caption years_active net_worth birth_place module children height name birth_date signature image article_title birth_name occupation
lords february 2011 . at the qvc red carpet style party in 1984 -- present us steubenville , ohio , united states yes background = solo_singer genre = label = 1 5 7 traci lords 7 may 1968 traci lords signature.png traci lords 2011.jpg traci lords
 nora louise kuzma actress singer model writer producer director
traci lords

traci elizabeth lords -lrb- born may 7 , 1968 -rrb- is an american actress , singer , model , writer , producer and director .
born nora louise kuzma in steubenville , ohio , she was first known for her underage appearances in pornographic films .
initially landing a job as a nude model at the age of 15 , she then ventured into adult films .
after being featured in the september 1984 issue of `` penthouse '' magazine , lords appeared in dozens of illegal videos between 1984 and 1986 , and became one of the most sought-after pornstars of the era .
in may 1986 , when authorities discovered she had been underage while making all but one of her pornographic films , distributors were ordered to remove all her material to avoid the risk of prosecution for trafficking in child pornography .
the withdrawal of her films cost millions of dollars and her case became the biggest scandal to affect the adult film industry .
after her departure from pornography , lords focused on her career as a mainstream actress and enrolled at the lee strasberg theater institute where she studied method acting .
she made her mainstream film debut in 1988 , when she was offered the leading role in the remake of roger corman 's classic `` not of this earth '' .
lords followed with the role of wanda woodward in john waters ' teen comedy , `` cry-baby '' -lrb- 1990 -rrb- , which established her as a legitimate actress .
her other acting credits include the television series `` macgyver '' , `` married ... with children '' , `` tales from the crypt '' , `` roseanne '' , `` melrose place '' , `` profiler '' , `` first wave '' , `` gilmore girls '' and `` will & grace '' .
she also appeared in films such as `` virtuosity '' -lrb- 1995 -rrb- , `` blade '' -lrb- 1998 -rrb- , `` zack and miri make a porno '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- and most recently `` excision '' -lrb- 2012 -rrb- and `` devil may call '' -lrb- 2013 -rrb- .
in the mid 1990s , lords pursued her musical career .
after her song `` love never dies '' was featured on the soundtrack to the film `` pet sematary two '' -lrb- 1992 -rrb- , she was signed to radioactive records .
lords was featured on the songs `` little baby nothing '' by manic street preachers and `` somebody to love '' by the ramones .
her debut studio album , `` 1000 fires '' , was released in 1995 to a critical acclaim but was a commercial failure .
however , the lead single `` control '' noted a moderate success , peaking at number two on the `` billboard '' hot dance club songs .
it appeared on the soundtrack to the film `` mortal kombat '' -lrb- 1995 -rrb- and was certified double platinum by the recording industry association of america -lrb- riaa -rrb- .
the album 's second single , `` fallen angel '' , was also successful in charts .
lords briefly returned to music in 2004 and again in 2011 with the release of her single `` last drag '' .
in 2003 , lords published her autobiography , '' '' .
the book received positive reviews from the critics and made the new york times best seller list .
