Nina Hartley Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Nina Hartley’s Net Worth Overview

Nina Hartley is an accomplished adult film star, director, feminist, and author from the United States with a net worth estimated at $4 million. Throughout her career, she has appeared in 938 adult films and has taken the helm as director for over a dozen others. Her career took off with her debut film, “Educating Nina,” which became a significant success. Additionally, Hartley has had roles in mainstream cinema, including notable films such as “Boogie Nights” and “Bubbles Galore.”

Background and Early Years

Born Marie Louise Hartman on March 11, 1959, in Berkeley, California, Nina is the youngest in a family of four children to Louis and Blanche Hartman. Her parents were engaged members of the Communist Party USA and embraced Buddhism in her early years. In 1957, her father faced blacklisting due to his communist affiliations. Nina graduated from Berkeley High School in 1977 and earned her nursing degree magna cum laude from San Francisco State University in 1985. Until her nursing license lapsed in 1986, she worked as a registered nurse.

Career in the Adult Industry

Nina’s journey in the adult entertainment industry began during her college sophomore year, as she took up stripping at the Sutter Cinema and later at the Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theatre, inspired by the film “The Autobiography of a Flea,” the first adult film directed by a woman, Sharon McNight.

By her junior year, she transitioned into acting for adult projects, first appearing in magazine photo spreads for publications such as “High Society” and “Hustler.” Nina debuted in the adult film “Educating Nina” while being mentored by adult actress Juliet Anderson. She chose the stage name Nina Hartley, as it was easy for Japanese tourists to pronounce during her time as a dancer in San Francisco, and “Hartley” was as close to her actual last name as possible; she sought a name that resembled that of a real person.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Hartley appeared in various spin-offs of the “Debbie Does Dallas” film series, including “Debbie Duz Dishes” in 1986 and “Debbie Does Wall Street” in 1991. In 1992, she made her directorial debut with “Nina Hartley’s Book of Love.” For several years, Nina toured across the U.S. and Canada as a stripper and frequently made appearances at adult shops nationwide.

Roles in Mainstream Cinema

In the hit film “Boogie Nights” (1997), Hartley portrayed the unfaithful wife of William H. Macy’s character. She also featured in the 1996 Canadian film “Bubbles Galore.” That same year, she appeared in the music video for Tupac Shakur’s song “How Do U Want It?”

Advocacy and Sex-Positive Initiatives

Starting in 1994, she launched a widely recognized series of instructional videos centered on sex, marketed under the Nina Hartley brand. Nina is frequently invited to share her expertise on various talk shows and conference panels pertaining to the subject of sex positivity.

the adult film industry, often working alongside other prominent figures like Jenna Jameson. In 2006, she released the book “Nina Hartley’s Guide to Total Sex.” Later, in 2012, she collaborated on the book series “How to be Kinkier.” That same year, she was featured in the documentary “After Porn Ends,” where she discussed her life experiences following her career as an adult film star.

Nina made an appearance in the acclaimed documentary “Sticky: A (Self) Love Story” in 2016. At the documentary’s premiere in Las Vegas, held at the Erotic Heritage Museum, she participated in a Q&A session alongside fellow adult film actress Ginger Lynn and the film’s writer/producer/director, Nicholas Tana. In her segment, Hartley shared her sex-positive perspectives on self-love and sexual education.

As a board member of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, she has consistently advocated for the rights of the adult film industry. Over the years, Nina has lectured at various universities, including Dartmouth, Harvard, and her alma mater, Berkeley. She was also interviewed by Eric Schlosser for his book “Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market,” where she criticized the hypocrisy surrounding anti-porn legislation and actions.

Awards and Accolades

Throughout her extensive career in the adult entertainment industry, Hartley has received numerous awards. Among them are nine Adult Video News Awards, featuring accolades such as Best Actress for “Debbie Duz Dishes,” Best Couples Sex Scene Film for “Amanda By Night II” in 1987, and Best Supporting Actress for “The Last X-Rated Movie.” She also earned the Best Specialty Tape award for “Nina Hartley’s Guide to Spanking,” among others. Additionally, she has won seven XRCO Awards and, in 1988, was honored with the Free Speech Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award. Hartley is a recipient of the FOXE Female Fan Favorite award three times in a row during 1990, 1991, and 1992. Further recognizing her contributions, she received the Fanny Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and the XBIZ Award for Best Non-Sex Acting Performance in 2019 for her role in “Future Darkly: Artifamily.”

Personal Life

In her personal life, Hartley identifies as bisexual. From 1981 to 2000, she was in a relationship with both a man and a woman. In 1986, she married her male partner, and they later divorced in 2003. The year following her divorce, she married porn director Ira Levine, and they continue to maintain an openly polyamorous relationship.