Marilyn Chambers is best known for her groundbreaking performances in Behind the Green Door (1972), and The Resurrection of Eve (1973). Marilyn Chambers sparked a revolution in the adult entertainment industry. Before Chambers there were two kinds of women: the good girls who stayed home, raised kids and baked bread; and the naughty girls, who went to bars, had sex and performed in porn flicks. Marilyn blurred the line between the two.
Born in 1952, as Marilyn Ann Briggs, she grew up in Westport, Connecticut. Her childhood was filled with dreams of someday becoming a star. She said of herself in a 1977 interview, "I’ve always been something of an exhibitionist." Even as a young girl she demonstrated great ambition and drive by becoming an accomplished Junior Olympics diver and gymnast. Although her parents were very much against it, at the age of 14 the independent Marilyn was out pounding the streets of New York, knocking on the doors of all the modeling agencies in town. With a wholesome beauty and unstoppable drive, she was soon getting plenty of work, including shoots for Ivory Snow and Pepsi.
Success as a model led Chambers to Hollywood, but Marilyn soon became disgusted with the casting couch mentality young starlets are often subject to. After doing a bit part in Barbara Streisand’s 1970 The Owl and the Pussycat, Chambers moved to San Francisco to rethink her career. This is were she met producers Artie and Jim Mitchell.
After responding to an advertisement in a local newspaper, Marilyn met with the Mitchells and like their honest, forthright approach. She told the L.A. Times, "Ironically, there was no casting couch with them. The Mitchell Brothers were very honest guys who were only interested in making a buck." Originally, she was hesitant and only agreed to play a non-sexual role in Behind the Green Door. However, after much thought, she eventually agreed to play Gloria, a young girl who is kidnapped and forced into exotic sex acts on stage. Commenting on her decision, Chambers told reporter Robert Hilburn, "I thought I’d take a shot. I was intrigued by the story. I really liked the fantasy involved. And I figured it might be my last chance at something really big." However, before agreeing to the role the savvy Marilyn negotiated a very lucrative contract, 10% of the movie’s box office gross.
The movie was a huge hit, and led to her memorable performance in the 1973 smash, The Resurrection of Eve. The two movies combined, reportedly grossed close to $30 million at the box office (before video). Audiences loved the way this elegant, beautiful woman showed a genuine lust for sex and greeted each act with unparalleled hunger.
The success of Behind the Green Door also created quite a stir in the advertisement industry. Just one week before the opening of Behind the Green Door, Ivory Snow put one of Marilyn’s pictures (taken during her modeling days) on their soap boxes. Her clean-cut, all-American good looks seemed perfect to represent their product... until they learned she was starring in the most popular X-rated film of the day! They immediately discontinued the soap boxes, which of course are now highly sought after collector’s items.
While she had left the adult movie business, she later returned with VCA in 1999 to shoot "Still Insatiable" and "Dark Chambers". She co-hosts her own show, a soon to be syndicated program called "Taboo Talk", a late-night adult radio talk show.
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