Stephanie Bishop

About Stephanie Bishop

Born Stephanie Patricia Green on September 12, 1959, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Stephanie Bishop spent her formative years in rural New Hampshire after relocating there in the 1960s. A Caucasian woman, her early life was marked by a passion for dance. She was involved with the New Hampshire Ballet Company from 1968 to 1976 and also participated in regional theater productions until she was eighteen.

Bishop aspired to train at the prestigious American Ballet Theater in New York City, but her time there in 1978 was cut short due to dissatisfaction with her assigned roles. Following this, she enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving at Camp Lejeune. She achieved the rank of corporal but was honorably discharged after six years of service for engaging in inappropriate relationships with superior officers.

Her life then took her to Baltimore, where she worked as an entertainer and prostitute at the nightclub “The Block.” It was during this period that she acquired her distinctive, full-body tattoo, a complex piece inked by Philadelphia artist Harry Von Groff. The artwork features a snake that begins at her left nipple, transforms into a tiger formed from interwoven skulls across her abdomen, and concludes as a snake at her clitoris.

Adopting the stage name Viper, she entered the adult film industry at the age of 27 in 1986, a move facilitated by Bill Margold, with whom she shared a five-year romantic relationship. Under various monikers, including Stephanie Bishop and Viper, she appeared in approximately 70 adult films between 1986 and 1993. She worked with studios like Western Visuals and collaborated with directors such as Bill Majors and Jim South. Her notable works include Mystery of the Golden Lotus (1989), where she played a Nazi spy, White Trash (1986), Erotic Heights (1993), and Double Penetration 1 (1987). Her scene in the latter, a threesome with Scott Irish and Tom Byron, is remembered for its intensity. Viper was recognized for her bold performances, particularly in anal and group settings, and worked alongside actors like Eric Edwards, Mark Wallice, Ray Victory, and Peter North. While she also modeled for magazines, the specific publications are not recorded.

Viper, along with Margold, co-founded Fans of X-Rated Entertainment (FOXE), an organization dedicated to advocating for fans of the adult industry. She was a frequent and popular guest on the Howard Stern radio show in the late 1980s. In 1990, she earned an AVN Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Mystery of the Golden Lotus. She also ventured into mainstream acting, portraying a porn director in the 1988 comedy Vice Academy, starring alongside Ginger Lynn. There is no indication