Gia Paloma is an American award-winning former porn star, adult model, and director. Paloma grew up in Walnut, California and is of Italian ancestry. Her stage name comes from Gia, a 1998 movie in which Angelina Jolie played model Gia Carangi, and Paloma, the Spanish word for dove and the name of Pablo Picasso’s daughter. She originally worked at a Starbucks before transitioning into the adult entertainment industry. Paloma overdosed on cocaine in January 2005 in which her pulse increased to over three times a "normal" rate. She married Tommy Pistol on December 8, 2007, and they have one son. Paloma transitioned to working behind the camera in hardcore films after 2007 and landed several roles in mainstream horror films in the late 2000s.