Ron Jeremy is the most iconic porn star who ever lived, with very good reason. The man is still currently active, has starred in over two thousand adult films, and is one of the few straight male performers who has a face and not just a name. For someone who bears the number one spot on AVN's "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time," Jeremy is not exactly what'd you expect. He is a short, hairy, rotund little man, yet he has proved that size matters in the industry, and you're height isn't what it is.
Jeremy states in Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy that he began his career during "the golden age of the adult industry," which was from roughly 1975 to 1983 we're told. Other adult film directors, such as Jim Holliday state that during that time, adult films were professionally made and could compete with any B-movie production from Hollywood. They had talent, they had a script, they had direction, and they had solid special effects. They weren't just complete porn, but had some inkling of substance, along the lines of the softcore stuff you get on CineMax after 11:00 PM. Now, we're told, the industry is over-glamorized, fake, lacks any form of substance, and due to performance-enhancing drugs like Viagra (which Jeremy is staunchly against, saying he wants to rely on himself rather than a drug), anyone can be a porn star in the current day and age.
Jeremy grew up as "Ron Hyatt," but adopted his middle name as his last name upon entering the industry. His father was a physicist, intelligent and supportive, but his mother was gravely ill with Parkinson's Disease, which led to her death shortly after being institutionalized in a nursing home. Jeremy went on to study acting and used education as a fallback career, obtaining a master's degree teaching special education. All he ever wanted to be was a performer, but an acting job is not a stable career, as we all know, and work in 1970 New York was difficult to come by. He feared that he'd never get the break he rightfully deserved because he'd never get the chance to show people he was a good actor since there was an appalling lack of work.
After his girlfriend posted a naked picture of him in the new issue of "Playgirl" magazine, Jeremy seriously considered a career in the adult industry and began his odyssey in the 1970's, going on to star in well over two-thousand adult pictures and several mainstream films directed by the likes of Trey Parker, Adam Rifkin, and Troy Duffy. During the course of the documentary, we speak to people like Rifkin and Duffy, who recall working with "The Hedgehog" himself. Other interviews conducted are with industry stars such as Jenna Jameson and Tabitha Stevens, who recalls Jeremy's sweet personality as something light years more attractive than a bodybuilder's arrogant one.
For a man seemingly having the job almost any male would want, Jeremy seems to be a rather undesirable man, chubby, hairy, and always appearing dirty, as we're told. Yet he's sweet, charismatic, always funny, cracking jokes, a good actor, and well-built, which is why he's achieved so much likability over the years and been so reliable. Even Holliday states that if you wanted a person to be a diverse actor in an adult film, you'd be hardpressed to find someone more qualified than Ron Jeremy.
Yet this is where Jeremy begins to reflect on his career with sadness and the looming idea of feeling unfulfilled. He has always wanted to be a screen performer, and he has rightfully so been on the set of several films, doing little cameos and whatnot, but due to his profession and history, he is often the subject of much ridicule and joke to the point where many question if he can be taken seriously in a mainstream work. I think in even just his cameos he has proved he can. If Jeremy were to make a film tomorrow, I wouldn't hesitate to see it.
Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy, at seventy-four minutes, is a complete documentary, revealing, informative, and oddly enough, charming in its own right, examining a controversial industry and one of the most recognized performers in it. It neglects to provide a strong enough commentary on the industry from Jeremy himself, who briefly responds to the public's long-term idea that it degrades women, but having the title character be the concept of a full-length documentary is nonetheless a substantial one and the result is successful and highly entertaining. This is where I'd end with some sex or pornography pun, but it seems to be too low for such an admirably charming man.
Starring: Ron Jeremy, Jim Holliday, Tabitha Stevens, and Jenna Jameson. Directed by: Scott J. Gill.
Jeremy states in Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy that he began his career during "the golden age of the adult industry," which was from roughly 1975 to 1983 we're told. Other adult film directors, such as Jim Holliday state that during that time, adult films were professionally made and could compete with any B-movie production from Hollywood. They had talent, they had a script, they had direction, and they had solid special effects. They weren't just complete porn, but had some inkling of substance, along the lines of the softcore stuff you get on CineMax after 11:00 PM. Now, we're told, the industry is over-glamorized, fake, lacks any form of substance, and due to performance-enhancing drugs like Viagra (which Jeremy is staunchly against, saying he wants to rely on himself rather than a drug), anyone can be a porn star in the current day and age.
Jeremy grew up as "Ron Hyatt," but adopted his middle name as his last name upon entering the industry. His father was a physicist, intelligent and supportive, but his mother was gravely ill with Parkinson's Disease, which led to her death shortly after being institutionalized in a nursing home. Jeremy went on to study acting and used education as a fallback career, obtaining a master's degree teaching special education. All he ever wanted to be was a performer, but an acting job is not a stable career, as we all know, and work in 1970 New York was difficult to come by. He feared that he'd never get the break he rightfully deserved because he'd never get the chance to show people he was a good actor since there was an appalling lack of work.
After his girlfriend posted a naked picture of him in the new issue of "Playgirl" magazine, Jeremy seriously considered a career in the adult industry and began his odyssey in the 1970's, going on to star in well over two-thousand adult pictures and several mainstream films directed by the likes of Trey Parker, Adam Rifkin, and Troy Duffy. During the course of the documentary, we speak to people like Rifkin and Duffy, who recall working with "The Hedgehog" himself. Other interviews conducted are with industry stars such as Jenna Jameson and Tabitha Stevens, who recalls Jeremy's sweet personality as something light years more attractive than a bodybuilder's arrogant one.
For a man seemingly having the job almost any male would want, Jeremy seems to be a rather undesirable man, chubby, hairy, and always appearing dirty, as we're told. Yet he's sweet, charismatic, always funny, cracking jokes, a good actor, and well-built, which is why he's achieved so much likability over the years and been so reliable. Even Holliday states that if you wanted a person to be a diverse actor in an adult film, you'd be hardpressed to find someone more qualified than Ron Jeremy.
Yet this is where Jeremy begins to reflect on his career with sadness and the looming idea of feeling unfulfilled. He has always wanted to be a screen performer, and he has rightfully so been on the set of several films, doing little cameos and whatnot, but due to his profession and history, he is often the subject of much ridicule and joke to the point where many question if he can be taken seriously in a mainstream work. I think in even just his cameos he has proved he can. If Jeremy were to make a film tomorrow, I wouldn't hesitate to see it.
Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy, at seventy-four minutes, is a complete documentary, revealing, informative, and oddly enough, charming in its own right, examining a controversial industry and one of the most recognized performers in it. It neglects to provide a strong enough commentary on the industry from Jeremy himself, who briefly responds to the public's long-term idea that it degrades women, but having the title character be the concept of a full-length documentary is nonetheless a substantial one and the result is successful and highly entertaining. This is where I'd end with some sex or pornography pun, but it seems to be too low for such an admirably charming man.
Starring: Ron Jeremy, Jim Holliday, Tabitha Stevens, and Jenna Jameson. Directed by: Scott J. Gill.