August Ames
August Ames | |
|---|---|
 Ames at an AVN Awards show in Las Vegas in 2014 | |
| Born | Mercedes Grabowski[1] 23 August 1994 Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada[2] |
| Died | 5 December 2017 (aged 23)[3] Camarillo, California, U.S.[1] |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Occupation | Pornographic actress |
| Years active | 2013–2017 |
| Spouse(s) | Kevin Moore |
August Ames (born Mercedes Grabowski; 23 August 1994 – 5 December 2017) was a Canadian pornographic actress. She appeared in almost 290 movies, including a non-pornographic film in 2016, and was nominated for several AVN Awards.[2][4] In 2017 at the age of 23, Ames committed suicide after a particular event of social media backlash following a tweet she posted.
Early life[]
Ames was born Mercedes Grabowski in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, on 23 August 1994. She grew up in Petawawa, Ontario, and later lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[5] She graduated from Oromocto High School. She was of Polish ancestry and was also one-quarter African-American.[6] Both her parents were in the army and she spent her early years as a military brat,[7] including a number of years living beside Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.[5]
Ames's mother suffered from bipolar disorder.[1] Ames alleged that she was routinely sexually molested by her paternal grandfather as a child, but her father refused to believe her and at 12 years old she was sent to live in a group home.[8] In her early years, she worked as a nanny, animal-assisted aide, and horseback trainer.[7]
Career[]
Ames's career as a pornographic actress began at the age of 19, in November 2013. She performed in over 270 films,[1] including productions by companies such as Brazzers, Elegant Angel, Evil Angel, Girlfriends Films, Jules Jordan Video, New Sensations and Sweetheart Video.[9] She was nominated for four AVN Awards in her lifetime, including three nominations for Female Performer of the Year.[10]
In 2016, she appeared in the non-pornographic film Model for Murder: The Centerfold Killer.[11]
Personal life[]
Ames married Kevin Moore, a pornography producer and director for Evil Angel.[12][13]
Weeks prior to her death, Ames said that she had a history of bipolar depressive disorder and dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality) due to a traumatic childhood, stating: "Some days I'll be fine and if I'm not doing anything I'll get these awful flashbacks of my childhood and I get very depressed and I can't get out of bed and cancel my scenes for like a week or two."[8]
Death[]
In December 2017, Ames was due to perform in a pornographic scene, but withdrew when she learned that the co-star was a man who had appeared in gay pornography. On 3 December 2017, Ames wrote on Twitter:[14]
August Ames @AugustAmesxxx whichever (lady) performer is replacing me tomorrow for @EroticaXNews, you're shooting with a guy who has shot gay porn, just to let cha know. BS is all I can say