Traci Lords is a multifaceted American actress, singer, and former adult film performer. Early in her career, she entered the adult entertainment industry underage by using a falsified birth certificate. Her real age was eventually revealed, sparking unsuccessful legal action against those involved in her films.
After leaving the adult industry, Traci transitioned into mainstream film and television. She has appeared in a variety of TV shows and movies, and in 1995, she released her first album, 1000 Fires. Her autobiography, Traci Lords: Underneath It All, was published in 2003 and earned favorable reviews.
This article covers her life, professional journey, net worth, and other significant aspects. But before exploring her life in depth, here’s a quick overview.
Early Life
Born on May 7, 1968, in Steubenville, Ohio, Traci Lords is the daughter of Patricia and Louis Kuzma, a steelworker. After her parents divorced, she and her three sisters—Lorraine, Grace, and Rachel—moved with their mother to their great-grandmother’s home. However, her father, who struggled with alcoholism, retained partial custody.
At 12, Traci relocated to Redondo Beach, California, with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, Roger Hayes, who, according to her autobiography, was a drug user who abused her. She attended Redondo Union High School but left at 15 and entered the adult film industry.
Professional Life
Traci Lords entered the adult film industry by presenting a false birth certificate that masked her age, making her one of the most sought-after actresses of that time. However, the FBI eventually received information revealing that Lords had been underage, leading to investigations and charges against those responsible for the distribution of her videos.
While initial prosecutions were unsuccessful due to the documentation Lords used to verify her age, all of her pre-18 films and the September 1984 issue of Penthouse were banned as illegal content. Her final adult film was made after she turned 18, through her own production company.
Shortly after leaving the adult industry, Traci enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute to study method acting and shift into mainstream acting. She made her mainstream debut in 1988 with the remake of Not of This Earth and appeared in shows such as Married with Children, MacGyver, Tales from the Crypt, Roseanne, Melrose Place, Highlander, Will & Grace, and Profiler.
She also starred in films like Skinner (1993), Virtuosity (1995), Blade (1998), Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), and Excision (2012). The latter performance won her multiple awards, including the Fangoria Chainsaw Award, the Fright Meter Award, and the CinEuphoria Award. Additionally, she pursued a music career, signing with Radioactive Records and releasing 1000 Fires in 1995. Despite modest sales, her single “Control” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club chart and was featured in the Mortal Kombat soundtrack, which achieved double platinum certification.
Her 2003 autobiography, Traci Lords: Underneath It All, received positive reviews and placed at No. 31 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Awards and Nominations
Traci was initially inducted into the Adult Video News Hall of Fame in 1987, though this recognition was later retracted due to her age at the time. She received several nominations for awards in adult entertainment, such as Best New Starlet in 1985 and Best Actress in 1986 for The Adventures of Tracy Dick: The Case of the Missing Stiff. Lords has also won numerous awards in her mainstream acting career, including a Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actress (2001) and awards for her role in Excision.
Traci Lords’s Net Worth
As of 2024, Traci Lords’s net worth is estimated at around $1 million, as reported by sources like Celebrity Net Worth. In a 2003 interview, she mentioned earning approximately $40,000 from her years in the adult film industry. With her continued success in mainstream entertainment, her net worth may see further growth in the future.
Personal Life
Traci has been married three times: first to Brook Yeaton (1990-1996), then to Ryan Granger (1999-2000), and finally to Jeff Gruenewald, whom she married in 2002. She and Gruenewald share a son, Joseph Gunnar Lee, born in 2007. Traci is an active supporter of LGBTQ rights.
In a 2003 Dateline interview, she opened up about her experience with sexual assault at age 10, describing it as one of the most traumatic events in her life. A 2012 interview with GayCalgary Magazine highlighted her commitment to LGBTQ activism, which began in the 1990s after witnessing a friend’s partner being denied access in the hospital due to AIDS. Traci spoke emotionally about the hardships faced by her friends in the gay community, calling it “wrong.”
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