The former Ivory Snow laundry soap model turned adult-film actress was found dead in her home by her 17 year old daughter. While being one of the stars of the sexual revolution she also did mainstream acting and actually had a role in the Barbara Streisand film, "What's Up Pussycat", as well as starring in the horror film "Rabid". Her main starring features were "Behind The Green Door" and "Insatiable". She spent much of the last half of her life going back and forth between adult and R-rated roles. She brought joy, or at least short lived pleasure, to many.

The cause of death has not been determined yet. She was 56.



I am 56. /sigh

I wonder if it was blunt force trauma to the face?

Thanks for posting that obituary straight, as it were, Byl :). Chambers was a woman ahead of her time (and sadly, still so in some ways today); someone who chose to do what she did and took it seriously, in the days when X-rated films were trying to have something legitimate to say, and did groundbreaking work during that brief age wherein there was actually some 'adult' in adult cinema. It's a shame she was largely ostracized from mainstream work because of her decision to do porn, as she was a decent actress, and 'innocent' enough that she didn't understand what all the fuss was about when she made that choice.

We've in recent years mainstreamed the most ludicrous and cartoon aspects of porn, commercializing and glorifying the most reductionist and vapid forms of skankiness; but what lurks underneath is the same Puritanical fear of sexuality and its unvarnished power over us. We make a cariacature of what we fear, or reduce it in the crudest way to bodily processes; for god forbid sexuality be healthy, joyous, fun, or truly risky. Particularly in her early films, Chambers elevated the genre; utterly unashamed of her work, she brought care for her craft and real talent to it, and even was involved in writing and singing on several of the soundtracks (back when adult films had those, and even won awards for them). She had unprecedented power to call the shots (so to speak ;) ) both with regard to her films and her contracts and in no way was a victim or a disposable cog in the adult film machine.

As of just a short while ago, her autopsy came back inconclusive and it's now believed that she died of natural causes. And it is a bit discomforting when the people we begin to see obituaries for are our own age or younger, isn't it?

Regards,
Nydia

You got all that from watching a porn?

I still think john holmes drowned her.

There's a decent writeup about Chambers' life and career in Time Magazine here:

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1891127,00.html

and an *excellent* in-depth article about the era in which she worked here:

http://www.time.com/time/columnist/corliss/article/0,9565,1043267,00.html

I thought it particularly interesting that the author mentions Jaws (1975) as the film that fundamentally changed Hollywood (it was the first film to gross 100 million on initial release, signalling to filmmakers that the real money was not in marketing films to adults, or films with adult themes (of all types), but to kids; it was the first real 'license to print money' blockbuster, although there had been a few in the years immediately before (The Poseidon Adventure, etc). By the end of the '70s, film making in the US had fundamentally changed, thematically, and X-rated film-making pushed into the margins, the X designation now only used for hardcore porn, itself never to be commingled with anything resembling serious themes again.

As a self-avowed feminist, it may seem a bit odd that I'd be coming down as an advocate for old school porn. But there is something very touching about these films, besides the, erm, touching, namely that for a brief period, those involved really were trying to expand the dialogue on the human experience...

Regards,
Nydia

It's just porn.. it's for whacking nothing more..ROFL. Over thinking it.

It's just porn.. it's for whacking nothing more..ROFL. Over thinking it.


A concise example of your having neither knowledge of the cultural changes of the 60's-70's, nor any understanding of the impact had by certain "icons" of that cultural revolution and why some of us hold a certain affection and respect for some of them.


And thanks for the links, Nydia. :)

Well bravo then for being able to watch chicks get doinked.. neat.

Far more to the impact of such than just "doinking".

Well bravo then for being able to watch chicks get doinked.. neat.

She changed the way people thought, i am glad too the net is a beautiful place full of midget amputee porn because she help break down the initial walls.

We all can't jerk off to Reagan's swearing in speech, using NRA approved gun oil for lubricant sir.

You're turning me on with that kinda talk mister...