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.