Ron+Jeremy

Kevin Gaughan **Ron Jeremy**
 * Life Before Pornography**

Ronald Jeremy Hyatt, or better known as Ron Jeremy, was born March 12, 1953 in Queens, New York (Jeremy & Spitznagel, 2007). He was raised in a Jewish home where his father worked as a doctor, while his mother edited books. With a master’s degree from Queens College, Jeremy worked as a special education teacher for most of his early life after college (Jeremy & Spitznagel, 2007). On the side, he worked as a stand-up comedian under his birth name, Ron Hyatt (Obscura & Shelton, 2002). During this time, a girlfriend of his sent a nude picture of Ron to //Playgirl, which// led to modeling work for the magazine. After being portrayed as the “boy next door” in his //Playgirl// spread, a lot of suitors looked up R. Hyatt in the phonebook to try to get a hold of Ronald Jeremy Hyatt. In an article in Time Magazine, Ron Jeremy accounts that his grandmother received all of the calls, as her name is Rose Hyatt (Sachs, 2008). After his father learned about this, he gave permission to his son to go into the business because Jeremy was old enough to make his own decisions, but he did not allow him to use the family name. Shortly after, Ron Hyatt started going by his first and middle name, Ron Jeremy (Sachs, 2008). Little did his girlfriend know, her move secretly sending naked pictures of her then boyfriend would create one of the most well-known and popular porn stars of all time.

**Pornography Career**

The pornographic industry is predominately headlined by female actresses, as the mainstream market is a mostly male audience. This being said, Ron Jeremy is the biggest face of pornography, regardless of gender. The Adult Video News, or for short AVN, rated Ron Jeremy the number one porn star of all time, beating out the likes of his female counterparts, including superstar, Jenna Jameson (Warren, 2009). Being an industry that is dominated by actresses in contrast to actors, it is impressive that Jeremy claims the number one spot. Jeremy, or sometimes known in the pornographic industry as “The Hedgehog”, has appeared in over 1,700 adult films and has produced hundreds more (Steinberg, 2003). This beats the next closest male porn star, John Holmes, by nearly 1,300 films. Ron Jeremy’s porn career started with his first film, // Tigresses and Other Man-eaters //, but this obviously was not his last (Sachs, 2008). Amongst many others, some of his most famous adult films over his long career include // Wild Wild Chest, Cheerleader Nurses, Ally //// McFeel, and Super Hornio Bros // (Steinberg, 2003). During his career in pornography, Ron Jeremy has many interesting accounts about his experiences in the industry. In an interview with Time Magazine, he remembers the wide variety of actors and actresses he worked with. He has worked with aspiring Hollywood actors to cocaine and marijuana abusers and addicts (Sachs, 2009). Ron Jeremy has become the face of male pornographic stars without having the standard porn star body. He stands 5’7”, 200 pounds and is by no means in top physical shape. What Ron Jeremy is best known for in the pornographic industry is his large penis. Although there is no official report, he self reports that it is about 9.75 inches. Early in his career, Jeremy gained much exposure for his ability to perform autofellatio, the ability to give oneself oral sex, which was featured in some of his films (Obscura & Shelton, 2002). His wide variety of notorieties allowed Jeremy to become the most filmed male pornographic actor of all time. With all of this exposure in the industry Obscura and Shelton (2002) write: Ron Jeremy remains as popular as ever, no matter how much weight he gains or how much older he gets. He is not just a performer for hire, or even a merely ‘appendage’ of the porn industry; Ron Jeremy is an institution in and of himself, a living genre that embodies the generic structure and iconographic purchase of contemporary porn (p. 117).

By the end of his career, Jeremy said that the sex became tedious. While losing his libido with age, Ron Jeremy says the sex was enjoyable 50% of the time when he worked. He actually enjoys the acting portion of pornography better than the actual sex. An inspiring actor himself, Ron Jeremy loved the opportunity to act in front of a camera, even if it was in the pornographic settings (Sachs, 2009).

**Beyond Pornography**

Ron Jeremy has definitely taken his pornography career and made himself into a more mainstream personality. He has appeared in movies, television series, music videos, video games, viral videos, and advertisements. Actually, a recent issue of the Queens Tribune ranked Ron Jeremy as the most prolific actor to come out of the New York neighborhood. With cameos in many movies and some productions of his own, Ron Jeremy beat out the likes of Martin Landau, Buster Keaton, Christopher Walkon, and Susan Sarandon (Warren, 2009). Some of the movies Jeremy has made appearances in include, //Boondock Saints, Orgazmo, Reindeer Games, and Detroit Rock City.// Aside from movies, Ron Jeremy has also been seen in television and music. One of his most famous productions was his involvement in VH1’s Surreal Life, a reality TV show for celebrities. He has also appeared in many music videos from such bands as Moby, Insane Clown Posse, Kid Rock, Guns N’ Roses, and Sublime (Emerstone, 2003). Jeremy has also been a character in the video game //Celebrity Deathmatch// (Steinberg, 2003). This was actually a monumental achievement for Jeremy as he is an avid video game player. After shooting on the set, Jeremy loves to relax in his trailer and play video games. In the interview with Scott Steinberg (2003), Jeremy says he wants to see the pornography industry get into the world of video games in the future. He thinks you will be able to interactively have sexual intercourse with a hologram of your favorite porn star someday, and he cannot wait for that day to occur. With all of his appearances outside of pornography industry, Ron Jeremy can really be credited for making porn as mainstream as it is today. When people think of the porn industry, Ron Jeremy is usually a name that comes up first. He has definitely made an impact on not only the pornography industry, but also sexuality in mainstream America.

**References** Emerstone, G. (2007, April). “Interview with Ron Jeremy” NY Rock.

Jeremy, R., Spitznagel, E. (2007). Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz. //Harper Collins.//

Moxie, (2005, January, 29). The Slacker Uncensored. Retrieved from http://slackeruncensored.com/?p=118

Obscura, C., Shelton, E., (2002, September) A Star Is Porn: Corpulence, Comedy, and the Homosocial Cult of Adult Film Star Ron Jeremy. //17 (51).//

Sachs, A., (2008, August, 26). Ron Jeremy: My Life as a Porn Star. //Time Magazine//, Retrieved from []

Steinberg, S., (2003, December). Celebrity Gamer: Ron Jeremy //Electronic Gaming Monthly// (173).

Warren, P., (2009, August, 28). “Ron Jeremy: The King of Queens” Adult Video News Retrieved from http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Ron-Jeremy-The-King-of-Queens-357611.html