Asia Carrera

Asia Carrera Lemmon (born Jessica Steinhauser, August 6, 1973) is an American former pornographic actress.

Early life

Asia Carrera was born Jessica Steinhauser<ref name=TVGuide>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=ThinkProgress>Template:Cite web</ref> in New York City to a German mother and Japanese father,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the oldest of four siblings.<ref name="HoTruth">Template:Cite web</ref> She was raised in Little Silver, New Jersey, and attended Red Bank Regional High School.<ref>Carrera-Lemmon, Asia (December 7, 2016). (Untitled). Facebook. Retrieved December 7, 2016.</ref><ref>"The Top 10 Porn Stars From New Jersey", WCHR-FM, November 1, 2016. Accessed October 8, 2018. "Asia Carrera - Born in NYC, but grew up in Little Silver, going to Red Bank Regional High School."</ref> At the age of 16, she taught English at Tsuruga College in Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan.<ref name=Playboy>"The Women of Porn", Playboy, March 2002, page 128</ref>

At 17 years old, Carrera ran away from home due to overwhelming parental pressures and attempted suicide several times.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> She received a full scholarship to Rutgers University, but dropped out after realizing she could make large sums of money dancing and modeling.<ref name=":0" /> Soon after leaving Rutgers, she moved to Los Angeles.

Carrera is a member of Mensa,<ref name=Playboy/><ref name="Bulletin">Template:Cite journal</ref> with an IQ of 156.<ref name="auto"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Adult film career

Carrera's adult film career started in 1993<ref name="iafd">Template:Cite web</ref> and appeared in over 350 adult films.<ref name=":0" /> In 1995, she became the first Asian performer ever to win the AVN Female Performer of the Year Award.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Carrera retired from the film industry in 2003, following her marriage to Don Lemmon.<ref name=AsiaBio/>

Carrera lent her voice to several erotic hentai OVAs for publisher Pink Pineapple, such as Inmu (2001)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Shusaku (1999).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Carrera was also in the 2012 documentary After Porn Ends, which documents the lives of actors after they leave the adult film industry.<ref name=huffpostafterporn>Template:Cite news</ref> In the documentary, she discusses her membership in Mensa. Despite being a celebrity member of the group, the organization refused to link to her website because it contained pornographic elements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Carrera was a guest reviewer for Maximum PC magazine.<ref>Maximum PC. July 2002. p. 72.</ref>

Personal life

File:Asia Carrera law school graduation day selfie.jpg

Asia Carrera after receiving her Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary's University School of Law, May 2024

Carrera is an atheist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 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.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="Associated Press 1"/> She is one of about a dozen "Pastafarian" Utahns who have worn a colander in their official state ID photos.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 1995, Carrera married adult film director Bud Lee. They divorced in 2003, but remain good friends.<ref name=AsiaBio>Template:Cite web</ref> She married nutritionist and author Don Lemmon on December 19, 2003.<ref name="Lemmon Obit 2006">Template:Cite web</ref> The couple moved to St. George, Utah, where she gave birth to a daughter on March 4, 2005.<ref name ="Daughter’s Birth 2005">Template:Cite web</ref> On June 10, 2006, Lemmon was killed in a car accident outside of Las Vegas.<ref name="Lemmon Obit 2006"/> Seven weeks later, on July 31, Carrera gave birth to the couple's second child.<ref name=AsiaBio/><ref name="ASIA'S BULLETINS!">Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2012, she gave birth to a boy whom she later placed for adoption.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In 2015, she was arrested for DUI with "a reported blood alcohol content of .254 percent – more than three times Utah’s .08 legal limit." She pleaded no contest in exchange for avoiding jail time and was sentenced to house arrest.<ref name="spectrum dui">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2015, Carrera began studies at Utah Tech University,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where she was joined two years later by her 11-year-old daughter.<ref name="spectrum college">Template:Cite news</ref> At that time, Carrera's daughter was the youngest student to attend college at Utah Tech, and the youngest full-time college student in the state of Utah.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Carrera has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Utah Tech, a Master's in Education from Texas A&M University, and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law.<ref name="Spring Commencement Guide, St Mary's School of Law">Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards and nominations

• 1995 AVN Female Performer of the Year<ref name="AVN">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2000 AVN Best Couples Sex Scene – Film (Search for the Snow Leopard)<ref name="AVN"/>
• 2000 AVN Award nominee - Best Actress – Film<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 2001 AVN Hall of Fame inductee<ref name='AVN HOF'>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2007 XRCO Hall of Fame inductee – XRCO Members' Choice<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="XRCO 2006 listing">Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Sources

• Nakamura, Eric (1999). "Big Money Shot: Asia Carrera". Giant Robot.
• Pollard, Nate (2011). "Interview: Asia Carrera". Verbicide.

External links

• Template:Official websiteTemplate:Cbignore
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• Template:Cite news