Sharon Mitchell

About Sharon Mitchell

Sharon Mitchell, born Fatima Maria on January 18, 1956, in Trenton, New Jersey, was adopted into a single-child Catholic family in Monmouth County, New Jersey, later taking the name Sharon Kelly and then Sharon Mitchell as a homage to Martha Mitchell, per her de.wikipedia.org biography. She married briefly at 17 before pursuing off-Broadway acting and dancing, claiming to have toured with the Martha Graham Dance Company. She entered the adult film industry in the mid-1970s, debuting in films like Captain Lust and the Pirate Women (1977). Using aliases like Miss Sharon, Mitch Ronshare, and Susan Marlow, she appeared in over 1,000 films and directed 43, working with studios like AVC, Caballero Home Video, VCA Pictures, and Vivid Entertainment. Notable films include Sexcapades (1983, as Miriam), Night Hunger (1983, as Lillith Blair), The Devil in Miss Jones 2 (1982), and Barbara Broadcast (1977). She was known for her BDSM roles, often as a dominatrix, and her intense performances in films like Water Power (1976).

Mitchell modeled for magazines like Hustler and High Society and specialized in bondage modeling early in her career. She worked with performers like Jamie Gillis, Seka, and Tanya Foxx. Roughly 25% of her roles were non-sex, per alchetron.com. She was also one of the first mainstream female stars to preform in bisexual and transexual porn. She had minor mainstream roles in The Deer Hunter (1978), Tootsie (1982), Maniac (1980), and 52 Pick-Up (1986). Her standout scenes include her role in Sexcapades, which earned her critical acclaim, and her BDSM performances in Kamikaze Hearts (1986).

Physically, Mitchell stands at 5’7”, weighs approximately 120 pounds, and has a 34B-24-34 figure with brown hair and brown eyes, per IMDb. She has no documented tattoos, piercings, or plastic surgeries. Adult star Ron Jeremy, in a 2004 interview, said of Mitchell, “I can say this as an ugly guy, but Sharon wasn't the prettiest chick. But she had an It factor. She could be really sexy. She had an aura that a lot of hotter chicks lack. That is why she was a star.” Her legacy is defined by her extensive filmography and her establishment of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM) in 1998, which tested over 1,200 performers monthly for STDs until a 2011 data breach led to its closure, per wikipedia.org. She raised awareness about HIV risks, stating, “We let them know that HIV is an occupational hazard, not just a risk” (FamousFix).

Controversies include a 1987 lawsuit against Los Angeles County for false imprisonment after a three-day jail stint for refusing to meet secretly with the DA’s office, and a 1996 assault by a stalker that left her with a broken nose, crushed larynx, and lost teeth, prompting her to quit drugs after a 16-year heroin addiction, during which she contracted hepatitis, herpes, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis (The Lancet). Her net worth is estimated at $5 million, per allfamousbirthday.com, from films, dancing, and AIM. After the assault, she became a certified addiction counselor and earned an MA and PhD from the unaccredited Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality.

As of July 8, 2025, Mitchell, now 69, lives a private life, likely in California, with no active social media presence. She is married to an unnamed spouse since 2005, per IMDb, with no children reported. Since AIM’s closure in 2011, she has focused on advocacy, speaking on HIV prevention in the U.S., Hungary, and South Africa, per avn.com. Fan-run X accounts celebrate her as a “pioneer,” and her films remain popular in vintage adult film communities, with her AIM work and hall of fame inductions solidifying her impact as an actress and health advocate.

🏆 Hall of Fame Inductions
AVN Hall of Fame:
1996: Inducted into the Hall of Fame

XRCO Hall of Fame:
1988: Inducted into the Hall of Fame

Legends of Erotica Hall of Fame:
1997: Inducted into the Hall of Fame

🏆 Major Award Wins
CAFA Awards (Critics' Adult Film Association):
1982: Best Actress for Blue Jeans
1983: Best Supporting Actress for Sexcapades

AFAA Awards (Adult Film Association of America):
1983: Best Actress for Sexcapades
1984: Best Supporting Actress for Night of the Loving Dead

Free Speech Coalition:
1998: Honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award