Film and television Hunter entered the adult film business in 1988 and her career peaked in the mid-'90s. She was one of the few performers to use her actual name rather than a stage other_names. She became known for her
interracial- and
lesbian-themed films. In her hometown she was a mainstay on the
Robin Byrd Show and was a frequent performer. From 1990 to 1992, during her Los Angeles years, Hunter was a dancer on the TV show
Soul Train. Hunter has described how she was able to conceal her porn career from
Soul Train producer
Don Cornelius. She also played the role of a hooker in the black comedy horror film
Frankenhooker as Chartreuse. She got her start while dancing at the
Latin Quarter in
New York City, where she met adult film actress
Hyapatia Lee, who suggested she perform in movies. Her first video,
Heather Hunter On Fire, came out in 1988. She did a few low-budget movies for New York-based Vidway before moving to
Los Angeles and eventually becoming the first African-American woman to be a
Vivid Entertainment contract girl. She has 51 videos and 1 directorial effort to her credit on the
Internet Adult Film Database; her final adult video appears to be
Honeywood, released in 1999. Old scenes with Hunter continue to be released in numerous compilations. In 1996, she,
Nina Hartley, and
Angel Kelly appeared in the music video of
Tupac Shakur's
How Do U Want It. Hunter was inducted into the
AVN Hall of Fame in 2003. The same year she starred in her own animated cartoon series,
Bulletproof Diva, in which she saves the world from the inhabitants of Hell. In 2004, she and
Ginger Lynn appeared in non-sex roles in Hustler's
Can You Be A Pornstar? Hunter was inducted into the
Urban X Hall of Fame in 2008 and
XRCO Hall of Fame in 2022.
Music career Hunter has been involved with music professionally since 1993, when she was under contract with
Island Records doing House music. She released a song titled "I Want It All Night Long." Hunter later worked for
Tommy Boy Records without much progress, as the company did not know whether to market her as an
R&B or
pop singer. Hunter released an 18-track
rap music album on July 12, 2005, titled
Double H: The Unexpected. She released the music through
Blo Records label, owned by her long-time manager, Dave Copeland. Hunter is the company's
CEO. In creating the album, she worked with well-known music producers
DJ Premier and
Scott Storch. Guests on her album include
Akinyele, Madison Taylor, plus
Chalu and
Erin Yes. Hunter's old adult movie friend Janet Jacme appears on the interlude of "My Toolbox." "So Serious" was the only single released from the album. The single and her album's title refers to Hunter's desire to be taken seriously as a hip-hop musician. Hunter said in a
VIBE interview: She wrote a novel,
Insatiable: The Rise of a Porn Star, by Hunter and Michelle Valentine, which was published on July 24, 2007, by
St. Martin's Press. It purports to tell the story of Simone Young, a young woman with a career and background similar to Hunter's. In an interview, Hunter implied that her story would be fictionalized to protect the privacy of others. ==References==