Joanna Angel
Encyclopedia
Joanna Angel is an American alternative pornographic actress
, director and writer of adult films. She used her real first name of Joanna for her stage name.
, New York
, to an Orthodox Jewish Israeli mother and an American father. She was raised in River Edge
in Bergen County, New Jersey
, where she attended Cherry Hill Elementary School and graduated from River Dell High School in 1998. After graduating at age 17 she enrolled in Rutgers University
, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English Literature
with a minor in Film Studies.
She worked in a kosher fast food restaurant in Teaneck
during high school, then at an Applebees and another restaurant called Happy's Health Grille, during college.
After finishing her degree, she relocated to the Williamsburg
section of Brooklyn
, New York
, and created the website
BurningAngel, a hardcore
adult site catering to an emerging genre dubbed alt porn, while she danced as a stripper at night. Her website followed in the footsteps of the very popular SuicideGirls
, which she has referred to as "the McDonald's
of alt porn." When asked whether she thought that alt porn was turning into a movement she stated, "I think it's a movement. I think I've started something."
which expired in March 2007, and was, at one time, represented by the adult talent agency Bad Ass Models.
Following the success of Burning Angel, Angel has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times
. She was nominated in 2006 for the AVN Awards for both "Best New Starlet" and "Best Actress," and although she won neither, she did take home the award for "Most Outrageous Sex Scene" for her appearance in Re-Penetrator.
She briefly wrote a monthly sex advice column for Spin
. She also contributed a chapter to the book Naked Ambition: Women Pornographers and How They Are Changing the Sex Industry.
She was nominated for the 2009 AVN Award for "The Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year".
In 2010, Angel appeared in a Public Service Announcement
for the Free Speech Coalition
on the topic of internet piracy of adult content, directed by Michael Whiteacre. The spot, entitled the "FSC All-Star Anti-Piracy PSA" found her in the company of adult performers such as Lisa Ann
, Julie Meadows
, Kimberly Kane
, Ron Jeremy
, and Wicked Pictures
contract stars Alektra Blue
and Kaylani Lei
.
In 2011, she was named by CNBC
as one of the 12 most popular stars in porn. CNBC noted that she owns her own studio and that the "punk look" that she and her other actors share has created a new genre in the porn industry called alt porn.
She sometimes appears on Cracked.com
as a friend of the columnists and appears in the music video for "Sound Wave Superior" by Emmure
.
In 2011, she made a cameo on the Adult Swim
show Childrens Hospital, in the season 3 episode "Night Shift". She played herself as a pornstar, and family friend of Rob Corddry
's character Dr Blake.
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
, director and writer of adult films. She used her real first name of Joanna for her stage name.
Early life
Angel was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to an Orthodox Jewish Israeli mother and an American father. She was raised in River Edge
River Edge, New Jersey
River Edge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,340.The community was incorporated as the borough of Riverside by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 30, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, at the...
in Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, where she attended Cherry Hill Elementary School and graduated from River Dell High School in 1998. After graduating at age 17 she enrolled in Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
with a minor in Film Studies.
She worked in a kosher fast food restaurant in Teaneck
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
during high school, then at an Applebees and another restaurant called Happy's Health Grille, during college.
After finishing her degree, she relocated to the Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and created the website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
BurningAngel, a hardcore
Hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. The term was coined in the second half of the 20th century to distinguish it from softcore pornography. It usually takes the form of photographs, often displayed in magazines or on the Internet, or films. It can also...
adult site catering to an emerging genre dubbed alt porn, while she danced as a stripper at night. Her website followed in the footsteps of the very popular SuicideGirls
SuicideGirls
SuicideGirls is a website that features softcore pornography and text profiles of goth, punk and indie-styled young women who are known as the "Suicide Girls"...
, which she has referred to as "the McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
of alt porn." When asked whether she thought that alt porn was turning into a movement she stated, "I think it's a movement. I think I've started something."
Career
Joanna has written, produced, directed and starred in films available exclusively through Burning Angel as well as appearing in more traditionally distributed adult films. She was under an exclusive contract with VCA PicturesVCA Pictures
VCA Pictures is an American pornographic film production and distribution company. The company was founded by Russ Hampshire, and was formerly a major player during the 'Golden Age of Porn'. Throughout the 70's and 80's VCA produced big budget, plot-oriented feature films...
which expired in March 2007, and was, at one time, represented by the adult talent agency Bad Ass Models.
Following the success of Burning Angel, Angel has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. She was nominated in 2006 for the AVN Awards for both "Best New Starlet" and "Best Actress," and although she won neither, she did take home the award for "Most Outrageous Sex Scene" for her appearance in Re-Penetrator.
She briefly wrote a monthly sex advice column for Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
. She also contributed a chapter to the book Naked Ambition: Women Pornographers and How They Are Changing the Sex Industry.
She was nominated for the 2009 AVN Award for "The Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year".
In 2010, Angel appeared in a Public Service Announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
for the Free Speech Coalition
Free Speech Coalition
The Free Speech Coalition is a non-profit trade association of the pornography and adult entertainment industry in the United States...
on the topic of internet piracy of adult content, directed by Michael Whiteacre. The spot, entitled the "FSC All-Star Anti-Piracy PSA" found her in the company of adult performers such as Lisa Ann
Lisa Ann
Lisa Ann is an American pornographic actress.- Career :Lisa Ann was born in Easton, Pennsylvania. She began erotic dancing in 1990 to pay her way through college, where she became a certified dental assistant. In July 1993, she became an adult actress, but quit in 1997 due to an AIDS scare...
, Julie Meadows
Julie Meadows
Julie Meadows is a former American pornographic actress who became a writer, web designer and documentarian after retiring from performing. She was active in the industry from 1998–2004 and is sometimes said to resemble the actress Julia Stiles.-Biography :Born in Texarkana, Texas, Meadows has...
, Kimberly Kane
Kimberly Kane
Kimberly Kane is an American pornographic actress and director.She was engaged to the porn director Jack the Zipper for over two years, but they separated in 2006...
, Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
, and Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry...
contract stars Alektra Blue
Alektra Blue
Alektra Blue is an American pornographic actress.Blue was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but grew up in the Dallas, Texas area. She began working in the adult industry in January 2005. The person that got her into porn was her best friend, Taryn Thomas...
and Kaylani Lei
Kaylani Lei
Ashley Spalding , better known by the pseudonym Kaylani Lei, is an exotic dancer and a porn star currently working for Wicked Pictures....
.
In 2011, she was named by CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
as one of the 12 most popular stars in porn. CNBC noted that she owns her own studio and that the "punk look" that she and her other actors share has created a new genre in the porn industry called alt porn.
She sometimes appears on Cracked.com
Cracked.com
Cracked.com is a humor website that was spun off the last attempt to revive Cracked magazine. It began in its current form in 2007.-Attempted relaunch of Cracked:...
as a friend of the columnists and appears in the music video for "Sound Wave Superior" by Emmure
Emmure
Emmure is an American band formed in 2003, originally based in Connecticut, but now residing in Queens, New York. The group has a total of seven releases...
.
In 2011, she made a cameo on the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
show Childrens Hospital, in the season 3 episode "Night Shift". She played herself as a pornstar, and family friend of Rob Corddry
Rob Corddry
Robert William "Rob" Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for his starring role in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine...
's character Dr Blake.
Awards
- 2006 AVN Award – Most Outrageous Sex Scene - Re-Penetrator (with Tommy PistolTommy PistolTommy Pistol is an American actor and director born in Queens, New York on July 2, 1976.After working with a sketch comedy group called Cheese Theater for 11 years he entered the pornography business.Pistol was married to Gia Paloma on December 8, 2007....
) - 2007 AVN Award – Best Sex Comedy – Joanna's Angels 2: Alt Throttle (Performer and Director)
- 2007 XBIZ AwardXBIZ AwardXBIZ Awards are given annually to honor "individuals, companies, performers and products that play an essential part in the growth and success of adult entertainment". Organized by the adult industry trade magazine XBIZ, the awards were first given in 2003...
- Crossover Move of the Year - 2008 XRCO Award – Best On-Screen Chemistry (with James DeenJames DeenJames Deen is an American pornographic actor and director. He entered the porn industry in 2004 at the age of 18. He has gained attention due to his lack of resemblance to stereotypical male actors in the pornography industry....
) - 2008 AVN Award – Best Specialty Release, Other Genre – Cum on My Tattoo 3 by Burning Angel Entertainment
- 2011 AVN Award – Best Porn Star Website – JoannaAngel.com
- 2011 AVN Award – Best Solo Sex Scene – Rebel Girl