From Ballet to Porn
Terri Hall was born on January 25, 1953 in the town of Elmira in upstate New York. Her parents were a Swedish/Italian middle class family. Her father owned a heating company, but later became a lawyer while Terri’s mom was a stay at home mother as most women were back then. She was the oldest of four siblings and her childhood was pretty normal. Much of her time growing up was filled with taking dance lessons that would jump start her first career. She became a top notch ballerina using her lithe, athletic body to enhance her dancing talents. She also was a natural on stage as an actress and was eager to do theater.
After graduating from high school, Terri went down to New York City to further her dance and acting career. There she started dancing as a trainee for Harkness Ballet and later worked at American Ballet Theater as part of the dance troupe in various productions. So good was she at her craft, that Terri would find her way to Europe and spend time as a ballerina with the very prestigious Stuttgart, Germany Ballet Company.
When she returned to the states, Terri was eager to expand her career into legit acting on Broadway or in films wanting to make more money than she was making in dance. However, a chance meeting with an actress at an audition turned her career in another direction. The actress gave her the names of several adult film directors and it was Armand Weston who first gave her an interview. After the interview he liked what he had seen of her and how she came across. He gave her a major part in a film in 1976 that was originally titled “A Date with Death” but would be renamed “The Taking of Christina “which would become a porn classic. From her appearance and solid performance in that film, Terri Hall’s porn career was launched and took off.
While Terri was in the business through 1984, she did not do hundreds of films. She was very selective about the films and about whom she worked with, but it all paid off. Sexually, Terri was very much into what the scene would call for and she could generate plenty of heat with her athletic body and her sensual, all out approach that could make a scene sizzle as in 1976’s “Farewell Scarlett”. The fact that she could also act and deliver dialogue made her appearances even more realistic whether it was comedy or drama.
During her time, Ms. Hall would be a major part of a number of films that would go on to become porn classics such as “The Opening of Misty Beethoven”, “The Story of Joanna”, “Honey Pie”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Through the Looking Glass” to name a few. She was a very talented lady, the consummate pro on the set and was well liked by cast and crew. Between her excellent acting abilities and her scorching sexuality, Ms. Hall, for whatever reason has basically been ignored by several organizations in the industry. It is truly a shame because even though she did about 50 or so films what she contributed to the industry was large.
Today Ms. Hall would have been 67 this past January 25th. However, she passed away in 2007 at the age of 54, in New York, after battling cancer for some time. For fans and porn aficionados who remember the golden age, her name has not been forgotten. For those who are not familiar with Ms. Hall, please check out some of the films I have mentioned in this piece. To the organizations that have ignored this past star of the golden age, I would certainly hope the name Terri Hall will finally get its due and rightful place in the Halls of Fame where it belongs.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
