Shauna Grant
Shauna Grant | |
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Suicide by gunshot | |
Resting place | St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery, Farmington, Minnesota, U.S. |
Other names |
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Occupations |
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Years active | 1982–1984 |
Colleen Marie Applegate (May 30, 1963 – March 23, 1984), known professionally as Shauna Grant, was an American pornographic actress and nude model. During her two-year career, she appeared in over 30 pornographic films, earning up to $100,000. Grant died by suicide after the arrest of her partner in March, 1984. She was inducted into the
Early life
Colleen Applegate was born in
Applegate
Adult film career
After arriving in
Her first pictorial's theme featured a mock camping set and was published by Club. Hicks reflected on Applegate's appearance and personality, saying: "I deal with a lot of girls who are new in the business, a lot of young girls and a lot of girls from out of town. Colleen was so incredibly young and naive. She was completely un-hip and non-L.A."[citation needed]
Her wholesome, "girl next door" looks soon landed her work posing for other magazines such as Chic, Hustler, Swank, and Penthouse. But Hicks advised Applegate to get out of nude modeling quickly, because when all of the magazines had used her, the only thing left for her would be hardcore movies. "You know, you take a typical girl that's used to working at McDonald's or at a shoe store, where she's used to making a minimum wage, and suddenly she's given the opportunity to get made up, and be in front of people who tell her she's beautiful, and make as much money in a day as she was making in three weeks and, um, they change. They change. And that's sad."[5]
Almost immediately, Applegate progressed to filming hardcore photo sessions for well-known photographer Suze Randall.[citation needed]
Applegate's relationship with her boyfriend ended within their first two months in California; Marcell left her to return to Farmington, Minnesota and ultimately joined the
Ignoring Hicks' advice, Applegate continued working with World Modeling Agency, where she met veteran porn producer Bobby Hollander. Hollander launched her adult film career, suggesting what he felt was a "classy" stage name, Shauna Grant.[citation needed]
As a fast-rising adult entertainment personality, she was featured in Virginia, Suzie Superstar, and Flesh and Laces 1 & 2, among many other films. Her pay rose from $300 a day to around $1,500. As Shauna Grant, she made dozens of popular adult movies, usually plot-oriented. In Suzie Superstar, she played the lead singer of a rock band.[citation needed]
Grant was provided with her own make-up artist, 27-year-old Laurie Smith (who was also an adult star). Smith, who co-starred with Grant in several movies (including Suzie Superstar, The Young Like It Hot, and Bad Girls IV), also became Grant's best friend and fellow cocaine user during that period. She quit the adult film business for a short time following Grant's suicide.[citation needed]
Grant's popularity earned her three acting nominations at the Erotic Film Awards in March, 1984. However, despite these accolades and her beauty, Grant had some difficulty getting work due to her cocaine addiction and lack of "enthusiasm" during sex scenes. In some circles she acquired the nickname "Applecoke" and gained a reputation for being flaky.[citation needed]
Retirement
In 1983, Grant retired from the adult film industry after less than a year and just over 30 films and videos, in which she had sex on screen with 37 men, and after contracting herpes and having an abortion.[7][8]
On March 14, 1984, she was a multiple nominee and presenter (with
At the awards show, Grant agreed to work on her first adult film in 10 months, Matinee Idol. The film was due to begin filming in eight days in
Grant persuaded her friend, veteran porn performer Kelly Nichols, to take over the role Grant had been offered in Matinee Idol. Grant also had the option of returning to Minnesota. Her parents offered to pay for her college expenses, but she believed she would no longer be comfortable at home in Minnesota.[citation needed]
Death
On March 23, 1984, Grant died by
Grant's funeral was held on March 28, 1984, at St. Michael's Church, a
In popular culture
Film
- Adult filmmaker Roberta Findlay made the controversial Shauna: Every Man's Fantasy (1985), about Grant's suicide.
- The tombstone.
Television
- St. Paul)[12]
- Hard Copy: "Shauna Grant" (June 18, 1990), as herself (archive footage)
Music
- The musician Klaus Flouride honored Grant in the song "Dancing with Shauna Grant", from his album The Light Is Flickering (1991). The song also mentions Virginia and Suzie Superstar, both of which are films that Grant starred in.
- Pop-punk band J Church wrote a song about the life and suicide of Grant called "Girl in a Magazine", which appeared on their 7" This Song Is For Kathi (1992).
- Christian metal band Mastedon wrote a song called "Innocent Girl", in memory of Shauna Grant on their debut album It's a Jungle Out There! (1989). The lyrics were written by the former Kansas lead John Elefante and his brother Dino.
- American death metal band Ripping Corpse wrote a song for their album Dreaming with the Dead (1991) about Grant, entitled "Deeper Demons". The lyrics question why such a tragic fate befell "little Colleen".
References
- ^ "Masseuse 3 and Café Flesh 2 Top XRCO Awards". avn.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "A Porn Star's Suicide at 20 Leaves a Legacy of Shattered Innocence—and a Shattered Family". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- ^ "Death of a Porn Queen". Frontline. Season 5. Episode 13. June 8, 1987. Event occurs at 9:50. PBS.
- ISBN 978-0-06-087434-6. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- ^ "Death of a Porn Queen". Frontline. Season 5. Episode 13. June 8, 1987. Event occurs at 17:25. PBS.
- ^ "Death of a Porn Queen". Frontline. Season 5. Episode 13. June 8, 1987. Event occurs at 17:54. PBS.
- ^ "Death of a Porn Queen". Frontline. Season 5. Episode 13. June 8, 1987. Event occurs at 38:00. PBS.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- ^ "Death of a Porn Queen". Frontline. Season 5. Episode 13. June 8, 1987. Event occurs at 46:05. PBS.
- ^ "Death of a Porn Queen". Frontline. Season 5. Episode 13. June 8, 1987. Event occurs at 46:25. PBS.
- ISBN 978-1479328598.
- ^ "'Death of Porn Queen': Stunning Storytelling". Los Angeles Times. 1987-06-09. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
Further reading
- Johnson, Thomas S. "Feeding on Shauna Grant: Ritual Cannibalism in Two Documentary Retrospectives". Journal of Popular Culture. Vol. 36, no. 1. pp. 25–43.
- London, Michael (May 6, 1984). "The Death of Colleen". Los Angeles Times. pp. R3–R9.
- London, Michael (May 13, 1984). "Death of a Dream". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 1.
- London, Michael (May 19, 1984). "Small-Town Girl Meets Death in Porn World". Syracuse-Post-Standard. p. A-9. Reprinted from The Los Angeles Times.
- Kelley, Jack (March 14, 1988). "A Porn Star's Suicide at 20 Leaves a Legacy of Shattered Innocence – and a Shattered Family". People Magazine.
- McNeil, Legs (2004). "Shattered Innocence (Los Angeles/Farmington, Minnesota, 1983–1984". The Other Hollywood, the Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry. Regan Books, Harper Collins. pp. 359–370.
- Patrick, Riley (1997). "Shauna Grant". The X-Rated Videotape Star Index II, A Guide to Your Favorite Adult Film Stars. Prometheus Books: 612–613.
- Rosenberg, Howard (June 16, 1987). "Porn Queen: Uplifting and Sad Documentary". Syracuse Post-Standard. p. D-7. Reprinted from The Los Angeles Times.
External links
- Shauna Grant at IMDb
- Shauna Grant at the Internet Adult Film Database
- Shauna Grant at the Adult Film Database