Over four decades she did it all!
Our featured star was born Sharon Louise Caine in Canton, Ohio Feb. 24, 1956 where she spent her childhood and high school years. Sharon studied classical violin for fifteen years. However, after graduating she moved on to San Francisco and got a job working as an exotic dancer at a club called The Screening Room. It was while she was dancing there that she was approached about doing adult films. At first she wasn’t sure if this was something g she really wanted to do, but after giving it some thought she decided to give it a try and see how it would work out. She made her debut in a 1978 film called “Pretty Features” which was then followed by “Fantasy World” and before she knew it Sharon Kane’s new career was on its way.
Ms. Kane did some very good films right from the start. In 1980 her real big breakthrough came in the film “Exposed”. It was a taut, dramatic film about blackmail and deceit. Her smoking sex scenes with the late John Leslie immediately made her a major star, not mention that she was also a natural as an actress. She teamed up with Leslie again, burning up the screen with him in “Talk Dirty To Me 1”. Ms. Kane won the very first Best Supporting Actress award from XRCO for her heart pounding performance in “Throat…..12 Years After”. She would also win a Best Sex Scene Award for her sizzling work in “Passage Thru Pamela”. She would also go on to win a Best Actress award from both AVN and XRCO for “Bodies in Heat – The Sequel”.
When the video boom began taking hold it was a little tough making that transition and wasn’t easy for some of the established stars. A lot of younger, more traditional looking girls were beginning to take over the screen. But Ms. Kane persevered and kept her name and face up front during this changing time and was always the consummate professional on the set. She was able to make the switch from the beach blonde to the more sophisticated older women rather easily. Her talents and hard work were further recognized in 1989 when she was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame. Check out her scene in the film “Fantasy” with Paul Thomas and you will understand why Ms. Kane was so highly thought of as a performer and the eroticism she brought to the screen. In the early ’90s, she continued to turn in steamy, all out sexual performances, romantic, or down and dirty.
However, in the 90’s the roles would begin to decrease so Ms. Kane went and starred in a number of bisexual male-male based porn films, which often included scenes pairing Sharon with two bisexual men and / or transsexuals. After retiring from in front of the camera, Sharon moved behind the camera as a director, production manager, art director and film composer for 13 movies. She wrote the scores for 1997′s “The Hills Have Bi’s” and Chi Chi La Rue’s “Idol In the Sky”. She directed and starred in “Stairway to Paradise” , a film that would featured in the book “Coming Attractions: The Making of an X-Rated Movie”.
When it comes to performers who are remembered from the golden age, Sharon Kane’s name will always be right at the top. She was one of the true bright lights and the complete package in every way. She had a look, style and personality that came across on the screen in a very special and memorable way. Having appeared in over 1,000 films of all genres of adult is a testament to her long and very successful career. Today, many of the films she appeared in are available on DVD. Be sure you check out some of the great work and steamy sex scenes this Ohio native gave porn fans over the years.
Ms. Kane, who would be 59 today, earned her hallowed place in both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame, as well as the Legends of Erotica Hall of Fame. It is a worthy and deserved tribute to all that she gave the industry and her fans during her time in front of, and behind, the camera.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN