Asia Carrera, born Jessica Steinhauser on August 6, 1973, in New York City, is a former American pornographic actress of Japanese and German descent. Raised in New Jersey, she displayed early brilliance by performing piano at Carnegie Hall twice before age fifteen. At sixteen she taught English in Japan. She attended Rutgers University on full scholarship but left to enter the adult film industry in 1993. Appearing in over three hundred fifty films, Carrera earned the AVN Female Performer of the Year award in 1995, becoming the first Asian performer to win it. A Mensa member with an IQ exceeding one hundred fifty, she also designed websites. After retiring from performing she studied law and became an attorney. Carrera married and now lives privately. Her combination of striking looks, intellect, and versatility made her one of the most respected stars of the nineteen nineties and early two thousands, leaving a lasting legacy in adult entertainment.