Vanessa del Rio
Encyclopedia
Vanessa del Rio is a retired American
pornographic actress
.
and Puerto Rico
background. Her mom would take her to see movies of Isabel Sarli
whom Vanessa credits as a big influence in her life. She left a job as a computer programmer in her early 20s and became "a waitress, then barmaid, then go-go dancer" becoming a porn actor because "they paid $150 a day, which was exactly my half of the rent".
Though del Rio retired from adult films in 1986, in part due to the AIDS
scare prevalent at the time, she returned shortly thereafter, and continued her porn career until 1999. Afterwards, she remains somewhat active in the adult entertainment industry through her Web site and by making special appearances at award shows and conventions. During and after her porn career, she appeared on many TV shows as herself, including a 1996 episode of NYPD Blue
.
released a deluxe, heavily illustrated biography, Vanessa del Rio: Fifty Years of Slightly Slutty Behavior.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pornographic actress
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
.
Early years
Vanessa del Rio was born Ana Maria Sanchez and raised in Harlem, New York, the daughter of immigrants from CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
background. Her mom would take her to see movies of Isabel Sarli
Isabel Sarli
Isabel Sarli is a retired Argentine actress, and model. She was a national sex-symbol of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.Born Hilda Isabel Sarli Gorrindo Tito in Concordia, Entre Ríos Province, Sarli was nicknamed "Coca Sarli", which comes from either her Coke-bottle-shaped figure, or from her...
whom Vanessa credits as a big influence in her life. She left a job as a computer programmer in her early 20s and became "a waitress, then barmaid, then go-go dancer" becoming a porn actor because "they paid $150 a day, which was exactly my half of the rent".
Career
Del Rio began appearing in adult films in 1974. In the span of about 25 years, del Rio has appeared in over 100 pornographic films and in several music videos, notably "Get Money" by Junior M.A.F.I.A.Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Junior M.A.F.I.A. is an American hip hop group from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. The acronym M.A.F.I.A. stands for Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes. They were formed and mentored by New York rapper, The Notorious B.I.G., in the early 1990s and released their debut album,...
Though del Rio retired from adult films in 1986, in part due to the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
scare prevalent at the time, she returned shortly thereafter, and continued her porn career until 1999. Afterwards, she remains somewhat active in the adult entertainment industry through her Web site and by making special appearances at award shows and conventions. During and after her porn career, she appeared on many TV shows as herself, including a 1996 episode of NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
.
Popular culture
In 2007, the German art book publisher TaschenTaschen
Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection...
released a deluxe, heavily illustrated biography, Vanessa del Rio: Fifty Years of Slightly Slutty Behavior.
Filmography
- Let Me Die a WomanLet Me Die a WomanLet Me Die a Woman is a semi-documentary film by exploitation film director Doris Wishman, who started production in 1972.-Plot:The film features interviews with sex reassignment surgeon Dr...
(1978), Sandy (uncredited) - Then and Now #15 (1996) (VDirect-to-videoDirect-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
), herself - Give Me Your Soul... (2000), herself (uncredited)
- Soul Men (2008), Full-Figured Neighbor
Selected television appearances
- NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, herself - in the episode "Head Case" (1996) - When Rated X Ruled the World, herself - a VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
documentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
(2004) - SexTVSexTVSexTV is a Canadian documentary television series which explores many issues about human sexuality. The show premiered in 1998 and spun off a television channel called SexTV: The Channel in 2001....
, herself - in the episode "UFO Sex: The Raelians/Jackinworld.com/Vanessa del Rio" (2005)
Awards
- 1980 CAFA Award for Best Supporting Actress – Dracula exotica
- 1981 CAFA Award for Best Supporting Actress – Dancers
- Adult Video NewsAVN (magazine)Adult Video News is an American trade journal that covers the adult video industry. The New York Times notes that AVN is to pornographic films what Billboard is to records...
– Hall of Fame - X-Rated Critics OrganizationX-Rated Critics OrganizationThe X-Rated Critics Organization is a group of writers and editors from the adult entertainment industry who each year present awards in recognition of achievement within the industry....
– Hall of FameXRCO Hall of FameXRCO Hall of Fame lists some of the most notable adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO awards.-Actors:* 1985 John C...