| Joanna Angel | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 25, 1980 Brooklyn, New York |
| Ethnicity | Jewish[1] |
| Height | 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) |
| Weight | 96 lb (44 kg) |
| No. of adult films | 92[2] |
| Website | |
| http://joannaangel.com | |
Joanna Angel (born December 25, 1980) is an American alternative pornographic actress, director and writer of adult films. She used her real first name of Joanna for her stage name.[3]
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Angel was born in Brooklyn, New York, to an Orthodox Jewish Israeli mother and an American father. She was raised in River Edge in Bergen County, New Jersey, where she attended Cherry Hill Elementary School and graduated from River Dell High School in 1998. After graduating at age 17 she enrolled in Rutgers University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature with a minor in Film Studies.[1][3]
She worked in a kosher fast food restaurant in Teaneck during high school, then at an Applebees and another restaurant called Happy's Health Grille, during college.[4]
After finishing her degree, she relocated to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, and created the website BurningAngel, a hardcore adult site catering to an emerging genre dubbed alt porn, while she danced as a stripper at night.[3] Her website followed in the footsteps of the very popular SuicideGirls, which she has referred to as "the McDonald's of alt porn."[5] When asked whether she thought that alt porn was turning into a movement she stated, "I think it's a movement. I think I've started something."[6]
Joanna has written, produced, directed and starred in films available exclusively through Burning Angel as well as appearing in more traditionally distributed adult films. She was under an exclusive contract with VCA Pictures which expired in March 2007, and was, at one time, represented by the adult talent agency Bad Ass Models.
Following the success of Burning Angel, Angel has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times.[7] She was nominated in 2006 for the AVN Awards for both "Best New Starlet" and "Best Actress," and although she won neither, she did take home the award for "Most Outrageous Sex Scene" for her appearance in Re-Penetrator.
She briefly wrote a monthly sex advice column for Spin. She also contributed a chapter to the book Naked Ambition: Women Pornographers and How They Are Changing the Sex Industry.[8]
She was nominated for the 2009 AVN Award for "The Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year".[9]
In 2010, Angel appeared in a Public Service Announcement for the Free Speech Coalition on the topic of internet piracy of adult content, directed by Michael Whiteacre.[10][11] The spot, entitled the "FSC All-Star Anti-Piracy PSA"[12] found her in the company of adult performers such as Lisa Ann, Julie Meadows, Kimberly Kane, Ron Jeremy, and Wicked Pictures contract stars Alektra Blue and Kaylani Lei.
In 2011, she was named by CNBC as one of the 12 most popular stars in porn.[13] CNBC noted that she owns her own studio and that the "punk look" that she and her other actors share has created a new genre in the porn industry called alt porn.
She sometimes appears on Cracked.com as a friend of the columnists and appears in the music video for "Sound Wave Superior" by Emmure.
In 2011, she made a cameo on the Adult Swim show Childrens Hospital, in the season 3 episode "Night Shift". She played herself as a pornstar, and family friend of Rob Corddry's character Dr Blake.[14][15]