Traci Lords is an American actress.
Career Lords appeared in dozens of pornographic films between 1984 and 1986, nearly all of which were filmed while she was underage; only her last such film, Traci, I Love You (1987), was legal in the United States. Once of age, Lords immediately made a transition to mainstream films.
Lords made her mainstream screen debut in Not of This Earth (1988), a remake of Roger Corman's 1957 film of the same name, playing the leading role of Nadine Story.
Lords followed with Fast Food (1989) and the John Waters' teen comedy Cry-Baby (1990), where she appeared alongside Johnny Depp. The film received positive reviews and the part of Wanda Woodward remains Lords' most notable role.
Around the same time as her film debut in the late 1980s, Lords also appeared in many television series, including Wiseguy, MacGyver, Married... with Children, Highlander, and Tales from the Crypt.
In the early 1990s, Lords starred in various independent and B movies, such as Shock 'Em Dead, Raw Nerve, A Time to Die (1991), Intent to Kill (1992), and Skinner (1993). She also appeared in the television adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Tommyknockers.
While promoting her debut studio album 1000 Fires (1995), Lords landed the role of Rikki Abbott on the television series Melrose Place and also appeared in three episodes of Roseanne.
Lords was a recurring cast member on the crime series Profiler and had a small part in the vampire action film Blade (1998). She kept on making more films and appeared in more television series, including First Wave, Gilmore Girls, and Will & Grace. Her role in the comedy Chump Change (2000) earned her the Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actress at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
In the 2000s, Lords appeared as Bubbles in the Kevin Smith comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008). She also had supporting roles in the horror films Excision (2012) and Devil May Call (2013). Her portrayal of Phyllis, a hyperreligious and controlling mother, in Excision (2012) earned her several awards including the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as the Fright Meter Award and the CinEuphoria Award.
Film Year Title Role Notes 1988 Not of This Earth Nadine Story 1989 Fast Food Dixie Love 1990 Cry-Baby Wanda Woodward 1990 Shock 'Em Dead Lindsay Roberts Also known as Rock 'em Dead 1991 Raw Nerve Gina Clayton 1991 A Time to Die Jackie Swanson 1992 The Nutt House Miss Tress 1992 Intent to Kill Vickie Stewart 1993 Laser Moon Barbara Fleck 1993 Skinner Heidi 1993 Desperate Crimes Laura Originally titled Il ritmo del silenzio, also known as Mafia Docks 1994 Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II Norma 1994 Serial Mom Carl's Date 1994 Ice Ellen Reed 1995 Your Studio and You Herself Short film 1995 Virtuosity Media Zone Singer 1996 Underworld Anna 1996 Blood Money Wendy Monroe 1997 Nowhere Val-Chick #1 1997 Stir Kelly Bekins 1997 Full Blast Lindsay Lord 1998 Boogie Boy Shonda Lee Bragg 1998 Extramarital Elizabeth 1998 Blade Racquel 1999 Me and Will The Waitress 1999 The Killing Club Laura Engles Also known as You're Killing Me... 2000 Epicenter FBI Agent Amanda Foster Credited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 2000 Chump Change Sam Credited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 2000 Certain Guys Kathleen 2002 Black Mask 2: City of Masks "Chameleon" Credited as Traci Elizabeth LordsVoiced by Cherrie Ying in the Cantonese dub version 2003 Manhood Actress 2003 Home Lorna Short film 2005 Sweet Pea — Director only 2005 Frostbite Naomi Bucks 2006 Novel Romance Max Normane 2006 Crazy Eights Gina Conte 2007 The Chosen One Ms. Sultry Voice only 2008 Your Name Here Julie Frick 2008 Zack and Miri Make a Porno "Bubbles" 2009 I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell Connie 2009 Princess of Mars Dejah Thoris 2011 Au Pair, Kansas Helen Hazleton Also known as The Soccer Nanny 2012 Excision Phyllis 2013 Devil May Call Valerie "Val" Kramer 2015 Tag Ann 2018 Cemetery Tales Presents: A Tale of Two Sisters Victoria Chastain 2019 Steam Room Stories: The Movie! Sally Fay 2019 Manipulated Cassandra King 2020 Nicole, her Ex & the Killer Mother 2021 Waking Up Dead Phyllis 2021 The Farm Belle Gunness 2024 Greedy People Virginia Chetlo
Television Year Title Role Notes 1988 Wiseguy Monique Episode: "Date with an Angel" 1989–1991 Married... with Children T.C. / Vanessa Van Pelt 2 episodes 1990 Stallone's Knockouts Ringside Commentator TV movie 1990 MacGyver Jennifer/Jenny Episode: "MacGyver's Women" 1991 Super Force Alien #2 Episode: "Of Human Bondage" 1991 Murder in High Places Diane TV movie 1993 The Tommyknockers Nancy Voss TV movie 1993 Sweating Bullets Gwen Episode: "Katie's Secret" 1993 Highlander Greta Episode: "The Darkness" 1993 Tales from the Crypt Emma Conway Episode: "Two for the Show" 1994 Bandit's Silver Angel Angel Austin TV movie 1994 Dragstrip Girl Blanche TV movie 1994–1995 Roseanne Stacy Flagler 3 episodes 1995 Melrose Place Rikki Abbott 4 episodes 1995 As Good as Dead Nicole Grace TV movie 1996 Dead Man's Island Miranda Prescott TV movie 1997 Nash Bridges Sean Collins Episode: "Knockout" 1997 Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher Suzanne Wilkinson Episode: "My Phony Valentine" 1997 Viper Talia Massey Episode: "The List" 1997–1998 Profiler Sharon Lesher Recurring cast (Season 2) 1999 D.R.E.A.M. Team Lena Brant TV movieCredited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 1999 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Luscious Deluxe Episode: "Hercules, Tramps & Thieves"Credited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 2000–2001 First Wave Jordan Radcliffe Recurring castCredited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 2002 They Shoot Divas, Don't They? Mira TV movieCredited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 2003 Deathlands: Homeward Bound Lady Rachel Cawdor TV movieCredited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 2003 Gilmore Girls Natalie Zimmermann Episode: "The Fundamental Things Apply"Credited as Traci Elizabeth Lords 2005 Will & Grace Rose Episode: "Birds of a Feather Boa" 2005 Wanted Bartender 2 episodes 2007 Andy Barker, P.I. Loretta Crispin Episode: "Dial M for Laptop" 2007 Point of Entry Brianna Fine TV movie 2007 The Greatest Show Ever Cow Girl TV movie 2013–2019 EastSiders Val 8 episodes 2015 Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre Detective Kendra Patterson TV movie 2016 Nightmare Nurse Barb TV movie 2016–2018 Swedish Dicks Jane McKinney Recurring cast
Music video appearances
Year Title Performer Album 1984 "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" Helix Walkin' the Razor's Edge 1987 "Notorious" Loverboy Wildside 1991 "TRASH SONGS" ODD-BOWZ TRASH IT! 1991 "I Wanna Sex You Up" Color Me Badd C.M.B. 1994 "Back on the Street" Jay Miles 9 Hours
Video games Year Title Character 2002 Defender Commander Kyoto 2004 Ground Control II: Operation Exodus Dr. Alice McNeil 2005 True Crime: New York City Madam Cassandra Hartz 2012 Hitman: Absolution Layla Stockton 2016 Hitman Dino's agent / Dexy Barat / Maya Parvati 2016 Let It Die Jackal Z 2025 Rusty Rabbit Whitney
Pornographic videos Year Title Role Notes 1984 What Gets Me Hot! Lannie (as Tracy Lords) First porn movie 1984 The Sex Goddess Marilyn 1984 Talk Dirty to Me Part III The Mermaid Scenes replaced by new scenes featuring Lisa De Leeuw 1984 Those Young Girls Traci (as Tracy Lords) 1984 Aroused 1984 Sister Dearest Vicky Jennings Scenes edited out1984Sweet Little ThingsTraciTraci & Leah use classified ads searching for an apartment 1985 Wild Things School Girl 1985 The Adventures of Tracy Dick: The Case of the Missing Stiff Tracy Dick (as Tracy Lords) 1985 Educating Mandy Mandy Scenes are used in the comedy From Beijing with Love by Stephen Chow, as the "painkiller" when he was undergoing the operation for bullet removal 1985 Holly Does Hollywood Tracy 1985 Black Throat Debbie 1985 Future Voyeur Traci 1985 Harlequin Affair Tracy (as Tracy Lords) 1985 Hollywood Heartbreakers 1985 It's My Body Maggie 1985 Perfect Fit Diane Green 1985 The Grafenberg Spot (aka The G-Spot) Tracy (as Tracy Lords) 1985 Love Bites Nurse 1986 Traci Takes Tokyo Traci Banned in the U.S. 1986 Beverly Hills Copulator Michelle Leon (as Tracy Lords) 1986 Traci, I Love You Traci Last pornographic film and the only one featuring all of her scenes intact that is legally available in the U.S. and some other countries, as it was made two days after her 18th birthday.
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