, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  18. ↑ "BAAF Wrap-up PR". Anime News Network. November 14, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  19. ↑ "'After Porn Ends' Documentary Reveals The Dark Side of the Industry and Life After Porn". Huffington Post. May 15, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  20. ↑ Green, Bill; Peskoe, Ben (2007). I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski: Life, the Big Lebowski, and What Have You. Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-1-59691-246-5.
  21. ↑ Tyree, Joshua M.; Walters, Ben (2007). The Big Lebowski. BFI Film Classics. London, England: British Film Institute. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-84457-173-4. OCLC 156919357.
  22. ↑ Maximum PC. July 2002. p. 72.
  23. ↑ Carrera, Asia (July 13, 2006). "ASIA'S BULLETINS!". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. So me, the completely unsuperstitious atheist, goes and posts on a message board that 'no, I don't believe in bad luck on Friday the 13th'.
  24. ↑ Sadlier, Samantha (November 18, 2014). "Ex-porn star OK'd to wear colander in DMV photo". The (St. George, Utah) Spectrum. USA Today. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  25. 1 2 Ricks, Spencer, (November 11, 2016). "Mom, 11-year-old daughter team up as DSU classmates". Dixie Sun News.
  26. ↑ Asia Carrera. "Asia's Bulletins". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  27. ↑ "Obituaries: Lemmon Jr., Donald". Las Vegas Review-Journal. June 16, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  28. ↑ "What You Are Getting Today Is a Glimpse Inside My World...".
  29. 1 2 "Asia's Bulletins!". Archived from the original on March 15, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  30. ↑ Asia Carrera (May 13, 2007). "Asia Carrera Bulletin". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2007. Retrieved October 27, 2007.
  31. ↑ Asia Carrera (April 14, 2010). "Asia Carrera Bulletin". asiacarrera.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  32. ↑ Asia Carrera-Lemmon (September 21, 2012). "I struggled long and hard with many...". Facebook. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  33. ↑ Therresa Worthington (March 7, 2015). "Pastafarian, ex-porn star charged with DUI". The Spectrum (St. George, Utah). Retrieved March 8, 2015. ST. GEORGE – Local Pastafarian Jessica “Asia” Steinhauser, otherwise known as Asia Lemmon or former pornstar Asia Carrera, was arrested Thursday.
  34. ↑ "Porn Legend Asia Carrera ARRESTED For Drunk Driving... With Daughter". TMZ. March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Arrests". The Spectrum (St. George, Utah). March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  36. ↑ Carrera, Asia. "MORE USELESS TRIVIA!". asiacarrera.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  37. ↑ Schroeder, Alice (2008). The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life. Bloomsbury. p. 729
  38. ↑ "Pornography case puts privacy rights at odds with set public standards". Retrieved January 20, 2007.
  39. 1 2 "Past AVN Award Winners". Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  40. ↑ "AVN 2000 Nominations". AVN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2000. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  41. ↑ "AVN Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  42. ↑ "Hillary Scott Big Winner at XRCO Awards". XBIZ. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  43. ↑ "XRCO 2006 AWARD CATEGORIES, NOMINATIONS, AND WINNERS". 5 April 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2015.

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