Arcadia Lake

With her slim 5'3" frame, brown hair, and porcelain skin, she had a clean, wholesome look that made her stand out in adult films. Arcadia Lake was an American adult model and porn star of mixed-race (primarily Asian) ethnicity, active from 1977 to 1982. She started her career around age 19 and appeared in notable films such as Debbie Does Dallas (1978), Secrets of a Willing Wife (1979), Honey Throat (1980), and Summertime Blue (1979).

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 3, 1957, Arcadia began her adult career after working as a college physical education aerobics instructor, according to Ron Jeremy. She met Eric Edwards at Show World, a Times Square sex emporium, in 1977 while dancing on the live stage. He claimed to have helped her stop using cocaine and later leave a methadone treatment program. They reportedly married in 1980, but jealousies and disagreements over his multiple partnerships led to trouble. Without methadone, staying off cocaine became harder, and the money from her career and marriage fueled her return to the habit.

Her death on September 13, 1991, at age 34, is surrounded by rumors. Some say she was a victim of a Mafia murder; others believe she faked her death to start a new, more respectable life. Director Carter Stevens, who photographed many of her early films, praised her "most beautiful, clear porcelain skin." Her dark hair and sweet smile remain memorable to fans, even as the true story of her life and death stays uncertain.