Maria Tortuga
Date of birth: 1949-09-14
Place of birth: Seattle, Washington, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Mana La Fantuna, Brenda Hale, Maria Tartuga, Marie Tortuga, Robin Comings, Maria Sharp, Maria Torres, Tara, Maria Maines
Biography
Maria Tortuga was born on September 14, 1949 in Seattle, Washington. Her mother was a member of the first Mexican folk dance company in the United States. Maria grew up in a family with three other siblings. Following graduation from high school Tortuga moved to California to pursue her interest in conceptual art. Maria studied with feminist artist Judy Chicago at the nonprofit arts and education center the Woman's Building in Los Angeles. In addition, Tortuga also studied both Spanish and flamenco dancing with renowned performer Roberto Amaral in the late 1970's as well as served as the flamenco soloist in the Layalina Folkloric Ensemble. After graduating with an MFA, Maria went on to work for many years as the principal designer at local carpet mills. Tortuga decided to supplement her income and express herself sexually by doing hardcore loops and modeling for assorted men's magazines (she often posed for photos with a bondage motif). Maria began appearing in explicit hardcore movies in the late 1970's; among the notable adult cinema directors she worked for are Gerard Damiano, William Margold, Don Christian, David Worth, Ed De Priest, Alan Colberg, and Vinnie Rossi. After retiring from the adult film industry in 1987, Maria decided to follow her key passion for dancing full time by moving to Chicago, Illinois and changing her name to Maria Gitana. Tortuga studied with the Spanish Dance Society and traveled over to Europe to dance for a while at Amor de Dios with Maria Magdalena, who was the Ballet Mistress of the Ballet Nacional de Espana. Maria was awarded a grant to study classical Spanish dance with Spanish Dance Society founding member Dame Marina Keet in 1992. After achieving the status of Maestra de Baile with the Spanish Dance Society, Tortuga returned to Chicago and started the flamenco dance troupe Manteca Colora. Maria moved back to her home state of Washington to be closer to her aging parents in 1998 and started the performing dance troupe Flamenco Gitana in 2004. Moreover, Tortuga taught dance and pilates at several local schools and community centers. Starting in 2010 Maria was the recipient of several Youth Arts Awards from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Affairs. Tortuga used the associated grant to establish cultural arts programs in flamenco dance at local youth centers. Maria also did the choreography for a number of local theater productions. Tortuga died from cancer at age 65 on November 3, 2014.
Movie Credits
I Wanna Be Teased!
1984-01-01
Maria Tortuga and Melanie Scott are a pair of unlikely sisters who get into all manner of sexy hijin
Taxi Girls 2
1986-12-04
These girls know the intimate details of the taxi business, that's how they're seducing fares away f
Susie's Bed
1978-01-01
Susie writhes around naked on her bed talking dirty. She also introduces us to some of her horny fri
Nude Aerobics
1983-01-01
A group of women do nude aerobics.
Love Goddesses
1982-02-12
Classic porn of the early 80s.
Remember Connie
1978-06-15
John Holmes: The Lost Tapes
2003-05-13
The legend returns. The long awaited missing films of John Holmes from the golden age of adult enter
Loving Lesbos
1983-01-01
The very best in Sapphic lust is featured as horny harem muff-drive maidens pearl-dive with each oth
The Vanessa Obsession
1987-01-01
The New Erotic Adventures of Casanova 2
1982-01-01
Set in the renaissance era, this prequel finds the great lover battling villains and saving maidens
Seka Triple Feature 2
2008-02-28
Classic porn icon Seka is a platinum blonde sex goddess who can perform any sex act with gusto and i
Tawny Pearl Collection
2005-01-31
Young Tawny was a delicious teen starlet with a killer smile and a set of nice perky little breasts.
What Would Your Mother Say?
1982-01-01
Inside auditions with over 40 erotic film stars who didn’t know why they were being filmed!
Frat House
1979-03-22
The guys in the 'I Phelta Thi' fraternity want to live out all their fantasies before they graduate.
Never So Deep
1981-09-17
Magazine mogul, Hugh Heffer, sends private eye Ginger Trueheart on a sex-sizzling search through San
Pleasure Dome
1982-12-26
A young woman gets hold of a magic mask, and it brings her back to her previous life in the Middle A
Intimate Lessons
1982-01-01
A group of students go on an excursion in the country to a castle for a lab course in sex education.
Jezebel
1979-05-23
Throughout history one name, by its very mention, has been able to not only strike fear but also ele
Ballgame
1980-02-01
Here's the pitch - 12 of the most beautiful, talented women ever to play ball, 24 of the most incred
For Services Rendered
1985-02-18
The evil Nocturna Vigil and her hot hit girl Tasi Delite steal some sexually incriminating microfilm
A Lacy Affair
1983-03-27
An electrifying mix of beautiful women, superb photography, and non-stop sex combine to make this on
Plato's: The Movie
1980-10-29
Two intrepid female reporters enter Hollywood's most exclusive club, Plato's Retreat West. Between t
Love to Mother
1984-01-01
Her son is having problems with his mother's choice of lovers. The mother decides to seduce him as w
Foreplay
1982-01-01
Chloe works as a receptionist at a boarding house. She's unaware that the guests are there to act o
Skintight
1981-06-01
The doctor in charge of a sex clinic finds himself fantasizing about the sex therapist he has just h
Carnal Encounters of the Barest Kind
1978-01-01
UFO expert, Dr. Yes, has some startling news to reveal to a college calss -"we do not sleep alone!"
Pink Champagne
1979-04-13
A 1920s-era producer and his inamorata visit a brothel that specializes in movie-star lookalikes.
The Sensuous Detective
1980-01-01
Some people think the life of a private detective is filled with cheap thrills and gorgeous babes. A
Deep Ghost
1984-01-01
Little did Roy and Karen realize when they moved into their Hollywood "Dream Mansion" that it was ha
Bad Girl
1983-01-01
Angel decides to skip school to fantasize about a coupling with her dream lover. When her boyfriend
Weekend Fantasy
1980-01-01
A group of hedonists capture a television star while she is out jogging, and have their way with her
Trouble Down Below
1981-01-01
Helen Heine has some serious trouble "down below", she tells her doctor that she can only climax thr
Inspirations
1982-10-14
Feast your eyes on a carnal cornucopia of lust-filled erotic Inspirations, featuring a sizzling supe
The Satisfiers of Alpha Blue
1980-10-17
The Satisfiers of Alpha Blue is set in a futuristic society which adores its sexual Satisfiers more
Undercovers
1982-01-01
Two former Siamese twins - Q and Grossfinger - are the respective leaders of good and evil. The evil
Ginger Lynn & Company
1989-02-09
Beautiful, blonde, shapely Ginger Lynn, one of the all-time hottest superstars of x-rated video ente
Voyeur's Delight
1986-01-31
A telescope becomes a peephole into a world of sensual delights as a brunette beauty spies on her na
Golden Age of Porn: Annette Haven
2004-01-01
See what porn was like in the golden age of porn. Annette Haven is an all natural beauty who knows h
Heat of the Moment
1984-01-01
John Holmes stars in this cavalcade of couplings with well-paced presentation of straight ahead sex.
Cherry Ettes For Hire
1984-01-01
Young ladies from the country head to the city for adventure
Night Flight
1980-01-01
A mysterious man arranges special flights. This one contains an oriental woman who smuggles diamonds
Young and Restless
1983-01-01
Women want to go to a brothel resort where men cater to their every sexual desire
Sounds of Sex
1985-01-01
A divorcée eavesdrops on couples having sex and gets involved in their lives.
Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout White Chicks
1984-01-01
A pimp and his jive-talking black brothers reminiscence about their erotic encounters with kinky whi
Hot Love
1980-01-01
Burning Desire
1983-01-01
Burning Desire(s) will scorch your eyeballs! Jill Hunter and Tony Ellis, our prim and proper young g
Why Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1983-08-22
Gentlemen prefer blondes; blondes have more fun; and with the foxy Cindy Shepard and Desiree Lane as
Bisexual Fantasies
1986-01-01
Shane Michaels plays the editor of a magazine that gets a lot of bisexual fan mail. As he reads the
Colleen Brennan Collection
2005-01-17
Known as one of the classiest ladies in adult entertainment, Colleen Brennan (a.k.a Sharon Kelly) st