Tina Russell, born Linda Marie Mintzer on September 23, 1948, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to John H. and Margaret Ditzler Mintzer. She grew up in Williamsport and graduated from high school there in 1966. Her senior photo showcased a mature brunette with a "Laura Petrie" hairstyle, looking more like a future nurse than a porn star.
As one of the best-known adult film actresses of the "Golden Age" of porn, Tina Russell was admired for her fresh looks and evident enthusiasm for her on-screen liaisons. The Williamsport city directories from 1968 to 1970 listed her as a student living at home, but she moved to New York City to attend New York University shortly thereafter.
Alongside her husband Jason Russell (born John Sanderson),several years her elder, she began modeling in sexually oriented photographs and performed in so-called "live sex shows" (the "sex" at the period was usually pantomimed). After appearing in 16mm "stag" loops, Russell began to take small roles in feature films during the early 1970s.
Russell only really acquired star status, however, after the publication of her 1973 memoir, Porno Star, in which she described - in often glowing terms - her life in the New York adult film industry. She and Jason separated shortly thereafter, and Tina's star sank as quickly as it had risen.
Rumors of alcohol abuse haunt her later years. On May 18, 1981, Tina Russell died of multiple organ failure at the Tri-City hospital in Vista, CA, after having visited her brother in San Diego. She is buried in Resurrection Cemetery in Montoursville, PA, where her father is also buried.
