Southern belle Desiree Cousteau is one of the most fondly remembered of the 1970s/1980s porn stars, and not only because of her natural beauty. She brought a dizzy, goofy, and endearing charm to all of her roles, and she plunged into her sexual performances with voracious abandon. Porn audiences absolutely adored her, and in turn she didn't disappoint them. In 1978 she was voted Best Actress by the AFAA for her performance in Pretty Peaches (1978). Of her many performances, one of her best remembered is her pseudo-autobiographical Inside Désirée Cousteau (1979). She retired from the industry in 1983.

Her post-porn career is something of a mystery. There were stories that she married, had a family and settled down. There were also stories that she had a breakdown and was confined to a mental hospital. The latest story, which is given somewhat more credibility by people who knew her, was that she had studied to become a psychologist, passed the exams and was practicing somewhere in her home state of Georgia.