Rachel Ashley made her debut in the adult film business in 1983 at the age of 19 with the film Fleshdance. In September 1983, she was featured on the cover of Adult Cinema Review, and just over two years later, in December 1985, she made the cover of Expose XXX Video. In 1983, she sang the single "Golden Girls" for the film of the same name under the name Rhonda Vanderbildt. In 1984, Ashley received multiple accolades, including the AVN Award, the XRCO Award, and the AFAA Award. By the time Rachel Ashley retired from the porn industry in 1989, she had appeared in over 75 adult productions.