Porn Star, Educator, Lecturer and much more!
Ellen Steinberg was born in Philadelphia, Pa. on July 23, 1954. After finishing school Ellen found herself working, at 18, at a theater in Tucson, Arizona selling tickets to the film “Deep Throat”. When the theater got busted she had to appear in court as a witness. She developed a relationship with director Gerard Damiano and followed him to New York and became his mistress. It didn’t take long before Ellen changed her name to Annie Sprinkle and began doing hardcore loops and then regular porn in 1975. She made her debut in the film “Teenage Deviate”. From that point on Annie’s career took off and would wind up traveling many different roads.
She would go on to make about a 200 loops and films among them “Sherlick Holmes”, “Wild Pussycats”, “Once Over Nightly”, “Pornocopia”, “Sweet Revenge”, “Midnight Blue 2”, and “Honey Pie”. However, she is probably best known for her film “Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle” in 1981 which was the second highest grossing porn film of the year. But while she was doing porn Annie had other projects ready to bring to the public. These projects and others would go on to make her a household name in the world of human sexuality for years to come.
In 1991 she put together the “Sluts and Goddess” workshop. That popular attraction would lead to a video of the workshop titled “How to Become a Sex Goddess in 101 Easy Steps”. She opened the door to a new style of porn and sexuality with her workshops and appearances. They were part stage show, part audience, part sex and always drawing packed houses. Along with fellow sex pioneer Barbara Carellas, she has presented a variety of workshops and a stage production called “Metamorphosex”.
She also appeared in B-movies as well and made a number of appearances on HBO’s “Real Sex” series discussing her shows, workshops and bringing viewers into her private life. She has appeared in documentaries and starred and directed in her own documentaries, one called “Annie Sprinkle’s Herstory of Porn” and another titled “Annie Sprinkle’s Amazing World of Orgasm”. No question Ms. Sprinkle has taken sexuality to new heights with her workshops, stage shows, lectures and productions, but it doesn’t stop there.
While she continued doing some films as well as appearances with her various sexuality workshops and shows she had another project in the works that took off in 2005. Along with her wife (Annie is a bisexual with more lesbian leanings) Beth Stephens they embarked on a sexual project called “The Love Art Laboratory”. It involves doing an experimental art wedding each year with a different theme and color, but always revolving around sexuality. This project has been met with great success with fifteen of them already done in eleven different countries and no end in sight. You can see these documented weddings at www.loveartlab.org. They are definitely something quite different that ties sexuality, romance and the eco way all together in one package.
Annie’s contributions to the world of porn and the world of human sexuality have been duly noted. She is one of the subjects in the book “Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema” by Jill C. Nelson. She is a member of both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame and has been a guest lecturer at universities and colleges all over the country and in Europe and always met with enthusiastic, jam packed auditoriums and theaters.
Today at age 63, Annie still has that vivacious look. She is still at it with her workshops and lectures one of them “My Life and Work as A Feminist Porn Activist, Educator and Ecosexual” is a very popular and in demand presentation. So, while this lady delighted us with some great porn films during the golden age, her name and fame have gone way beyond that and still draws crowds to this day at her presentations. Find out more about this one of a kind performer/speaker and more at www.anniesprinkle.org you will be amazed at all Annie Sprinkles has done and continues to do.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
