Best known for her ground-breaking performances in 'Behind the Green Door' , Porn Star Marilyn Chambers sparked a revolution in the adult entertainment industry. Before Marilyn Chambers there were two kinds of women: the good girls who stayed home, raised kids and baked bread; and the naughty girls, who went to bars, had sex and performed in porn flicks. Marilyn Chambers blurred the line between the two.
Marilyn Chambers was every man's fantasy: The pretty young woman who looked as if she belonged in the church choir, but who, behind closed doors, showed a voracious appetite for everything hard, wet and penetrating. In many ways, she was the very personification of the sexual revolution.
Born in 1952, as Marilyn Ann Briggs, she grew up in Westport, Connecticut. Her childhood was filled with dreams of someday becoming a star. Marilyn Chambers said of herself in a 1977 interview, 'I've always been something of an exhibitionist.' Even as a young girl she demonstrated great ambition and drive by becoming an accomplished Junior Olympics diver and gymnast.
Although her parents were very much against it, at the age of 14 the independent Marilyn was out pounding the streets of New York, knocking on the doors of all the modeling agencies in town. With a wholesome beauty and unstoppable drive, she was soon getting plenty of work, including shoots for Ivory Snow and Pepsi.
Success as a model led Chambers to Hollywood, but Marilyn soon became disgusted with the casting couch mentality young starlets are often subject too. After doing a bit part in Barbara Streisand's 1970 The 'Owl and the Pussycat', Chambers moved to San Francisco to rethink her career. This is were she met producers Artie and Jim Mitchell.
After responding to an advertisement in a local newspaper, Marilyn Chambers met with the Mitchell's and like their honest, forthright approach. Marilyn Chambers told the L.A. Times, 'Ironically, there was no casting couch with them. The Mitchell Brothers were very honest guys who were only interested in making a buck.' Originally, she was hesitant and only agreed to play a non-sexual role in Behind the Green Door. However, after much thought, she eventually agreed to play Gloria, a young girl who is kidnapped and forced into exotic sex acts on stage. Commenting on her decision, Marilyn Chambers told reporter Robert Hilburn, 'I thought I'd take a shot. I was intrigued by the story. I really liked the fantasy involved. And I figured it might be my last chance at something really big.' However, before agreeing to the role the savvy Marilyn Chambers negotiated a very lucrative contract, 10% of the movie's box office gross. And in the pre-disease aware era of the early '70s, she insisted on VD tests for the entire cast.
The movie was a huge hit, and led to her memorable performance in the 1973 smash, The Resurrection of Eve. The two movies combined, reportedly grossed close to $30 million at the box office . Audiences loved the way this elegant, beautiful woman showed a genuine lust for sex and greeted each act with unparalleled hunger.
On Sunday, April 12, 2009 Marilyn Chambers was found by her daughter, McKenna, in the mobile home where she had been living the few months leading up to her death. Cause of death: Died of the effects of a cerebral hemorrhage and aneurysm related to heart disease.
