Traci Lords is a former child porn star who began making headlines from her teenage days. Yet another proof that schooling does not always correlate with success, Traci was once a victim of her childhood circumstances. Having tasted another side of life, the veteran actress now helps others suffering a similar fate as she did. These detailed facts about the model, singer, producer, director, author and award-winning actress may leave you reeling.

Traci Lords – Biography

An Ohio native, Traci Lords whose original name is Nora Louise Kuzma was born on May 7, 1968. She is one of the four girls born to a Ukranian father, Louis and an Irish mother, Patricia. The actress had a very rough childhood as she and her sisters watched their alcoholic father abuse their mother almost on a daily basis. Given the tense atmosphere in her family, it wasn’t long before her parents settled for a divorce when Traci was only seven years old. Consequently, the kids were raised by Patricia in their maternal grandparents’ home.

Things didn’t get any better thereon as the family struggled to pay their bills. Though Traci’s mother moved on and later found love in other men, life was not better for her family as the men were either same or worse than her father. Traci blamed her mother for her many bitter experiences while growing up and thus became rebellious. Traci’s academic records show she attended Redondo Union High School in California but later dropped out at age 15 in pursuit of other interests.

Lords first tried her hands on different jobs including babysitting and an underage appearance in Penthouse magazine. While still a minor, Traci decided to pursue a career in the film industry but with a specialty in adult movies. She made her adult film debut in 1984 and followed up with several other explicit roles and featured in raunchy music videos. While still underage, she also produced adult films through the Traci Lords Company in collaboration with her then-boyfriend Stuart Dell.

By the time Traci Lords was 18, she was accosted by authorities for appearing in adult movies as an underage. After a tough lawsuit, her movies as a minor were banned from the market but she was allowed to continue in her career since she had now come of age. Nonetheless, Lords decided to move on to other film genres. After honing her acting skills at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, she made a guest appearance in the TV series Wiseguy.

Some of her notable mainstream screen credits include the 1988 movie Not of This Earth, Cry Baby (1990), A Time to Die (1991), The Tommyknockers (1993), Virtuosity (1995), Boogie Boy and Blade both released in 1998, the year 2000 movie Chump Change, Princess of Mars (2008), Excision (2012), and Nightmare Nurse (2016), among others.

As a model, Traci first worked with the Muscle & Fitness magazine when she was still known as Nora Kuzma. She also modelled for top fashion designers like Thierry Mugler back in the early 1990s. As a singer, she dropped her debut studio album 1000 Fires in 1995. One of the album tracks Control was a hit and its remix was used for the Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack. Her other single Fallen Angel was also used for the soundtrack of the movie Virtuosity.

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know

• Real Name

Traci Lords’ name at birth is Nora Louise Kuzma, but she later changed it as a nod to her best friend and favourite actor.

• Childhood Travails

Traci Lords once revealed that she was raped at age 10 while growing up in Steubenville, Ohio. Interestingly, she disclosed that her mother was also the victim of rape in her home town. Again, after her parents divorced, one of her mother’s new boyfriends was a cocaine dealer and often molested Traci.

The veteran actress undoubtedly had a rough childhood. She ran away from home as a teenager and began living a dirty street life. She got pregnant at age 14 but got rid of it without her mother’s knowledge. Lords also obtained her first driver’s license at age 15 with a falsified age and then applied for jobs as an adult.

• Marriage

Traci Lords has had an interesting love life. Her first marriage was with Brook Yeaton. The duo who met on the set of Cry-Baby tied the knot in 1990 in Baltimore, Maryland. However, their marriage was shortlived as they divorced after five years. Next was John Enos whom she dated for about two years. Traci and John called off their relationship before they made it down the aisle. She married Jeff Lee in 2002 and after five years together, they welcomed a son Joseph Gunnar Lee.

• Author

The actress published an autobiography, Traci Lords: Underneath it All in 2003 which is a best seller and a commercial success. In her memoir, the actress chronicled the tough struggles she faced while growing up as well as her adult film career. She also has another book in the works titled Out of the Blue: The Traci Lords Story.

• Activist

Traci Lords is a member of Children of the Night, a non-profit organization that helps runaway children and victims of child abuse. She is also a strong supporter of the LGBT community.