Bambi Woods

Woods' adult-entertainment career occurred towards the end of the Golden Age of Porn, when the filmmakers operated in a legal gray area, making them vulnerable to extortion by organized criminals who controlled distribution. At the time, there were no laws requiring mandatory verification and record keeping of participants' true identities and ages, and the real names of even the most prolific actors remained unknown outside their profession until decades later, when the identities of almost all famous performers were circulated on the Internet. Despite the huge profits being made, female performers' fees rarely exceeded the low hundreds of dollars.^[2] Although Woods ostensibly performed in Debbie Does Dallas as a one-off to clear a debt, she spent all her earnings, so the still-owed friend arranged for her to become an exotic dancer. An interviewer, told about the background to Woods' career, remarked of the creditor that she had "a heart of gold".^[4]

The film became a huge success.^[2] According to one account, and interviews she gave, Woods was feted in New York City clubs, including Studio 54 and Plato's Retreat, and mixed with celebrities. However, she was distraught when a level of publicity she had not anticipated led to her family's discovery of her career in pornography. She also became increasingly disillusioned with approbation as a porn star and disconcerted by being sought by those bringing a civil suit.^[2][5]

Two years after her pornographic debut, she had not made another film. She did not have sex on camera for any production she is credited with subsequent to 1981; these may have used clips years after they were filmed. Woods disappeared completely from the public eye by the mid-1980s.^[2][5]

Disappearance

In 1986 Woods was reported missing as she had disappeared without a trace,