Abigail Clayton (born Gail Lawrence; June 13, 1960) is an American retired pornographic actress active during the Golden Age of Porn.[3] She was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame in 2008.[4][5]
Abigail Clayton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gail Lawrence[1] 13 June 1960[2] |
| Other names | Debbie Lordan, Abagail Clayton, Gail Wezke, Gail Lawrence[3] |
Early life
editClayton went to college at Stony Brook University and graduated with a bachelor's in fine arts in 1971.[6]
Film career
editClayton started her career in 1976 during the porn chic era when adult movies were shown in mainstream theaters. She started out first posing for magazines such as Hustler and Swank before making the jump to adult films. Her name would often appear in ads in major newspapers of the time, alongside other stars such as Annette Haven[7] and Leslie Bovee.[8]
One of Clayton's earliest movies was Alex de Renzy's Femmes de Sade, which was the eighth film inducted into XRCO's Hall of Fame.[9] Clayton also appeared in Harold Lime's Desires Within Young Girls with Georgina Spelvin and was the title character in Antonio Shepherd's 7 Into Snowy a parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[1] Her last adult film was October Silk in 1980.[1][3]
Personal life
editThe daughter of a successful doctor on the East Coast[10] Clayton worked as a film editor at Parker Labs in San Francisco. She dated actor Ken Scudder who she met filming a porn loop.[11] Clayton later married a male nurse who was a junkie but then divorced. She had a daughter.[12]
Mainstream films
editAbigail Clayton was one of the first adult stars to move into mainstream films when she appeared in Bye Bye Monkey with Gérard Depardieu and Marcello Mastroianni. In 1980, she was cast as Rita in the horror film Maniac.[13] Her last mainstream role was a small part as a nun in the Ryan O'Neal film So Fine in 1981.[1]
Partial filmography
editClayton only appeared in 16 original adult films during her career, far fewer than most other adult stars. She appeared in another 22 films that were compilations of scenes from her previous movies.[3]
Adult films
edit- The Girls in the Band (1976)
- Dixie (1976)
- Love Lips (1978)
- Femmes de Sade (1976)
- Spirit Of Seventy Sex (1976)
- Naked Afternoon (1976)
- Hot Cookies (1977)
- Desires Within Young Girls (1977)
- A Coming of Angels (1977)
- 7 Into Snowy (1977)
- Sex World (1977)
- Untamed (1978)
- Health Spa (1978)
- Cave Women (1979)
- October Silk (1980)
- Sweet Girl (1980)
Mainstream films
edit- Bye Bye Monkey (1978)
- Maniac (1980)
- So Fine (1981)
Awards
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Skin, Mr. (2005). Mr. Skin's Skincyclopedia: The A-to-Z Guide To Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked (Illustrated ed.). New York City, New York, USA: St. Martin's Press. p. 315. ISBN 9780312331443. OCLC 56129204. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ Where are they now?, Art Koch, 25 July 2018, accessed 30 December 2021
- ^ a b c d e "Personal Biography : Abigail Clayton". Internet Adult Film Database. iafd.com. 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-03-10. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
- ^ a b Freeman, Dick (2008). "XRCO 2008 Award Categories and Winners". XRCO.com. X-Rated Critics Organization. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ Holliday, Jim (1986). Only the best: Jim Holliday's adult video almanac and trivia treasury. Van Nuys, California, USA: Cal Vista Direct. OCLC 15317190. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ West, Ashley (2024-11-24). "The Passing of Abigail Clayton: A Fleeting Conversation". The Rialto Report. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
- ^ "A Coming of Angels (ad)". The Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Elizabeth Brenner. November 24, 1978. p. 29. ISSN 1082-8850. OCLC 55506548. Retrieved April 9, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "A Coming of Angels (ad)". Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland, Florida, USA: Jerome Ferson. March 21, 1979. p. 27. ISSN 0163-0288. OCLC 187953892. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ Freeman, Dick (2008). "XRCO Hall of Fame". XRCO.com. X-Rated Critics Organization. Archived from the original on 2007-10-07.
- ^ Interview with Howard Ziehm,The Rialto Report, 27 September 2015, accessed 30 December 2021
- ^ Interview with Ken Scudder,The Rialto Report, 3 March 2019, accessed 30 December 2021
- ^ Interview with Sandi Foxx,The Rialto Report, 22 June 2014, accessed 30 December 2021
- ^ Stine, Scott Aaron (2003). The Gorehound's guide to splatter films of the 1980s (Illustrated ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786415328. OCLC 51842250. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
