She was born in Dorothy Staton on Valentines Day 1954 in Los Angeles, but was raised in Dayton, Ohio. During her school years Dorothy was pretty much a naive girl and knew little about sex or ventured into that area. But in the years to come she would certainly make up for lost time. After finishing high school she took a position at the University of California Berkeley as a secretary. Wanting to supplement her income she answered an ad in the Berkley newspaper to do some modeling that paid $300 a day. Married at the time, and a lot more of a sexual person, she and her husband got a gig doing a few loops for Swedish Erotica and Pleasure Productions. It was at this time she began to do live shows for Alex De Renzy at his popular Playpen Club in San Francisco and would also do some club work for the Mitchell Brothers. Dorothy was a busty, very curvaceous female with blonde hair a great look that had that “I need you” appearance. Of course she couldn’t do this on her own, so a gentleman by the name of John Seeman helped her to meet the right people in the business.

She finally was cast in her first feature, “Formal Faucet” and it turned into a disaster. Her voice was over dubbed, the film was overly edited making her literally unrecognizable. She was angry, disappointed and ready to just forget the whole idea of doing porn. Seeman and others convinced her things to hang in and that things would get better and they did. Though she only had small roles as a supporting player in films like “Female Athletes”, “Blonde Fire” and “Bad Company” two things about Dorothy became quickly evident. She was one hot sexual being on the set and in her scenes. Adding to her sexuality was the fact that she also possessed some serious acting chops allowing her to deliver lines with total convincing realism in a film.

As the 80′s began, Ms. LeMay also began to become a much more recognizable  name as her career really began to take off with some solid lead roles. She did a film called “Sensual Encounters of Every Kind” with the late John Leslie. She would also co star in the 1980 film classic “Taboo”  with Kay Parker and also in “Taboo 2”, as well as another classic “Talk Dirty To Me”. Her outstanding performances in those films and the critical acclaim she received would lead to Dorothy getting the starring role in a film that would turn out to be her very best film and the one she is most remembered for in her relatively short career in porn. That was in 1981 when Ms. LeMay turned in a tour de force performance as Mrs Van Houten in the film “Nightdreams”.

It was a dramatic, complex film about a sexually frustrated wife and her various erotic fantasies coming to life. To many in the industry, even to this day, the feeling is that Dorothy LeMay, because of her excellent acting skills and sexual talents, may have well crafted one of the best erotic performances in porn. Looking at that film today, it is easy for this writer to see Ms. LeMay literally take over the screen in what one could rightfully call a truly mesmerizing performance in every way.

With “Nightdreams” and its popularity and hype Dorothy, now just coming into the height of her career, decided to leave the business and just settle into a normal life. After leaving adult she did have a small bit part in the Blake Edwards film “10”. A number of people she respected in the business tried to get her to return, but she refused and was finished with her adult film life. It is interesting to note that Dorothy LeMay only did 30 adult films over an 8 year period. But she was the consummate pro and only chose films that she felt were worthy of her talents. Need further proof of her overall make up as a performer? Ms. LeMay is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame and the highly touted film classic “Nightdreams” is in the XRCO Hall of Fame.

Today, Ms. Lemay, now 62,  and it is believed she still lives in southern California very content with her normal life. Adult fans are fortunate, thanks to modern technology, that there is a popular Dorothy LeMay website, www.dorothylemay.com and all her classic films are now available on DVD. If you have never seen this extremely talented lady perform check out one of her films and enjoy the great movie memories Dorothy LeMay left behind for us all from a very special time in the golden age!

Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN