Zara Whites dropped out of school at an early age and moved in with her then-boyfriend when she was 17. In her late teens she worked as a barmaid and, after that, a prostitute in a men's club. A Dutch model agency found her a new job in Italy, where she worked as a topless dancer on the TV quiz-show Colpo grosso (1987). After her relationship with an Italian count broke up, she went to Paris and started working as a call girl. While doing a photo shoot for "Penthouse", she was advised by Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi to try her luck in the adult film industry. A few months later she made her adult-film debut in The Challenge (1990). Soon Zara became a major porn star in the States. She worked with famous directors such as John Stagliano ("Buttman") and Andrew Blake. After a brief but successful career in porn, Zara decided to retire. She returned to Paris in the early 1990s.