Vanessa del Rio: Fifty years of slightly slutty behavior

Back in 1974, the sexual revolution was in full swing and the adult entertainment business was on the verge of becoming Big Business. Deep Throat had created America’s first porn star in 1972, but just two years later 1974 Linda Lovelace was already retired and the industry was seeking the next big thing. Vanessa del Rio should have been that thing, except in 1974 there were no ethnic sex stars.

Undeterred, Vanessa took any role they’d give her, because, amazingly, she was there for the sex more than the money. Fans, awed by her on-screen passion, made her a top box-office draw and America’s first Latina star. Retired since 1986, Vanessa del Rio remains a sexual icon who cuts across all ethnic boundaries.

In this fresh and irresistibly affordable edition, TASCHEN presents Vanessa in all her candor, confidence, and exuberant sexuality through vintage photo shoots, film stills, her own enormous archive, and her own words. And because paper and ink can’t do justice to a personality this big, an original 140-minute DVD documentary is also included.