Shauna Grant
Encyclopedia
Shauna Grant was an American
nude model
and pornographic performer
. Born Colleen Marie Applegate, she was sometimes credited as Callie Aimes, Callie Aims, or Colleen Applegate.
, Colleen Applegate grew up in the small town of Farmington, Minnesota
. Her family moved there in 1973, when her father took a managerial position with Central Telephone Company of Minnesota. Colleen was a cheerleader in high school and graduated from Farmington High in 1981. She stayed in the small town, working first as a cashier and then as a repair clerk with the phone company. There, one night in December, she consumed a handful of prescription sinus pills in a suicide gesture
.
In PBS's Frontline: Death of a Porn Queen profile (US air date 6/8/87), her father, Phil Applegate, admitted that he never discussed the suicide attempt with his daughter—he and his wife at the time (Colleen's mother, Karen Applegate) believed that their daughter was merely seeking attention.
According to the Frontline piece, the entire family had at least one group session at a counseling center during which no one really talked about the situation.
When the news spread about her overdose, Colleen ran away from home and moved to California in March 1982, with her high school sweetheart, Mike Marcell. Applegate left behind her parents, a brother, and three sisters.
. Applegate and Marcell unsuccessfully pursued several employment leads in the first month. Then Marcell saw an ad for the World Modeling Agency in Van Nuys, which diligently sought attractive new recruits for "figure modeling." Accompanied by Marcell, Applegate visited the agency's owner, Jim South
, who set up a photo session with legendary soft-core photographer J. Stephen Hicks, whose work was frequently featured in Penthouse.
Her first pictorials' theme featured a mock camping set and was to be published by Club
. Hicks reflected on Applegate's appearance and personality, saying "I deal with a lot of girls who are new in the business, a lot of young girls and a lot of girls from out of town. Colleen was so incredibly young and naive. She was completely un-hip and non-L.A."
Her wholesome, "girl next door
" looks soon landed her work posing for other magazines such as Hustler
and Penthouse
. But Hicks advised Colleen to get out of nude modeling quickly, because when all of the magazines had used her, the only thing left for her would be hardcore movies. "You know, you take a typical girl that's used to working at McDonald's or at a shoe store, where she's used to making a minimum wage, and suddenly she's given the opportunity to get made up, and be in front of people who tell her she's beautiful, and make as much money in a day as she was making in three weeks and, um, they change. They change. And that's sad."
Almost immediately, Applegate progressed to filming hardcore photo sessions for Suze Randall
.
Applegate's relationship with her boyfriend did not endure their first two months in California, as Marcell joined the U.S. Army. Before his induction, he informed her small town that Colleen was involved with pornography. Her family suffered much embarrassment.
Ignoring Hicks' advice, Colleen continued working with World Modeling Agency, where she met veteran porn producer Bobby Hollander
. Hollander launched her adult film career, suggesting what he felt was a "classy" stage name
, Shauna Grant.
As a fast-rising adult-entertainment personality, she was featured in Virginia, Suzie Superstar and Flesh and Laces 1 & 2, among many others. Her pay rose from $300 a day to nearly $1,500. As Shauna Grant, she made dozens of popular adult movies, more often plot-oriented. In Suzie Superstar, she played the lead singer of a rock band. By industry standards, Grant was early in her career when it suddenly came to an end. In a filmed interview, she said that she "wasn't ready" to try anal sex, an attitude that usually marks a starlet rather than a star. She also did only heterosexual scenes; most female porn performers also do lesbian scenes regardless of their sexual orientation.
Off-screen she traveled in limousines and stayed in first-class hotels. Grant was provided with her own make-up artist, 27-year-old Laurie Smith (who was also an adult star). Smith, who co-starred with Grant in several movies (including the aforementioned Suzie Superstar as well as The Young Like It Hot and Bad Girls IV), also became Shauna's best friend—and fellow cocaine partier—during that period. She quit the adult film business for a short time following Grant's suicide.
Shauna's popularity earned her three acting nominations at the March 1984 Erotic Film Awards. Despite her beauty, she had some difficulty getting work due to her cocaine
addiction
and lack of "enthusiasm" during sex scenes. In some circles she acquired the nickname "Applecoke," and gained a reputation for being flaky.
well. Through Hollander she found a new boyfriend, cocaine dealer Jack "Jake" Ehrlich, age 44. Ehrlich eased her out of adult films, and the two settled in Palm Springs, California
. According to Palm Springs Police, Ehrlich made his living supplying cocaine to tenants of an upscale condominium park close to his house. He had compiled an extensive record of arrests in California, which included such offenses as selling narcotics and possession of stolen property. He also owned a leather goods store, Pelle, in downtown Palm Springs, which Grant began to manage.
According to the Frontline piece, while Grant was still living with Ehrlich, she began a relationship with a Minnesota college student (who appears in the Frontline story) during a trip back to Farmington, telling her high school friends that she planned to marry him.
In February 1984, Ehrlich was arrested and later sentenced to a five-year prison sentence, which he began serving in the State Institution for Men in Chino, California
. The charges related to Ehrlich's 1981 arrest for possession of what detectives described as "several" pounds of cocaine. Grant was ambivalent about her circumstances following her boyfriend's conviction, which cut off her drug supply.
The night of the 8th Annual Adult Film Association Awards show, at the Coconut Grove Ambassador Hotel, she was a multiple nominee and presenter (with John Leslie
). While her desire for work in mainstream films was not working out, she was so prestigious at the time that famed director Francis Ford Coppola
was seated at her table.
That night she agreed to work on her first adult film in ten months. Matinee Idol was due to begin filming in eight days in San Francisco, California
. A few days after the awards show, her Minnesota boyfriend flew to Los Angeles to see her, but Grant and Smith had partied for two days, and Grant literally forgot about it until the last minute. The beau was stranded at the airport, as neither Shauna nor Laurie had a car. This was the same day that Ehrlich telephoned from prison, saying that their relationship was over and that Shauna would have to move out.
Grant persuaded her friend and veteran porn actress, Kelly Nichols
, to take the role which was intended for her. Shauna also had the option of returning to Minnesota. Her parents offered to pay for her college expenses, but she believed she would no longer be comfortable at home in Minnesota.
in Palm Springs by shooting herself with a .22 Long Rifle
. Shortly after 7 p.m. she lay down, placed the gun horizontally against her head, and pulled the trigger. The shot passed through her right temple, out the left and into the bedroom wall, according to police reports. The gun was discharged from such close range that the bullet left virtually star-shaped holes. Brain dead, Shauna was rushed to Desert Hospital, where life support systems were disconnected after two days.
Grant's funeral was held March 28, 1984, at St. Michael's Church, a Catholic
parish near the center of Farmington. Members of the adult industry were absent from the ceremony, believing their presence would only exacerbate the family's anguish. Instead they contributed both flowers and letters. Grant was buried in her favorite color, pink.
Preliminary investigations by Palm Springs police posed questions regarding the circumstances surrounding Grant's death. Weeks after the event, police were still awaiting results of toxicological and gun-residue tests. The possibility of a foul play investigation hung in the balance. It is known that Grant had received threatening phone calls that related to her boyfriend's business affairs. Also, detectives noted Ehrlich avoided prison for a time by providing authorities with information. At the time of Grant's death, there were two people playing pool in Ehrlich's house—Brenda Rosenow, a friend of Colleen's, and Cal Ardigo, a friend of Ehrlich's. Shortly before Grant's shooting, two unidentified visitors showed up outside the home. The back door of Ehrlich's house was a possible means of access to the bedroom and to Grant.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nude model
Fetish model
A fetish model is a model who models fetish clothing or devices that augment his or her body in a fetish manner or in fetishistic situations, though he or she may not work exclusively in that form of modeling....
and pornographic performer
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
. Born Colleen Marie Applegate, she was sometimes credited as Callie Aimes, Callie Aims, or Colleen Applegate.
Early life
Born in Bellflower, CaliforniaBellflower, California
Bellflower is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is a suburb of Los Angeles. It was incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,616, up from 72,878 at the 2000 census....
, Colleen Applegate grew up in the small town of Farmington, Minnesota
Farmington, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,365 people, 4,169 households, and 3,255 families residing in the city. The population density was 986.0 people per square mile . There were 4,233 housing units at an average density of 337.5 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 95.62%...
. Her family moved there in 1973, when her father took a managerial position with Central Telephone Company of Minnesota. Colleen was a cheerleader in high school and graduated from Farmington High in 1981. She stayed in the small town, working first as a cashier and then as a repair clerk with the phone company. There, one night in December, she consumed a handful of prescription sinus pills in a suicide gesture
Parasuicide
Parasuicide refers to suicide attempts or gestures and self-harm where there is no result in death. It is a non-fatal act in which a person deliberately causes injury to himself or ingests any prescribed or generally recognised therapeutic dose in excess...
.
In PBS's Frontline: Death of a Porn Queen profile (US air date 6/8/87), her father, Phil Applegate, admitted that he never discussed the suicide attempt with his daughter—he and his wife at the time (Colleen's mother, Karen Applegate) believed that their daughter was merely seeking attention.
According to the Frontline piece, the entire family had at least one group session at a counseling center during which no one really talked about the situation.
When the news spread about her overdose, Colleen ran away from home and moved to California in March 1982, with her high school sweetheart, Mike Marcell. Applegate left behind her parents, a brother, and three sisters.
Adult film career
The couple arrived in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Applegate and Marcell unsuccessfully pursued several employment leads in the first month. Then Marcell saw an ad for the World Modeling Agency in Van Nuys, which diligently sought attractive new recruits for "figure modeling." Accompanied by Marcell, Applegate visited the agency's owner, Jim South
Jim South
Jim South is a recruiter and agent in America’s pornography industry.South sold insurance in Dallas for a few years and moved to Los Angeles in 1968. He opened a fashion modeling agency first, then formed the World Modeling Talent Agency in Sherman Oaks, California in 1976...
, who set up a photo session with legendary soft-core photographer J. Stephen Hicks, whose work was frequently featured in Penthouse.
Her first pictorials' theme featured a mock camping set and was to be published by Club
Club (magazine)
Club is a monthly American pornographic magazine which is a spin-off publication of the United Kingdom's Club International. Club features sexually oriented articles, video reviews, and pictorials that include hardcore pornography, masturbation, dildo usage, and lesbianism.During the early and mid...
. Hicks reflected on Applegate's appearance and personality, saying "I deal with a lot of girls who are new in the business, a lot of young girls and a lot of girls from out of town. Colleen was so incredibly young and naive. She was completely un-hip and non-L.A."
Her wholesome, "girl next door
Girl next door
The cultural and sexual stereotype of the girl next door or the All-American girl is invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming femininity, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the tomboy, the valley girl, the femme fatale, girly girl, or the slut. The...
" looks soon landed her work posing for other magazines such as Hustler
Hustler
Hustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. It was first published in 1974 by Larry Flynt. It was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter which was cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from a shaky start to...
and Penthouse
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
. But Hicks advised Colleen to get out of nude modeling quickly, because when all of the magazines had used her, the only thing left for her would be hardcore movies. "You know, you take a typical girl that's used to working at McDonald's or at a shoe store, where she's used to making a minimum wage, and suddenly she's given the opportunity to get made up, and be in front of people who tell her she's beautiful, and make as much money in a day as she was making in three weeks and, um, they change. They change. And that's sad."
Almost immediately, Applegate progressed to filming hardcore photo sessions for Suze Randall
Suze Randall
Suze Randall is an English model, photographer, and pornographer. She has been one of the world's leading erotic photographers for more than 35 years....
.
Applegate's relationship with her boyfriend did not endure their first two months in California, as Marcell joined the U.S. Army. Before his induction, he informed her small town that Colleen was involved with pornography. Her family suffered much embarrassment.
Ignoring Hicks' advice, Colleen continued working with World Modeling Agency, where she met veteran porn producer Bobby Hollander
Bobby Hollander
Bobby Hollander directed 59 pornographic movies between 1979 and 1995. He was one of the pioneers of the shot-on-video porn movie. Married to Gloria Leonard until they divorced in 1990, he was most famous for discovering porn superstar Shauna Grant...
. Hollander launched her adult film career, suggesting what he felt was a "classy" stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, Shauna Grant.
As a fast-rising adult-entertainment personality, she was featured in Virginia, Suzie Superstar and Flesh and Laces 1 & 2, among many others. Her pay rose from $300 a day to nearly $1,500. As Shauna Grant, she made dozens of popular adult movies, more often plot-oriented. In Suzie Superstar, she played the lead singer of a rock band. By industry standards, Grant was early in her career when it suddenly came to an end. In a filmed interview, she said that she "wasn't ready" to try anal sex, an attitude that usually marks a starlet rather than a star. She also did only heterosexual scenes; most female porn performers also do lesbian scenes regardless of their sexual orientation.
Off-screen she traveled in limousines and stayed in first-class hotels. Grant was provided with her own make-up artist, 27-year-old Laurie Smith (who was also an adult star). Smith, who co-starred with Grant in several movies (including the aforementioned Suzie Superstar as well as The Young Like It Hot and Bad Girls IV), also became Shauna's best friend—and fellow cocaine partier—during that period. She quit the adult film business for a short time following Grant's suicide.
Shauna's popularity earned her three acting nominations at the March 1984 Erotic Film Awards. Despite her beauty, she had some difficulty getting work due to her cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and lack of "enthusiasm" during sex scenes. In some circles she acquired the nickname "Applecoke," and gained a reputation for being flaky.
Retirement
In 1983, Grant retired from the adult film industry after less than a year and just over 30 movies. She disliked the industry, although she regarded Joey SilveraJoey Silvera
Joey Silvera is an American pornographic actor and director.Joey Silvera has been involved in the American pornographic industry since the early 1970s. A native of upstate New York, he got his start performing in San Francisco in 1974, and went on to appear in more than 1,000 videos...
well. Through Hollander she found a new boyfriend, cocaine dealer Jack "Jake" Ehrlich, age 44. Ehrlich eased her out of adult films, and the two settled in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
. According to Palm Springs Police, Ehrlich made his living supplying cocaine to tenants of an upscale condominium park close to his house. He had compiled an extensive record of arrests in California, which included such offenses as selling narcotics and possession of stolen property. He also owned a leather goods store, Pelle, in downtown Palm Springs, which Grant began to manage.
According to the Frontline piece, while Grant was still living with Ehrlich, she began a relationship with a Minnesota college student (who appears in the Frontline story) during a trip back to Farmington, telling her high school friends that she planned to marry him.
In February 1984, Ehrlich was arrested and later sentenced to a five-year prison sentence, which he began serving in the State Institution for Men in Chino, California
Chino, California
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
. The charges related to Ehrlich's 1981 arrest for possession of what detectives described as "several" pounds of cocaine. Grant was ambivalent about her circumstances following her boyfriend's conviction, which cut off her drug supply.
The night of the 8th Annual Adult Film Association Awards show, at the Coconut Grove Ambassador Hotel, she was a multiple nominee and presenter (with John Leslie
John Leslie (porn star)
John Leslie Nuzzo was a prolific porn actor who went on to have a long-running career as a producer and director of adult movies...
). While her desire for work in mainstream films was not working out, she was so prestigious at the time that famed director Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
was seated at her table.
That night she agreed to work on her first adult film in ten months. Matinee Idol was due to begin filming in eight days in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. A few days after the awards show, her Minnesota boyfriend flew to Los Angeles to see her, but Grant and Smith had partied for two days, and Grant literally forgot about it until the last minute. The beau was stranded at the airport, as neither Shauna nor Laurie had a car. This was the same day that Ehrlich telephoned from prison, saying that their relationship was over and that Shauna would have to move out.
Grant persuaded her friend and veteran porn actress, Kelly Nichols
Kelly Nichols
Kelly Nichols is a former adult film actress.She starred in over 50 adult features, and has been awarded the Best Actress Award by the Adult Film Association of America for her work in the 1983 film In Love...
, to take the role which was intended for her. Shauna also had the option of returning to Minnesota. Her parents offered to pay for her college expenses, but she believed she would no longer be comfortable at home in Minnesota.
Death
On March 23, 1984, Grant committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in Palm Springs by shooting herself with a .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
. Shortly after 7 p.m. she lay down, placed the gun horizontally against her head, and pulled the trigger. The shot passed through her right temple, out the left and into the bedroom wall, according to police reports. The gun was discharged from such close range that the bullet left virtually star-shaped holes. Brain dead, Shauna was rushed to Desert Hospital, where life support systems were disconnected after two days.
Grant's funeral was held March 28, 1984, at St. Michael's Church, a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
parish near the center of Farmington. Members of the adult industry were absent from the ceremony, believing their presence would only exacerbate the family's anguish. Instead they contributed both flowers and letters. Grant was buried in her favorite color, pink.
Preliminary investigations by Palm Springs police posed questions regarding the circumstances surrounding Grant's death. Weeks after the event, police were still awaiting results of toxicological and gun-residue tests. The possibility of a foul play investigation hung in the balance. It is known that Grant had received threatening phone calls that related to her boyfriend's business affairs. Also, detectives noted Ehrlich avoided prison for a time by providing authorities with information. At the time of Grant's death, there were two people playing pool in Ehrlich's house—Brenda Rosenow, a friend of Colleen's, and Cal Ardigo, a friend of Ehrlich's. Shortly before Grant's shooting, two unidentified visitors showed up outside the home. The back door of Ehrlich's house was a possible means of access to the bedroom and to Grant.
Depiction in popular culture
- Grant's career and death were fictionalized as the basis for a television movieTelevision movieA television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
in 1988 called Shattered Innocence starring Jonna LeeJonna LeeJonna Lee is an American television and film actress.-Career:Born Jonna Lee Pangburn in Glendale, California, Lee graduated from John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California in 1981, After high school, she moved to Hollywood and maintained an acting career through the 1980s.In 1985, Lee...
, a film that bears little resemblance to her actual life. Her parents used their proceeds from selling the rights to the movie to fund Grant's tombstone. - The musician Klaus FlourideKlaus FlourideGeoffrey Lyall , better known as Klaus Flouride, is best known as the bassist for the San Francisco, California, punk rock band Dead Kennedys from the group's inception in June 1978 until the band's break-up in December 1986, although he also produced four solo albums during the 1980s and...
honored Grant in the song "Dancing with Shauna Grant" from his 1991 album The Light Is Flickering. The song also mentions Virginia and Suzie Superstar, films in which Grant starred. - Death metalDeath metalDeath metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Ripping CorpseRipping CorpseRipping Corpse was a thrash metal band formed in 1987 in Red Bank, New Jersey. They released one album, Dreaming with the Dead , and several highly regarded demos. Members included singer Scott Ruth, guitarist Shaune Kelley, bassist David Bizzigotti, drummer Brandon Thomas. They later added future...
wrote a song for their 1991 album Dreaming with the Dead about Grant, entitled "Deeper Demons." The lyrics question why such a tragic fate befell "little Colleen." - Christian metalChristian metalChristian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
band MastedonMastedonMastedon is the name of a Christian rock band formed by brothers Dino and John Elefante in the mid-80s. The band was formed mainly as a studio project and released two full-length albums and two stand-alone songs on compilation albums.Mastedon have recently signed with Italian label Frontiers...
wrote a song 'Innocent Girl' in memory of Shauna Grant on their debut album It's a Jungle Out There!It's a Jungle Out There!It's a Jungle Out There is the first full-length album by Mastedon, the studio project formed by brothers John & Dino Elefante. It was released in 1989 on Regency Records, while they were setting up their own label Pakaderm Records...
. The lyrics were written by John ElefanteJohn ElefanteJohn Elefante is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer.-Early years:Born in Levittown, New York, his family soon moved to Long Beach, California. Growing up, he sang and performed drums for his family band, the Brotherhood...
(ex Kansas lead) & brother Dino.
Notable television appearances
- Hard CopyHard CopyHard Copy is an American tabloid news television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. Hard Copy was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence....
playing "Herself" (archive footage) in episode: "Shauna Grant" 18 June 1990 - Frontline playing "Herself" (archive footage) in episode: "Death of a Porn Queen" 1987 (originally produced as a local special report for WCCO-TVWCCO-TVWCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
in MinneapolisMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
-St. Paul)