Born: 07-05-1968
Birthplace: Steubenville (Ohio)
Country: USA
Profesion: actress/model/singer
Height: 5' 7" (1,70 m)

Traci is an American actress/model and singer who was born as Nora Louise Kuzma. Her father Louis Kuzma is from Ukrainian and Russian ancestry while her mother Patricia Kuzma (née Briceland) of Irish ancestry is. She has one older sister Lorraine and two younger sisters Rachel and Grace. Her parents divorced due her father's abusive behavior, when she was seven years old. She moved with her mother and sisters to her great-grandmother's house, despite that her father has partial custody. Her mother worked and went back to college part-time during that time. She moved with her mother and sisters to Lawndale (California) when she was twelve. She lived also together with her mother's new boyfriend Roger Hayes, who cocaine dealer is.

She met manager Stuart Dell who became her boyfriend and business partner in 1985. She married with actor Brook Yeaton on 29-09-1990 and the couple divorced on 01-01-1995. She had an relation with musician Slash in 1989 and had also an relation with American television and radio personality Riki Rachtman in 1992. She had an short-term relation with actor Joey Ramone in 1993. She had an relation with actor John Enos III from 1995 till 1996. She married to musician Ryan Granger on 26-06-1999 and the couple divorced on 01-02-2000. She currently lives in Los Angels with union iron worker Jeff Gruenewald (aka Jeff Lee) who married with her on 23-02-2002. The couple have a son named Joseph Gunnar Lee who was born on 07-10-2007. She had also an relation with actor director Tom Byron only the date is unkown.

Study

She studied at the Redondo Union High School in 1983 and was accepted to take method acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, after audition in 1987. She leaves school after 3 months in order to concentrate serious on her acting career.

Model Career

She answered a newspaper advertisement for Jim South's World Modeling Talent Agency in february 1984. She was hired by Penthouse magazine who asked her to choose a stage name. She chose for Traci which is derived from the name of her former school friend and Lords which is derived from her favorite male actor Jack Lord. Penthouse paid $5,000 for her to pose as centerfold in the september 1984 edition. This edition became the best-selling issue in the history of Penthouse.

There are covershoots and articles about her in magazines as Cult Movies, Playboy, Celebrity Skin, High Society, Velvet, Rayzor, Paper, Cheri, Muscle&Fitness, Starfix, Details, Bizarre, Prevue, Easy Riders, Film Threat and many more.

Porn Career

She signed a contract as nude model when she was fifteen years old. She made her adult movie debut next to Tom Byron, who became later her off screen boyfriend in ''What Gets Me Hot!'' (1984). She appeared as the "Princess of Porn" next to female pornstar Ginger Lynn and John Leslie in ''Talk Dirty to Me Part III'' (1984), who won the AVN Award for ''Best Film'' at the AVN (Adult Video News) Awards. She became one of the highest-paid pornstars of that time with earnings over $1,000 a day. She continues with making adult films until she decides to leave the industry in 1985. She announced her return in the porn scene with the formation of her own production company named TLC (The Traci Lords Company) in January 1986. She made together with manager Stuart Dell a distribution deal with Sy Adler, an industry veteran who is the owner of Vantage International, for the production of three movies. The first TLC production ''Traci Takes Tokyo'' was released in march 1986. The second production ''Beverly Hills Copulator'' was released afterwards, and the third movie ''Screamer'' was shelved.

Authorities discover that she had been underage when she appeared in about 75 pornographic films. She was arrested by FBI agents in may 1986, around three weeks after her 18th birthday as well as the owners of her movie agency and X-Citement Video, Inc. She hires high-profile lawyer Leslie Abramson after she was taken into protective custody. District attorney's investigators searched also at her Redondo Beach home on july, 10. The authorities searched also at the Sun Valley offices of Vantage International Productions and the Sherman Oaks offices of modeling agent Jim South. The federal government prosecutors judge her free, after they declared that she was victim of a manipulative industry. Her pornographic movies become illegal to buy or rent as result and video stores around the country must remove them. Distributors were ordered to remove all her material to avoid the risk of prosecution for trafficking in child pornography. Her case was the biggest scandal which affects the adult film industry, and the withdrawal of her films cost the industry millions of dollars. Her only legally film was ''Traci, I Love You'' which was filmed in Paris in 1986. Many in the adult film industry made a tacit agreement that they never promote or talk about Traci, because they felt betrayed by her.

Martial Arts

She took ninjutsu classes on young age and has an 1st KYU - Level 9 grade in Bujinkan Ninjutsu. She's also trained in the use of martial arts weapons.

Awards

• She won the Film Discovery Jury Award for ''Best Actress'' at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (2001). 
• She won the Spike Video Game Award for ''Best Supporting Actress'' for her role in the TV series ''True Crime NYC'' at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2005.

Action Movie Career

She made her action movie debut as Jenny in one episode of the action TV series ''MacGyver'' (1985 - 1992).

She plays the lead role as photographer Jackie Swanson who is innocent sentenced  to 400 hours of community service for dealing in cocaine in ''A Time to Die'' (1991). She is arrested by Lt. Eddie Martin (played by Robert Miano) who has declared a false testimony about her. She teams up with policeman Frank (played by Jeff Conaway), to bring Lt. Eddie down in order to clear her name.

She plays police woman Vickie Stewart, who leads the police action against drug dealer Salvador (played by Angelo Tiffe) in "Intent to Kill" (1992). She tries to stop the ruthless drug kingpin and his drug distribution empire.

She plays burglar Ellen Reed next to Phillip Troy Linger who plays her burglar husband Charley Reed in "Ice" (1994). Several jeweller's shops in L.A. are robbed from diamonds with a total worth of 60 million dollars. The police suspects local mobster Vito Malta (played by Jorge Rivero) and his men are behind the robberies. The insurance company hires minor criminals Ellen and Charley, to steal the diamonds back.

She plays an media zone singer in this story where LETAC (The Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Centre), has developed thezzz SID version 6.7: a sadistic, intelligent, and dangerous virtual reality entity which is synthesized from personalities of more than 150 serial killers in ''Virtuosity'' (1995). LETAC trains police officers to put them in virtual reality with the SID, but first they must prove the concept by using prisoners as test subjects.

She plays Racquel next to Wesley Snipes who plays the lead role as Blade (half-vampire, half-mortal man) in ''Blade'' (1998). He becomes protector of the mortal race, with the goal to destroy all vampires in the world.

She plays the beautiful Lena Brantin in the action movie ''D.R.E.A.M. Team'' (1999). J.W. Garrison (played by Martin Sheen) is head of a top-secret sub agency of the United Nations. He discovers that terrorists, led by the murderous Oliver Maxwell (played by Ian McShane), have plans to bomb America with an anthrax virus bomb. CIA agent Zack Hamilton (played by Jeff Kaake) sends CIA trainer Kim Taylor (played by Angie Everhart), actress Eva Kirov (played by Eva Halina Rich) and photographer Victoria Carrera (played by Traci Bingham) undercover as fashion models in order to infiltrate in the terrorist organization. The girls get the assignment to find the bomb before it can be used by the terrorists.

She plays the lead role as F.B.I. agent Amanda Foster who has the assignment, to protect computer hacker Nick Constantine (played by Gary Daniels), because he testifies against the mob as state-witness in ''Epicenter'' (2000). The city is rocked by a devastating earthquake during her assignment, what led that Amanda and Nick are forced to work together in the ravaged city. They are hunted by ruthless assassins and a corrupt F.B.I. Agent, while the duo fights for their lives in the ravaged city.

She plays wrestler Chameleon next to Andy On who plays the lead role as masked hero Black Mask in ''Black Mask 2: City of Masks'' (2002). Black Mask is a genetic superhuman, who has extreme fight and healing powers. Geneticists combine the DNA of top pro-wrestlers with animals as experiment who makes them stronger and deadlier. Black Mask has the task to stop the geneticists, before the DNA bomb can cause mutations to the human race.

She plays Lady Rachel Cawdor in this story where the earth is wasted by a nuclear war, which makes the sky red of chemicals in 2084 in ''Deathlands'' (2003). Humankind was left behind on earth with several breeds of mutants and half-mutants. One-eyed leader Ryan Cawdor (played by Vincent Spano) of the Desert Scavengers returns back home to get revenge on his evil brother Harvey Cawdor (played by Alan C. Peterson) and his evil wife Rachel Cawdor who killed his father and his brother.

She plays Brianna Fine next to Richard Roundtree who plays the lead role as veteran detective Miles Porter in ''Point of Entry'' (2007). Cindy (played by Michelle Sebek) is the goddaughter of Miles who is murdered, while he becomes obsessed to catch the murderer. He dedicate himself to the case and hunts on the killer, in order to take revenge for the death of his goddaughter.

Action Movie Filmography

• Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre (2015)
• Point of Entry (2007)
• Deathlands (2003)
• Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002)
• Epicenter (2000)
• D.R.E.A.M. Team (1999)
• Blade (1998)
• Virtuosity (1995)
• Ice (1994)
• Intent to Kill (1992)
• A Time to Die (1991)

Action TV Series

• Nash Bridges (1996 - 2001) 
• Highlander (1992 - 1998) 
• Super Force (1990) 
• MacGyver (1985 - 1992)