Who is Ron Jeremy? How career of porn king with 2,500 performance credits ... trends now

He memorably described himself as the Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz.

And with more than 2,500 credits to his name in adult films, Ron Jeremy was certainly no stranger to baring all for the camera.

The unlikely star from New York, known as 'The Hedgehog', transcended the porn industry to become a bona fide celebrity, appearing in films, TV and music videos and even being the subject of a hit documentary.

But his fame would later come crashing down on him when woman after woman came forward to claim the X-rated star had raped and abused them in the most vile and dehumanizing way over a 23-year period.

The 21 woman were finally hoping to see justice served when Jeremy was arrested in 2020 for 34 alleged assaults including 12 rape counts.

But now the women have been denied their day in court after a judge ruled the porn star was not medically fit to stand trial.

Medics had testified that Jeremy, who has never been married nor had children, was suffering from severe dementia and was now incoherent, unable to even recognize his own lawyer or spell his own name.

A hearing next month will determine if the veteran actor will be placed in a state hospital.

It is a far cry from the boy named Ronald Jeremy Hyatt who was born to a middle class Jewish family in Queens, New York, in 1953.

His father Arnold was a physicist and professor at Queens College of the City University of New York, while his mother was a book editor.

The teenage Jeremy graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo High School where he performed in theatrical productions including the musical Oklahoma.

He then earned a masters degree from his father's Queens College and became a special education teacher in the New York City area, but eventually left teaching to pursue acting on Broadway.

In 1978, he had first brush with pornography when a girlfriend sent his photo to Playgirl magazine for appearance in its 'Boy Next Door' pages.

Enticed by the money after struggling on Off-Broadway productions, Jeremy posed more for Playgirl and then decided to make the full-time leap into pornography.

His nickname of The Hedgehog was given by fellow adult actor William Marigold in 1979, when he turned up on set in blizzard conditions during the filming of Olympic Fever in the California mountains.,

Suffering from near hypothermia, Jeremy arrived and quickly took a hot shower, making his hair stand on end and his skin pink.

Marigold then said: 'You are a hedgehog, my friend. A walking, talking hedgehog.'

Jeremy then soon started making a name for himself in the industry and would go on to star in 2,542 films, and directing a further 296. 

Jeremy has since been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for 'Most Appearances in Adult Films' and won several adult film acting awards.

He was even named by Adult Video News as their Number One porn star of all time. 

But one joke within the industry about the unusual 5ft6ins star was: 'The kinkier acts some actresses would not perform were bestiality, sadomasochism and and sex with Jeremy.'

The star was active in porn from 1979 until 2018, but also acted in a number of mainstream films and television series, including appearances in Ghostbusters and The Boondock Saints.

He has also competed on Wheel of Fortune and appeared in a segment of The Chappelle Show, and numerous music videos for artists including Kid Rock, Moby, Guns & Roses and Sublime.

A documentary about his life, Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy, also propelled him to further fame.

Jeremy has also had several business endeavors including opening a swingers nightclub in Portland, Oregon which closed in 2015. 

But now, the legacy of the porn star has been tarnished after dozens of women alleged he raped and abused them.

Lianne Young, who has waived her right to anonymity, claimed Jeremy allegedly sneaked up behind her on the Sunset Strip in 2000.

The adult performer, who went by the name 'Billie Britt', was dressed in a bikini at the former House of Blues during a porn industry Halloween party when she says Jeremy shoved her onto a table and forced himself inside her.

According to Young, the ordeal last only a matter of seconds, as she fought Jeremy off of her.

Young said at least three other industry execs watched the assault unfold, however none of them reacted.

'People were just like, 'That's Ron',' Young said.

Fellow adult entertainer Elle Hell said she was too fearful of Jeremy's pull in the porn industry to speak out when he reportedly attacked her in Chicago, in 2014.

Elle said she got into a limousine with about 10 other people, including Jeremy, and drove to a bar.

Not long after they arrived, Elle said Jeremy pulled her onto his lap. She tried to get away from him by fleeing to the bathroom but she claims he followed her in.

He then reportedly led her back outside where he forcibly performed oral sex on her. Elle claims that, despite the fact she was crying and repeatedly told Jeremy 'no', he persisted before attempting to rape her.

'He takes his [penis] out, and I remember this vividly, I'm crying,' she said, adding that Jeremy pressed his penis so hard against her that it left an abrasion on her genitals.

Jeremy is said to have eventually given up and grown angry. He led her back inside the club before handing her a note that read, 'You would cry, I hope ... if I ever leave.'