Sharon Mitchell: porn actress biography, images and movies

Biography of Sharon Mitchell (Last update: 2025-07-01)

Sharon Mitchell was born and raised in New Jersey, where she was adopted by a police officer and raised in a Catholic environment. At 17, she entered into a brief marriage that lasted only six months. After moving to New York, Sharon joined the Dorothy Palmer Agency and began landing small roles in television commercials, soap operas, and a few films. She also studied contemporary dance with the Martha Graham Dance Company. However, her rebellious nature led her to explore the world of adult films, which became easier after meeting Warren Evans, a renowned adult film director, who allowed her to showcase her acting skills in a field that required a certain amount of acting talent.

Initially, Sharon began working in Warren Evans' films, appearing in titles such as "Lisa Meets Mr. Big," "Sins of Lust," "Travails of June," and "That Lady from Rio," where she shared scenes with Jamie Gillis and Warren Evans himself. Her first major role came with "Violation of Claudia" in 1977, where she played Claudia, a neglected young wife of a New York executive. By 1978, Sharon had dedicated herself fully to adult films.

Her last notable role on the East Coast was as Mirian in "Sexcapades" (1983), directed by Henri Pachard. In this film, her character, a reluctant wife, is dragged into directing a pornographic film by a bankrupt director, played by Eric Edwards. Throughout her career, Sharon received several awards, including CAFA and AVN Awards for Best Actress for her performance in this film.

In the mid-1980s, the adult film industry began to relocate to California, prompting Sharon to move to the West Coast. With the advent of video, film production became more accessible and less expensive, resulting in a significant increase in the number of films produced, although acting was no longer as crucial. By the end of her career, Sharon had appeared in over 700 productions and directed nearly 40 films, although she was never satisfied with her directorial abilities.

On March 30, 1996, Sharon was violently attacked by a man just outside her apartment after completing her performance at a strip club. This incident marked a turning point in her life and led her to make the decision to remain drug-free. She subsequently earned a PhD in Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. In May 1998, she co-founded the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) in Los Angeles, a non-profit clinic that became a benchmark for HIV and other sexually transmitted disease screening in the adult entertainment community, testing more than 1,200 performers each month.

Throughout her career, Sharon Mitchell has received numerous awards, including the CAFA Award for Best Actress in 1983 for "Sexcapades" and the AVN Award for Best Actress in 1984 for the same film. In 2008, she was honored with the XBIZ Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Industry and was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame, the Legends of Erotica Hall of Fame, and the XRCO Hall of Fame, recognizing her influence and legacy in the industry.

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