Seka (born Dorothiea Ivonniea Hundley,) is an American
pornographic actress
A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinc ...
who was known in the 1980s as the Platinum Princess of Porn. In 2013, she released an autobiography about her life and career, titled ''Inside Seka''.
Early life
Seka was born in 1954 in
Radford, Virginia
Radford (formerly Lovely Mount, Central City, English Ferry and Ingle's Ferry) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2020, the population was 16,070 by the United States Census Bureau. For ...
. She recalled having "a plain, normal childhood" with two siblings, a brother and sister. Her family later moved to
Hopewell, Virginia
Hopewell is an independent city (United States), independent city surrounded by Prince George County, Virginia, Prince George County and the Appomattox River in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 202 ...
, where, nicknamed "Dottie", she won a
beauty pageant
A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...
at Hopewell High School. She was later crowned Miss Southside Virginia.
She married Francis "Frank" Patton on April 21, 1972, a week after her 18th birthday. She worked for
Reynolds Metals Company
Reynolds Group Holdings was a New Zealand–based packaging company with roots in the former Reynolds Metals Company, which was the second-largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third-largest in the world. Reynolds Metals was acqu ...
, maker of
Reynolds Wrap
Reynolds Group Holdings was a New Zealand–based packaging company with roots in the former Reynolds Metals Company, which was the second-largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third-largest in the world. Reynolds Metals was acqu ...
household aluminum. She later became a clerk at an adult bookstore, where she began dating the owner.
Career
Beginnings: 1970s–1990s
After briefly operating a chain of seven adult bookstores in Virginia, Seka sold her interest in the business and moved to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, where she did her first
erotic model
Some models pose sometimes for erotic images, erotic photography or otherwise which may or not be published.
Explicit poses are generally not erotic. Poses may be nude, dressed, or covered. There are no formal qualifications to model, but legal ...
ing for a magazine. She later moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, where she appeared in her first
pornographic film
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue films, sexually explicit films, or 18+ films, are films that represent Human sexual activity, sexually WIKT:explicit, explicit subject matter in order to sexual arousal, arouse, fasci ...
. She told an interviewer in 2006:
Seka used the
stage name
A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
"Linda Grasser" early in her career. She eventually adopted the name "Seka" after a female
blackjack
Blackjack (formerly black jack or ''vingt-un'') is a casino banking game. It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as " twenty-one ...
dealer she knew in Las Vegas. By the mid-1980s, she was writing and directing adult films, as well as starring in them.
She stopped performing in pornography in 1992 because of what she saw as the adult film industry's poor response to the
AIDS epidemic
The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...
, including an unwillingness to require condom use or routine HIV screening. She would go on to model for '' Club'' magazine and release videos through the website ''
AEBN
AEBN, short for Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network, is an Internet pornography company that specializes in delivering material through streaming video in a video on demand format. Subsidiaries include PornoTube.
History
AEBN was formed in 199 ...
'', as well as performing
striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...
on tour.
Later appearances
For several years beginning in 1994, Seka hosted a
talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
called ''Let's Talk About Sex'' on Chicago FM radio station WLUP.
In 1997, she was presented with the
Free Speech Coalition
The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is a non-profit industry trade group, trade association of the sex industry in the United States. Founded in 1991, it opposes the passage and enforcement of obscenity laws and many censorship laws (with the excep ...
Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2005, she moved from Chicago to
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
, operating her fan club through her
own website. In February 2007 she announced her first hardcore scene in nearly 15 years, distributed via online pay-per-view.
Seka has appeared on various television talk shows including
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
,
The Phil Donahue Show
''The Phil Donahue Show'' is an American talk show that was hosted by Phil Donahue. The show ran for twenty-nine seasons from November 6, 1967, to September 13, 1996, in which it broadcast 6,715 episodes. Before it was placed in syndication ...
, and
The Morton Downey Jr. Show
''The Morton Downey Jr. Show'' is a syndicated American talk show presented by Morton Downey Jr. that ran from 1987 to 1989. The show and its host pioneered the concept of "trash TV" format.
Starting as a local program on New York-New Jersey su ...
. She appeared on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' in the 1980s and was interviewed for the documentary '' After Porn Ends'' (2012).
Reception and legacy
''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' describes Seka as "one of the adult industry's most recognizable superstars". She was known as the adult film world's "Platinum Princess" whom the magazine ''
High Society
High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...
'' called the "
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
of porn". Pornographic film actor
Jamie Gillis
Jamie Gillis (born Jamey Ira Gurman; April 20, 1943 – February 19, 2010) was an American pornographic actor, director and member of the AVN Hall of Fame.
He was married to the porn actress Serena.
Early life
Gillis was born Jamey Ira Gurm ...
, who performed with her numerous times, said "Seka was porn, but a little above itsort of a white trash queen in a way". Director
Brian DePalma
Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, crime, and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leadin ...
stated Seka had genuine acting talent.
In the DVD commentary for the film ''
Boogie Nights
''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic ...
'' (1997), director
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. Often described as one of the most preeminent writer-directors of his generation, List of awards and nominations received by Paul Thomas Anders ...
stated that she was the main inspiration for his character of Amber Waves due to her involvement in a documentary about pornographic film actor John Holmes.
Personal life
Seka was married to Frank Patton from 1972, to no later than 1977. She dated comedian
Sam Kinison
Samuel Burl Kinison ( ; December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distin ...
in the mid-1980s, crediting him for arranging her appearance on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
.''
Awards
Seka is a member of the
AVN Hall of Fame
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.
XRCO Hall of Fame
The XRCO Hall of Fame lists well-known adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO Awards. The first XRCO Awards were presented in Hollywood on February 14, 198 ...
, and Urban X Hall of Fame."The XRCO Hall of Fame," ''Adam Film World Guide 1992 Directory of Adult Films,'' pp. 284–85
Partial filmography
*''Teenage Desires'' (1978) (footage from 1974)
*''
Dracula Sucks
''Dracula Sucks'' is a 1978 American pornographic horror film directed and co-written by Philip Marshak. The film is based on the 1931 film ''Dracula'', and the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker. It stars Jamie Gillis as Count Dracula, a ...
'' (1978)
*''Heavenly Desire'' (1979) (film debut)
*''Rockin' with Seka'' (1980)
*''The Seduction of Cindy'' (1980)
*'' Prisoner of Paradise'' (1980)
*''Inside Seka'' (1980)
*''Exhausted: John C. Holmes, the Real Story'' (1981)
*''Blond Heat'' (1985) (opposite John Leslie)
*''Careful, He May Be Watching'' (1987)
*''American Garter'' (1993)
*''Desperately Seeking Seka'' (2002)