At 14, Ron Jeremy seemed a volcano of academic talent: he was courted by and flirted with attending New York City's outstanding Stuyvesant High School but opted to attend the local Townsend Harris instead.

He changed his name because his father asked him to do so when he entered the pornography industry. He gained the nickname The Hedgehog while showering one day after a shoot and was told his hirsute and overweight pink body resembled a hedgehog. Due to his legendary sense of humor, Jeremy is also referred to as "the clown prince of porn." He has gained some notoriety for being capable of autofellatio and for his long penis, reported to be 9.75 inches (24.76 cm).

Born in Flushing, Queens, New York City, he took a B.A. in theatre arts and acted off-Broadway before gaining a master's degree from Queens College. He began a career in special education, but soon decided to quit and become part of the newly formed 1970s New York porn scene following an amateur appearance in Playgirl magazine. His then girlfriend submitted a nude photo of Ron to the magazine and the phone reportedly rang off the hook with fans and porn producers. It was at this point that he decided to take the surname Jeremy to protect his family from embarrassment.

His venture into pornographic movies occurred during the "golden era" of 1975–83 –marked by reasonable production values and scripts, with the movies intended for cinematic release rather than video. However, during this era the production of adult movies was still illegal. Jeremy left New York for California but he was arrested on two occasions and faced a lengthy jail sentence before being reprieved as a result of the Hal Freeman precedent in the United States Supreme Court of 1988.

Despite his unglamorous appearance, he has featured in over 2,000 films to date and has directed a further 100. He claims he gets more work when he is a bit on the heavy side, and this is the reason why he does not try to lose weight. He also claims to have had sex with over 4,000 women. He has said that he finds every woman beautiful and this is what makes him a very versatile porn actor.

He has appeared in music videos, and also had small roles in mainstream films such as Detroit Rock City, 54, Ronin, Orgazmo, The Boondock Saints, American Virgin and Killing Zoe, though his material is often cut by squeamish studio executives. He also appeared on the second season of the reality show The Surreal Life, and was featured on a special 'news makers' recording of the game show The Weakest Link.

Jeremy was the subject of a 2001 documentary film, Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy.He also appeared in the Swedish entertainment show High Chaparall in 2003.He is also listed at the number 1 spot on the "List of Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time" by Adult Video News magazine.