Jenna was born Jenna Marie Massoli on April 9, 1974 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was raised in Las Vegas by her father, a retired police officer. Her late mother was a Las Vegas showgirl. When Jenna was two years old, her mother was diagnosed with skin cancer and died shortly thereafter. Jenna has one other sibling, a brother who is three years older.
Since her dad was always working, her and her older brother were unsupervised most of the time – allowing them to become promiscuous with drugs and sex. While a young teen, she lost her virginity to a boy while passed out drunk at a party. She was later gang-raped by several boys from another high school when her family had moved to Montana. That experience was one in which Jameson was convinced she was not meant to survive.
At 16, Jenna left home with her boyfriend, a tattoo artist whose work included the ‘Heart Breaker’ tattoo on Jameson’s butt.
Though she studied ballet as a student, it was stripping that started Jenna on her road to stardom. Jenna Jameson’s autobiography reveals how a she asked for a job in a strip joint, Crazy Horse Two, but the manager told her to get rid of her braces first. She grabbed a pair of pliers that same night and yanked them off. She got the job the next day.
Dancing led to nude modeling, and by her 20th birthday Jenna had appeared in dozens of top men’s magazines, including Penthouse, Hustler, High Society and Cheri. Around that time, Jameson developed an addiction to crystal meth. She had such an addiction that she had to move back in with her dad who had moved to California.
A visit to a porn set sparked Jenna’s interest in a hardcore career. In 1993 Jameson began making softcore pornography which soon turned into hardcore. Her first video, “Up and Cummers 11,” was made in 1994. At first she only performed girl-on-girl scenes, but soon she made her first film with a man, “Cherry Pie” in 1994. She played a character called Betty Blueballs.
Wicked Pictures signed her to a contract after a bidding war. It took only a few releases for Jenna to become the most popular young star around. She went to the top of the porn heap, and in 1996 she scored a triple crown by taking home the XRCO Best New Starlet, the F.O.X.E. Video Vixen, and the AVN Best New Starlet awards.
Jenna has been branching out into more mainstream projects lately, including a featured role in Howard Stern’s Private Parts (1997) film.
In 1998, after marrying and quickly separating from co-worker Rodney Hopkins, aka Brad Armstrong, Jenna Jameson met Jay Gradina, who performs under the name Justin Sterling. The two became business and marital partners. They formed Club Jenna, a porn company in 2000. It has proved a huge financial success. In 2005 Club Jenna’s revenues were projected to be $30 million. Jenna also has her husband’s name tattooed on her ring finger. In 2006, she was rumored to be “spending time” with celebrity Dave Navarro.
Jenna Jameson�remains one of the most popular porn stars in the industry today. Besides being the most downloaded woman online, Jenna has appeared on TV shows and many non-porn related movies. Her autobiography quickly became a best seller and debuted on the Times’ list at Number 9. It is titled How To Make Love Like a Porn Star. Pick it up if you are looking for more insight into the life of Jenna Jameson, one of the most beautiful blue-eyed blondes in entertainment.
