Jane Hamilton (born ) is an American film director and former pornographic film actress who performed under the stage name Veronica Hart. Described by columnist Frank Rich as "a leading porn star of the late '70s and early '80s", Hart is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson has called her "the Meryl Streep of porn."

Early life and education

Hart was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in theater arts. After school she worked in England before returning to the United States and moving to New York City. She is best known for her performances in Amanda by Night, Wanda Whips Wall Street, Roommates and A Scent of Heather.

After retiring from performing in pornographic films, Hart became an executive at film distributor VCA Pictures.

With the sale of VCA to Hustler Video in 2003, and the direction of the company moving from feature, storyline-driven films to gonzo, she left the company when her existing contract expired. Afterwards, Hart moved on to other work, including working as a tour guide at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas. and The Deep Throat Sex Scandal.

She has also made appearances in non-pornographic films. She played "Telephone Trixie" in Ruby and a judge in the film Boogie Nights (1997), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Personal life

Hart has two sons who attended magnet schools for highly gifted students.

Selected TV appearances

  • Six Feet Under, Jean Louise Macarthur a.k.a. Viveca St. John - in season 1's episode "An Open Book" (2001)
  • Lady Chatterly's Stories, Amy (as Jane Hamilton) - in the episode "The Manuscript" (2001)
  • First Years, Lola - in the episode "Porn in the USA" (2001)

Awards

Wins

  • 1981

AFAA for Best Actress – Amanda by Night

  • 1982

AFAA Award for Best Actress – Roommates

AFAA Award for Best Supporting Actress – Foxtrot

  • 1991

XRCO Hall of Fame

  • 1994

Free Speech Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award

  • 1996

AVN Award for Best Non-Sex Performance – Nylon

AVN Hall of Fame

  • 2004

XRCO Award for Best Comedy or Parody - Misty Beethoven: The Musical (directed, edited and produced by Hart)

  • 2006

Porn Block of Fame

Nominations

  • 2001

AVN Best Director – Video for White Lightning

  • 2002

AVN Best Director – Film for Taken

  • 2003

AVN Best Director – Video for Crime and Passion

  • 2004

AVN Best Director – Film for Barbara Broadcast Too

  • 2005

AVN Best Director – Film for Misty Beethoven: The Musical

  • 2006

AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for Eternity

  • 2007

AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for Sex Pix

  • 2008

AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for Delilah

  • 2009

AVN Best Non-Sex Performance for Roller Dollz

References

Further reading

  • Dedicated to her, and one chapter covers Hart's early career.
  • Features a chapter on Hart.