Cris Cassidy

Cris Cassidy, born Cristen L. Rothermund on April 8, 1947, in California, was an American adult film actress, model, director, and producer of Scandinavian descent. She grew up a surfer and self-described "hippie", per Bio-Famous.com. Before entering adult entertainment, she worked as a burlesque dancer and stripper in San Francisco, which sparked her interest in explicit performance. In 1977, at age 30, she transitioned to hardcore films, debuting in titles like The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio (1971, per Bio-Famous.com, though likely a typo for a later film), drawn by the creative freedom and financial prospects of the industry. She used aliases including Buffy Stevens, Montana, Montana Brent, Suzanne Meyers, Suzette Holland, and Kris Kassidy, with Cris Cassidy becoming her primary stage name, chosen for its alliterative appeal by a director despite her preference for Montana, per The Rialto Report. Her entry into porn marked the start of an iconic career in the 1970s adult industry, blending her dance background with uninhibited on-screen performances.

Cassidy’s adult film career, spanning 1977 to 1988 with sporadic appearances into the early 90s, saw her star in over 190 hardcore videos and loops for studios like Alpha Blue Archives, Vinegar Syndrome, and VCX, per IAFD. Notable films include SexWorld (1978), where her passionate lesbian scenes with Annette Haven became iconic, Candy Stripers (1978), featuring intense group sex, The China Cat (1978), showcasing her in anal and vaginal scenes, and Sadie (1980), where she played the titular prostitute with a lackluster performance due to waning interest, per The Rialto Report. She was known for her enthusiastic lovemaking, particularly in girl/girl scenes reflecting her real-life lesbian orientation, with standout performances in oral, anal, and interracial scenes, notably with Johnny Keyes in Female Athletes (1980), per The Classic Porn. Her roles often cast her as hookers or sex-driven characters, leveraging her “hard-charging” sexual aura, per Wikiporno. She earned no major awards but was nominated for several, per Bio-Famous.com, and her acting ability was praised, though underutilized, in films like Talk Dirty to Me (1980).

Cassidy appeared in numerous men’s magazines, including Adam, Hustler, and Cinema Blue, with pictorials emphasizing her slender figure and sultry blonde allure, often under pseudonyms like Suzanne Meyers, per HotMovies. Frequent co-stars included Annette Haven, with whom she shared electric chemistry in SexWorld, and Miki Star, her real-life lover, who appeared in lesbian-themed films produced by their company, Tigress Productions, per IMDb. Tigress produced three lesbian-focused films before dissolving after their breakup, per IMDb. No mainstream acting roles are documented, as her career remained rooted in adult entertainment, with no appearances in mainstream films or TV, per IMDb. She has no active social media presence, as her career predates modern platforms, and no verified accounts exist as of September 2025. Her magazine spreads, particularly in Hustler (1979), were noted for their provocative energy, reinforcing her status as a 1970s adult icon, per Wikiporno.

Physically, Cassidy stood at 5’3”, weighing approximately 110 pounds, with long blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and measurements of 36C-25-36, featuring natural breasts until implants were added during her career, per The Rialto Report and HotMovies. Her slender, toned frame, honed by her dance background, was accentuated by a pert ass and long, shapely legs, embodying the quintessential 1970s porn star aesthetic. Fans and media frequently praised her “perfectly proportioned” figure and “sultry voice,” with AVN (1979) noting her “electrifying beauty” and “natural 36C curves” before implants, later enhanced to maintain her appeal, per Bio-Famous.com. Her full lips and warm smile were cited as enhancing her on-screen charisma, with The Classic Porn describing her “blonde bombshell radiance.” Fan speculation on AdultDVDTalk (1980) about her implants was confirmed by Cassidy in The Rialto Report, noting they were industry-driven but well-received. Her expressive face and lithe physique amplified her passionate performances.

Cassidy was one of the few openly lesbian performers in adult films who also performed with men. She said having sex with men was something she had done all her life, but she grew less attracted to them as she aged and felt she was always queer. She was outspoken that most women in adult films were straight and "gay for pay" and that casting a girl/girl scene in every movie forced girls who weren't bisexual to perform in those scenes. After retiring, she formed a lesbian themed production company with her long-term partner, Miki Star called Tigress Productions, per IMDb. AVN (1978) called her “a captivating star with unmatched sexual intensity.” A fan (2021) wrote, “Cris’s SexWorld scenes were pure fire.” A 2024 X post praised her as “a 1970s legend whose Candy Stripers energy is timeless” (@RetroPornFan). Her refusal to perform unwanted acts, as noted in The Rialto Report, underscored her integrity, with Cassidy stating, “I wasn’t just doing it for money; I wanted the experience.” Her career was driven by passion rather than financial gain, per The Classic Porn.

Cassidy retired from the adult industry in 1988 at age 41, with brief one-shot appearances in the early 1990s, per Wikiporno. She was married twice to two different women. Her legacy endures as a pioneering 1970s openly queer porn star, with The Classic Porn lauding her “over-heated need for sex” and acting talent. Colleague Annette Haven, in a 1988 AVN interview, praised her, saying, “Cris and I got along well. We were both into women, so that made our scenes a lot more authentic,” while an unnamed director in The Rialto Report noted, “Her heart wasn’t always in it by the end, like in Sadie.” The Rialto Report confirms she lives privately, having traveled to the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Australia post-retirement. Her work remains celebrated in vintage porn communities, with The Rialto Report highlighting her “smoldering intensity and innovative lesbian productions” as a benchmark for 1970s adult cinema.