A Forgotten Golden Age Name
With this particular star I know most of you will be saying, “Who?”. However, while she only spent about three years in the business, Kristine Heller had some major roles in some future porn classics. Several of those titles have found their deserving way into the XRCO and AVN Hall of Fame. once you see her you wilkl remember her.
Kristine Heller was born and raised in Australia, making her the very first porn star from that country long before the likes of Angela White and others. She came to the U.S. as a teen and wound up in San Francisco. She was 5’2”, perky, natural breasts, a sexy figure, a great smile and very seductive eyes. She began her career performing on the stage in San Francisco and that would lead to her entry into porn.
She entered into the porn scene in 1975 and was one of the Frisco mainstays in porn’s early days. Like many in the San Francisco area she worked for the Mitchell Brothers, as well as others, in her film career. She had the perfect mix of young innocence to go along with hard edged sexuality that was simply incredible on screen, and on set.
One thing that may be confusing regarding Kristine is that she used a variety of “show biz” names during her relatively short career. Among them were Paula Thomas, Cindy Johnson, Kathy Thomas, Abigal Mercy, Kathy Carlton, Finlay McGuire and others. It is said that she never used a stage name more than twice. So if any of those names ring a bell, it was actually Kristine.
As for her brief career she was cast in many important supporting roles. Among the films she can be seen in is the 1976 classic “Mary! Mary!” with Constance Money. She also appeared in Antonio Shepherd’s “7 into Snowy”, the adult re-telling of the classical fairy tale. In this future classic she played a maid to the evil step-mother (Kay Parker).
Her big break out role came in 1977 when she appeared in Alex de Renzy’s “Baby Face” where she played Marina Randolph, a nympho who takes on 9 men in the famous orgy on a swing. This film is considered one of Ms. Heller’s best acting roles. She also appeared in another classic, Michael Zen’s “Reflections” also in 1977 billed as Paula Thomas playing Connie, a coming-of-age sister of Bob played by Paul Thomas, who was also her off screen boyfriend for a time.
Kristine retired from the adult industry in 1978, leaving behind almost 30 movies and loops. In 1999 Paul Thomas directed a movie titled “The Awakening”. In that film, the main character, played by Inari Vachs, is based on Kristine Heller. After leaving the industry, no one knew where she had gone or what she was doing. In 1989 Ms. Heller passed away at the young age of 39. It was announced she had committed suicide but all of the facts surrounding her death have, to this day, remained completely private. Still, the fact is while her name may not be a household one in porn annals, Kristine Heller made major contributions to porn’s golden age of the 70’s with her sizzling performances.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
