Traci Lords (born
Nora Louise Kuzma
; May 7, 1968), also known as
Traci Elizabeth Lords and
Tracy Lords, is an
American film actress,
producer,
film director,
writer and
singer. She first achieved notoriety for her
underage appearances in
pornographic films and
Penthouse magazine (she was 15 years old in her first film),
[traci lords - porn star and director - dvd and videos and more - filmography - iafd.com - internet adult film database] later becoming a
television and
B-movie actress.
Early life
Nora Louise Kuzma was born in
Steubenville,
Ohio to Louis and Patricia Kuzma (
née Briceland). Her stage name is said to be in tribute to
Katharine Hepburn's character Tracy Lord from
The Philadelphia Story (the same character played by
Grace Kelly in
High Society), or from the first name of her high school best friend Traci and the last name of her favorite actor from
Hawaii Five-O,
Jack Lord. At twelve, she fled from her abusive,
alcoholic, father to
Lawndale,
California, with her mother and three sisters.
[Krajicek, David Traci Lords--The Crime Library, The Crime Library, retrieved June 12, 2006.] In 1983, she began attending
Redondo Union High School. She eventually had an
abortion, which she paid for by herself, went through a
nervous breakdown, and ran away from home.