Pornographic actor
Encyclopedia
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films (usually filmed in explicit sexual genres). Most genres have specialists who achieve most of their recognition in a specific niche market such as lesbian sex, bondage
, strap-on sex
, anal sex
, double penetration, semen swallowing, teenage women, interracial or MILF
s.
Some legal jurisdictions consider commercial pornography
a form of prostitution
, though most commercial sex film performers do not regard themselves as prostitutes for various reasons, but rather as actors or models. Most notably these performers are not paid directly by their sexual partners for the sex, but both are paid through a studio or Talent Management Agency
.
Linda Lovelace
, an American pornographic actress of the early '70s, is often seen as the first modern porn star with appreciable name recognition outside her genre. Lovelace starred in the 1972 feature Deep Throat
. It was Casey Donovan who starred in the very first mainstream pornographic hit, Boys in the Sand
, in 1971, nearly a year before Deep Throat, but it was the success of Deep Throat that encouraged the ascension of more such stars and the production of more such films. Examples include Marilyn Chambers
(Behind the Green Door
), Gloria Leonard
(The Opening of Misty Beethoven
), Georgina Spelvin
(The Devil in Miss Jones
), and Bambi Woods
(Debbie Does Dallas
).
The 1970s have been called The Golden Age of Porn, a time when pornographic films were shown in public theaters and accepted (or at least tolerated) for public consumption. This "golden age" lasted from the 1970s through the late-70s or early 1980s. Sex films of this era had specific storylines, plots, and promotional budgets. Performers became celebrities. Such performers include Peter Berlin
, John Holmes
, Ginger Lynn Allen, Porsche Lynn
, Desiree Cousteau
, Juliet Anderson
("Aunt Peg"), Lisa De Leeuw
, Veronica Hart
, Nina Hartley
, Harry Reems
, Seka
, and Amber Lynn
.
Once people could watch adult movies in the privacy of their own homes, first on VCR and later on DVD, a new adult market developed that far exceeded the scope of its theater-centric predecessor. More recently, the Internet has served as catalyst for creating a still-larger market for porn, a market that is even less traditionally theatrical.
There are hundreds of adult film companies today, releasing tens of thousands of productions, recorded directly on video, with minimal sets. Of late, web-cams and web-cam recordings are again expanding the market. Thousands of pornographic actors work in front of the camera to satisfy pornography consumers' demand.
At present, no other state in the United States has either implemented or accepted this legal distinction between commercial pornography performers versus prostitutes as shown in the Florida case where sex film maker Clinton Raymond McCowen, aka "Ray Guhn", was indicted on charges of "soliciting and engaging in prostitution" for his creation of pornography films which included "McCowen and his associates recruited up to 100 local men and women to participate in group sex scenes, the affidavit says." The distinction that California has in its legal determination in the Freeman decision is usually denied in most states' local prostitution laws, which do not specifically exclude performers from such inclusion.
In some cases, some states have ratified their local state laws for inclusion to prevent California's Freeman decision to be applied to actors who are paid a fee for sexual actions within their state borders. One example is the state of Texas whose prostitution law specifically states:
Some film studios encourage their actresses to have breast implants, and offer to pay for the procedure.
Conversely, some performers are not unhappy with their job, while still noting that "a performer's pleasure is not of primary importance" and that "porn sex is not the same as private sex". Furthermore, there is evidence to say that porn production is not necessarily unethical or degrading. According to Lynn Comella, a women's studies professor at UNLV, presenting demeaning practices as representative of the entire porn industry is "akin to talking about Hollywood while only referencing spaghetti Westerns".
Due to the substantial amount of evidence both for and against the idea that women are degraded in pornography, it is likely that individual experiences vary depending on the director, the performer, and the type of porn being produced. As with other social phenomena, gross generalizations may be problematic.
while on a busy film set, maintain that erection while performing on camera, and then ejaculate
on cue. In the past an actors' inability to maintain an erection could make the difference between a film turning a profit or a loss. However this problem has been solved by the use of Viagra. If an actor loses his erection, filming is forced to stop for about 45 minutes whilst the drug takes effect. Using Viagra can make the actor's face noticeably flushed, give him a headache, and make it difficult to ejaculate. According to director John Stagliano
, using Viagra means "You also lose a dimension." "The guy's fucking without being aroused."
Ron Jeremy
, John Holmes
, Peter North, Clayton Elder, and Rocco Siffredi
are considered by AVN
as the top male performers of all time. Adding to his fame, Ron Jeremy has been a staple in the industry since the 1970s and has become something of a cultural icon.
has commented on the pay scale of women and men of the sex film industry: in 2003 "Girls can easily make 100K-250K per year, plus stuff on the side like strip shows and appearances. The average male makes $40,000 a year." and in 2008 "The average guy gets $300 to $400 a scene, or $100 to $200 if he's new. A woman makes $100,000 to $250,000 at the end of the year."
In 2011, the manager of Capri Anderson said "A contract girl will only shoot for one company, she won’t shoot for anyone else. Most actresses in the adult industry are free agents – they’ll shoot for anyone. Being a contract girl is kind of a big deal. Most contract girls make $60,000 a year, which isn’t very much... In one year, a contract girl will shoot four movies, and each movie takes about two or three weeks to shoot."
The Los Angeles Times
reported that the pay rates for a female actress performing male and female scenes were paid $700 to $1,000.
Some state that gay male porn generally pays men much more than heterosexual porn. Ostensibly, men who perform in gay pornography but identify themselves as heterosexual, most notably Wolf Hudson
, are said to do gay-for-pay
, that is, perform in gay movies only for the paycheck, not because of any personal attraction they have to other men.
According to producer Seymore Butts
, who runs his own sex-film recruitment agency, as well as producing sex films; "depending on draw, female performers who perform in both straight and lesbian porn earn more than those who do [just heterosexual scenes] usually make about US$200–800 while those who only do oral sex (blow job) usually only make about US$100–300 for the scene". It was also noted in an interview conducted by Local10 news of Florida that individuals were offered $700 for sexual intercourse while shooting a scene of the popular series Bang Bus
in 2004. According to Videobox, a porn website, actresses make these rates: Blowjobs: $200–$400; Straight sex: $400–$1,200; Anal sex: $900–$1,500; Double Penetration: $1,200–$1,600; Double anal: $2,000. For more unusual fetishes, women generally get 15% extra.
In 2001 actress Chloe said of pay-rates; "In Gonzo
, you're paid not by the picture, but by the scene. So it's girl-girl: $700, plus $100 for an anal toy. Boy-girl: $900. Anal: $1,100. Solo: $500. DP: $1,500."
Additionally, besides appearing in films, porn stars often make money from endorsements and appearance fees. For instance, in 2010 some night clubs were paying female porn stars and Playboy Playmates to appear there to act as draws for the general public; Jesse Jane
was reported to have been paid between $5,000 to $10,000 for one appearance by a Chicago
club.
s, pornographic actors were traditionally vulnerable to sexually transmitted disease
s. In a paper written by LA Public Health officials claimed that among 825 performers screened in 2000–2001, 7.7% of females and 5.5% of males had chlamydia, and 2% overall had gonorrhea
. These rates are much higher than in patients visiting family planning clinics, where chlamydia and gonorrhea rates were 4.0% and 0.7%, respectively. Between January 2003 and March 2005, approximately 976 performers were reported with 1,153 positive STD test results. Of the 1,153 positive test results, 722 (62.6 %) were chlamydia, 355 (30.8%) were gonorrhea, and 126 (10.9%) were coinfections with chlamydia and gonorrhea. Less is known about the prevalence and risk of transmission of other STDs such as syphilis
, herpes simplex
virus, human papillomavirus
, hepatitis B or C
, trichomonal infection
, or diseases transmitted through the fecal–oral route. The data collection of LA public health was criticized by adult industry sources on the grounds that most of those testing positive had never made an adult film-and were in fact being excluded from adult film acting until they had treated their STDs. Non-treatable STDs like HSV represent a difficult case: according to actress Chloe, "After you've been in this business for a while, you have herpes. Everyone has herpes."
The high rate of STDs in the adult film industry started to change in 1998 when major adult film producers started implementing a regular periodic testing program for adult film actors. In the 1980s, an outbreak of HIV led to a number of deaths of erotic actors and actresses, including John Holmes
, Wade Nichols
, Marc Stevens, and Al Parker
. This led to the creation of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
(AIM), which helped set up a voluntary standard in the U.S. adult film industry where erotic actors are tested for HIV
, Chlamydia
and Gonorrhea
every 30 days-and twice a year for HSV
, Hepatitis
and Syphilis
. AIM posts test results on their website identified with the actors drivers license number so they can be shared without any possibility of fraud. AIM claims that this program has reduced the rate of STDs among adult film actors to 20% that of the general population. These claims have been criticized by various public health authorities-but there have been no controlled studies that support the claims of public health authorities that AIM's testing approach is not working.
:Category:Lists of pornographic film actors
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
, strap-on sex
Pegging (sexual practice)
Pegging is a sexual practice in which a woman penetrates a man's anus with a strap-on dildo. The neologism "pegging" was popularized when it became the winning entry in a contest in Dan Savage's Savage Love sex advice column, held after an observation was made that there was no common name for the...
, anal sex
Anal sex
Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...
, double penetration, semen swallowing, teenage women, interracial or MILF
MILF pornography
MILF pornography is a genre of pornography in which the actresses are usually women ages 25 to 50 and some of the actresses have started making pornographic movies at 35 and older...
s.
Some legal jurisdictions consider commercial pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
a form of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, though most commercial sex film performers do not regard themselves as prostitutes for various reasons, but rather as actors or models. Most notably these performers are not paid directly by their sexual partners for the sex, but both are paid through a studio or Talent Management Agency
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
.
History
Performers have appeared in sex films since the era of photography began. Many "penny arcades" of the early 1900s had hand-cranked films and rotoscope (Holmes-style Stereoscope) glasses that featured nudity. These penny arcade attractions depicted topless women, full frontal nudity, and even sexual coupling. Performers in these early photograph and film recordings usually chose to remain anonymous to avoid legal sanction and social approbation.Linda Lovelace
Linda Lovelace
Linda Susan Boreman , better known by her stage name Linda Lovelace, was an American pornographic actress who was famous for her performance of deep throat fellatio in the enormously successful 1972 hardcore porn film Deep Throat...
, an American pornographic actress of the early '70s, is often seen as the first modern porn star with appreciable name recognition outside her genre. Lovelace starred in the 1972 feature Deep Throat
Deep Throat (film)
Deep Throat is a 1972 American pornographic film written and directed by Gerard Damiano and produced by Louis Peraino and starring Linda Lovelace ....
. It was Casey Donovan who starred in the very first mainstream pornographic hit, Boys in the Sand
Boys in the Sand
Boys in the Sand is a landmark American gay pornographic film. The 1971 film was directed by Wakefield Poole and stars Casey Donovan. Boys in the Sand was the first gay porn film to achieve crossover success and one of the earliest porn films of any genre to gain mainstream credibility, preceding...
, in 1971, nearly a year before Deep Throat, but it was the success of Deep Throat that encouraged the ascension of more such stars and the production of more such films. Examples include Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn Chambers was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress and vice-presidential candidate...
(Behind the Green Door
Behind the Green Door
Behind the Green Door is a 1972 feature-length pornographic film, widely considered one of the genre's "classic" pictures. It was the first hardcore film widely released in the United States. It was the first feature-length film directed by the Mitchell brothers and starred Marilyn Chambers...
), Gloria Leonard
Gloria Leonard
Gloria Leonard is an American former pornographic actress who later became the publisher of High Society magazine.-Early life and career:...
(The Opening of Misty Beethoven
The Opening of Misty Beethoven
The Opening of Misty Beethoven is an American hardcore pornography film released in 1976. Produced with a relatively high budget and filmed on elaborate locations in Paris , New York City , and Rome , with a musical score, it owes much to its fastidious director Radley Metzger .-Premise:In a...
), Georgina Spelvin
Georgina Spelvin
Georgina Spelvin is the stage name of Michelle Graham, a former American pornographic actress who is best known for her appearance in the classic film The Devil in Miss Jones.-Early life:...
(The Devil in Miss Jones
The Devil in Miss Jones
The Devil in Miss Jones is a pornographic film, written, directed and produced by Gerard Damiano and starring Georgina Spelvin. It is widely regarded as a classic adult film, released during the Golden Age of Porn. Damiano made the film after his 1972 success with Deep Throat...
), and Bambi Woods
Bambi Woods
Bambi Woods is a former pornographic actress best known for her appearance as the title character in the 1978 film Debbie Does Dallas. She was advertised on theater marquees and in advertising as a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, although this was not actually the case.Woods appeared in only a...
(Debbie Does Dallas
Debbie Does Dallas
Debbie Does Dallas is a 1978 pornographic film starring Bambi Woods. The plot of the film focuses on a team of cheerleaders attempting to earn enough money to send the title character to Dallas, Texas, to try out for the famous “Texas Cowgirls” cheerleading squad. The fictional name "Texas...
).
The 1970s have been called The Golden Age of Porn, a time when pornographic films were shown in public theaters and accepted (or at least tolerated) for public consumption. This "golden age" lasted from the 1970s through the late-70s or early 1980s. Sex films of this era had specific storylines, plots, and promotional budgets. Performers became celebrities. Such performers include Peter Berlin
Peter Berlin
Armin Hagen Freiherr von Hoyningen-Huene is a photographer, artist, filmmaker, clothing designer/sewer, model and gay sex symbol best know by his stage name Peter Berlin. In the early to mid-1970s, Berlin created some of the most recognizable gay male erotic imagery of his time...
, John Holmes
John Holmes (actor)
John Curtis Holmes better known as John C. Holmes or Johnny Wadd , was one of the most prolific male porn stars of all time, appearing in about 2,500 adult loops, stag films, and pornographic feature movies in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Ginger Lynn Allen, Porsche Lynn
Porsche Lynn
Porsche Lynn is the stage name of an American exotic dancer, dominatrix, and pornographic actress. She chose her stage name from the Porsche car company after seeing one of their cars during a drive to one of her earliest film shoots; she added "Lynn" to it as it fit well.-Early life:Lynn's...
, Desiree Cousteau
Desireé Cousteau
Desireé Cousteau is a former pornographic actress of the 1970s and 1980s. She is best known for her roles in the 1978 film Pretty Peaches and 1979's Inside Desireé Cousteau.-Career:...
, Juliet Anderson
Juliet Anderson
Juliet Anderson , also known as Aunt Peg, was an American pornographic actress and adult movie producer, relationship counselor and author...
("Aunt Peg"), Lisa De Leeuw
Lisa De Leeuw
Lisa De Leeuw is an American pornographic actress, and one of the few falsely reported to have died of HIV.-Career:She appeared in almost 200 films and was inducted into both the X-Rated Critics' Organization Hall of Fame and the AVN Hall of Fame.-Alleged death:Headpress 25 noted that DeLeeuw...
, Veronica Hart
Veronica Hart
Jane Esther Hamilton is an American former pornographic actress and current porn director who performed under the name Veronica Hart during the 1980s. She is sometimes credited as Jane Esther Hamilton, Jane Hamilton, V. Hart, Veronica Heart, Victoria Holt, Kathryn Stanleigh, Randee Styles or just...
, Nina Hartley
Nina Hartley
Nina Hartley is an American pornographic actress, pornographic film director, sex educator, feminist, and author.-Early life:...
, Harry Reems
Harry Reems
Harry Reems is the nom de film of one of the most notorious pornographic actors of the 1970s and star of the 1972 cult classic Deep Throat.-Early life and career:Reems was born Herbert Streicher...
, Seka
Seka
Seka is an American pornographic actress who appeared in many pornographic films during the late 1970s and the 1980s.-Career:...
, and Amber Lynn
Amber Lynn
Amber Lynn is an American pornographic film actress, Model and exotic dancer.- Early life :...
.
Once people could watch adult movies in the privacy of their own homes, first on VCR and later on DVD, a new adult market developed that far exceeded the scope of its theater-centric predecessor. More recently, the Internet has served as catalyst for creating a still-larger market for porn, a market that is even less traditionally theatrical.
There are hundreds of adult film companies today, releasing tens of thousands of productions, recorded directly on video, with minimal sets. Of late, web-cams and web-cam recordings are again expanding the market. Thousands of pornographic actors work in front of the camera to satisfy pornography consumers' demand.
Legal challenges within the United States
Attempts were made in the 1970s to outlaw pornography in the United States by prosecuting porn stars for prostitution. The case was initially made in California, and stopped short of advancing the case to the United States Supreme Court for a final decision. It was this decision and acceptance to let stand whereby the California Court made a legal distinction in the case of People v. Freeman between someone who took part in a sexual relationship for money (prostitution) versus someone who takes on the act of merely portraying role where a sexual relationship was engaged in on-screen act as part of their acting performance. It is this specific legal distinction between pornography and prostitution in California law that has allowed California to become the porn center of the United States.At present, no other state in the United States has either implemented or accepted this legal distinction between commercial pornography performers versus prostitutes as shown in the Florida case where sex film maker Clinton Raymond McCowen, aka "Ray Guhn", was indicted on charges of "soliciting and engaging in prostitution" for his creation of pornography films which included "McCowen and his associates recruited up to 100 local men and women to participate in group sex scenes, the affidavit says." The distinction that California has in its legal determination in the Freeman decision is usually denied in most states' local prostitution laws, which do not specifically exclude performers from such inclusion.
In some cases, some states have ratified their local state laws for inclusion to prevent California's Freeman decision to be applied to actors who are paid a fee for sexual actions within their state borders. One example is the state of Texas whose prostitution law specifically states:
- An offense is established under Subsection (a)(1) whether the actor is to receive or pay a fee. An offense is established under Subsection (a)(2) whether the actor solicits a person to hire him or offers to hire the person solicited.
Female performers
According to actor-turned-director Jonathan Morgan, "The girls could be graded like A, B and C. The A is the chick on the boxcover. She has the power. So she'll show up late or not at all. 99.9% of them do that." Less successful actresses are more likely to perform more extreme acts such as 'double-anal'. If an actress is willing to perform more extreme acts she will receive more offers of work. Older or less attractive actresses are more likely to perform such acts in order to get work. According to Morgan, "Some girls are used up in nine months or a year. An 18-year-old, sweet young thing, signs with an agency, makes five films in her first week. Five directors, five actors, five times five: she gets phone calls. A hundred movies in four months. She's not a fresh face any more. Her price slips and she stops getting phone calls. Then it's, 'Okay, will you do anal? Will you do gangbangs?' Then they're used up. They can't even get a phone call. The market forces of this industry use them up."Some film studios encourage their actresses to have breast implants, and offer to pay for the procedure.
Conversely, some performers are not unhappy with their job, while still noting that "a performer's pleasure is not of primary importance" and that "porn sex is not the same as private sex". Furthermore, there is evidence to say that porn production is not necessarily unethical or degrading. According to Lynn Comella, a women's studies professor at UNLV, presenting demeaning practices as representative of the entire porn industry is "akin to talking about Hollywood while only referencing spaghetti Westerns".
Due to the substantial amount of evidence both for and against the idea that women are degraded in pornography, it is likely that individual experiences vary depending on the director, the performer, and the type of porn being produced. As with other social phenomena, gross generalizations may be problematic.
Male performers
While the primary focus of heterosexual sex films are the women in them, who are mostly selected for their on-screen appearance, there is a definite focus on the male performers who are able to fulfill the desires of the male watching audience as their on-screen proxies. Most male performers in heterosexual pornography are generally selected less for their looks than for their sexual prowess, namely their ability to do three things: achieve an erectionErection
Penile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal...
while on a busy film set, maintain that erection while performing on camera, and then ejaculate
Ejaculation
Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
on cue. In the past an actors' inability to maintain an erection could make the difference between a film turning a profit or a loss. However this problem has been solved by the use of Viagra. If an actor loses his erection, filming is forced to stop for about 45 minutes whilst the drug takes effect. Using Viagra can make the actor's face noticeably flushed, give him a headache, and make it difficult to ejaculate. According to director John Stagliano
John Stagliano
John Allen Stagliano , also known as Buttman, is an American entrepreneur, pornographic actor, producer and director, who founded and owns the Evil Angel pornographic film studio.-Early life and career:...
, using Viagra means "You also lose a dimension." "The guy's fucking without being aroused."
Ron Jeremy
Ron Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
, John Holmes
John Holmes (pornographic actor)
John Curtis Holmes better known as John C. Holmes or Johnny Wadd , was one of the most prolific male porn stars of all time, appearing in about 2,500 adult loops, stag films, and pornographic feature movies in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Peter North, Clayton Elder, and Rocco Siffredi
Rocco Siffredi
Rocco Siffredi is the stage name of an Italian pornographic actor, director and producer of pornographic movies, famous for his rough sex scenes...
are considered by AVN
AVN (magazine)
Adult Video News is an American trade journal that covers the adult video industry. The New York Times notes that AVN is to pornographic films what Billboard is to records...
as the top male performers of all time. Adding to his fame, Ron Jeremy has been a staple in the industry since the 1970s and has become something of a cultural icon.
Pay rates
Most male performers in straight porn are paid less than their female costars. Ron JeremyRon Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
has commented on the pay scale of women and men of the sex film industry: in 2003 "Girls can easily make 100K-250K per year, plus stuff on the side like strip shows and appearances. The average male makes $40,000 a year." and in 2008 "The average guy gets $300 to $400 a scene, or $100 to $200 if he's new. A woman makes $100,000 to $250,000 at the end of the year."
In 2011, the manager of Capri Anderson said "A contract girl will only shoot for one company, she won’t shoot for anyone else. Most actresses in the adult industry are free agents – they’ll shoot for anyone. Being a contract girl is kind of a big deal. Most contract girls make $60,000 a year, which isn’t very much... In one year, a contract girl will shoot four movies, and each movie takes about two or three weeks to shoot."
The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that the pay rates for a female actress performing male and female scenes were paid $700 to $1,000.
Some state that gay male porn generally pays men much more than heterosexual porn. Ostensibly, men who perform in gay pornography but identify themselves as heterosexual, most notably Wolf Hudson
Wolf Hudson
Wolf Hudson is a Dominican-American male pornographic actor, director and street dancer.-Early life:Wolf Hudson was born on November 24, 1984, in New York, New York, and is of mixed ancestry: French, Afro-Latin American/Dominican descent. Hudson briefly lived in the Dominican Republic in his early...
, are said to do gay-for-pay
Gay-for-pay
Gay-for-pay describes male or female actors, pornographic stars, or sex workers who self-identify as heterosexual but who are paid to act or perform as homosexual professionally. The term has also applied to other professions and even companies with the same core concerns and criticism in place...
, that is, perform in gay movies only for the paycheck, not because of any personal attraction they have to other men.
According to producer Seymore Butts
Seymore Butts
Seymore Butts is an American pornographic film director, producer and occasional star who has produced hundreds of films in the "gonzo" genre of pornography .-Life and career:...
, who runs his own sex-film recruitment agency, as well as producing sex films; "depending on draw, female performers who perform in both straight and lesbian porn earn more than those who do [just heterosexual scenes] usually make about US$200–800 while those who only do oral sex (blow job) usually only make about US$100–300 for the scene". It was also noted in an interview conducted by Local10 news of Florida that individuals were offered $700 for sexual intercourse while shooting a scene of the popular series Bang Bus
Bang Bus
Bang Bus is a reality porn website that is part of the Bang Bros network run by Kristopher Hinson and Penn Davis's company, Ox Ideas. The two are friends who attended school together. Greg Entner worked for the company as a scene director and camera operator and has appeared in most Bang Bus...
in 2004. According to Videobox, a porn website, actresses make these rates: Blowjobs: $200–$400; Straight sex: $400–$1,200; Anal sex: $900–$1,500; Double Penetration: $1,200–$1,600; Double anal: $2,000. For more unusual fetishes, women generally get 15% extra.
In 2001 actress Chloe said of pay-rates; "In Gonzo
Gonzo pornography
Gonzo pornography is a style of pornographic film that attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. The name is a reference to gonzo journalism, in which the reporter is part of the event taking place...
, you're paid not by the picture, but by the scene. So it's girl-girl: $700, plus $100 for an anal toy. Boy-girl: $900. Anal: $1,100. Solo: $500. DP: $1,500."
Additionally, besides appearing in films, porn stars often make money from endorsements and appearance fees. For instance, in 2010 some night clubs were paying female porn stars and Playboy Playmates to appear there to act as draws for the general public; Jesse Jane
Jesse Jane
Jesse Jane is an American pornographic actress and model.-Early life:Jane was a military brat who grew up on various military bases in the Midwestern United States. She did extensive dance training and was a varsity cheerleader at her high school in Rose Hill, Kansas...
was reported to have been paid between $5,000 to $10,000 for one appearance by a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
club.
Pornographic actors and STDs
Because of the nature of their work, usually involving sex without condomCondom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s, pornographic actors were traditionally vulnerable to sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
s. In a paper written by LA Public Health officials claimed that among 825 performers screened in 2000–2001, 7.7% of females and 5.5% of males had chlamydia, and 2% overall had gonorrhea
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...
. These rates are much higher than in patients visiting family planning clinics, where chlamydia and gonorrhea rates were 4.0% and 0.7%, respectively. Between January 2003 and March 2005, approximately 976 performers were reported with 1,153 positive STD test results. Of the 1,153 positive test results, 722 (62.6 %) were chlamydia, 355 (30.8%) were gonorrhea, and 126 (10.9%) were coinfections with chlamydia and gonorrhea. Less is known about the prevalence and risk of transmission of other STDs such as syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, herpes simplex
Herpes simplex
Herpes simplex is a viral disease caused by both Herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 . Infection with the herpes virus is categorized into one of several distinct disorders based on the site of infection. Oral herpes, the visible symptoms of which are colloquially called cold sores or fever...
virus, human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus is a member of the papillomavirus family of viruses that is capable of infecting humans. Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes...
, hepatitis B or C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
, trichomonal infection
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis, sometimes referred to as "trich", is a common cause of vaginitis. It is a sexually transmitted disease, and is caused by the single-celled protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis producing mechanical stress on host cells and then ingesting cell fragments after cell death...
, or diseases transmitted through the fecal–oral route. The data collection of LA public health was criticized by adult industry sources on the grounds that most of those testing positive had never made an adult film-and were in fact being excluded from adult film acting until they had treated their STDs. Non-treatable STDs like HSV represent a difficult case: according to actress Chloe, "After you've been in this business for a while, you have herpes. Everyone has herpes."
The high rate of STDs in the adult film industry started to change in 1998 when major adult film producers started implementing a regular periodic testing program for adult film actors. In the 1980s, an outbreak of HIV led to a number of deaths of erotic actors and actresses, including John Holmes
John Holmes (actor)
John Curtis Holmes better known as John C. Holmes or Johnny Wadd , was one of the most prolific male porn stars of all time, appearing in about 2,500 adult loops, stag films, and pornographic feature movies in the 1970s and 1980s...
, Wade Nichols
Wade Nichols
Wade Nichols, aka Dennis Parker, was an American actor and singer who started his acting career in pornographic movies.His first feature film role was probably in the 1975 gay adult film Boynapped!...
, Marc Stevens, and Al Parker
Al Parker
Al Parker was a gay American pornographic actor , producer, and director. He died from complications of AIDS at the age of 40....
. This led to the creation of the Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
The Adult Industry Medical Associates P.C. , also known simply as AIM or AIM Medical, was an organization that tested erotic actors for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis....
(AIM), which helped set up a voluntary standard in the U.S. adult film industry where erotic actors are tested for HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, Chlamydia
Chlamydia
Chlamydia infection is a common sexually transmitted infection in humans caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The term Chlamydia infection can also refer to infection caused by any species belonging to the bacterial family Chlamydiaceae. C. trachomatis is found only in humans...
and Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...
every 30 days-and twice a year for HSV
HSV
HSV may refer to:* Herpes simplex virus* HSV color space * HSV television station, the Melbourne station of Australia's Seven television network...
, Hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
and Syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
. AIM posts test results on their website identified with the actors drivers license number so they can be shared without any possibility of fraud. AIM claims that this program has reduced the rate of STDs among adult film actors to 20% that of the general population. These claims have been criticized by various public health authorities-but there have been no controlled studies that support the claims of public health authorities that AIM's testing approach is not working.
Autobiographies
- My Story, Marilyn ChambersMarilyn ChambersMarilyn Chambers was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress and vice-presidential candidate...
, 1975 (ISBN 0446798274) - "Inside Linda Lovelace" (1974), "The Intimate Diary of Linda Lovelace" (1974), "Ordeal" (1980), & "Out of Bondage" (1986), Linda LovelaceLinda LovelaceLinda Susan Boreman , better known by her stage name Linda Lovelace, was an American pornographic actress who was famous for her performance of deep throat fellatio in the enormously successful 1972 hardcore porn film Deep Throat...
- Raw Talent, Jerry ButlerJerry Butler (porn star)Jerry Butler is an American pornographic actor. He was one of the most popular male performers in the 1980s, making more than 500 films in his career.-Early life:...
, 1990 (ISBN 087975625X) - Hard, Raffaëla AndersonRaffaëla AndersonRaffaëla Anderson was an adult film performer from 1995 to 2001, and is now a non-fiction writer and occasionally acts in mainstream productions.-Personal life:...
, 2001 (ISBN 2253154490) (in French) - Penetrating Insights, Peter North, 1994 (ISBN 1885591225)
- The Secret Lives of Hyapatia Lee, Hyapatia LeeHyapatia LeeHyapatia Lee of Cherokee and Irish descent, is a former American exotic dancer and pornographic actress...
, 2000 (ISBN 1587219069) - Traci Lords: Underneath It All, Traci LordsTraci LordsTraci Lords , also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an American film actress, producer, film director, writer and singer...
, 2003 - Sex Star, Clara MorganeClara MorganeClara Morgane is a French singer, media personality, TV host, and a former pornographic actress.-Biography:Clara Morgane was born and raised in Marseille....
, 2003 (in French) - J'assume, Nina RobertsNina RobertsNina Roberts is a French porn star, actress, author and contemporary artist .Her first book, J'assume, was published in 2004 by éditions Scali...
, mai 2005 (ISBN 2350120201) (in French) - How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary TaleHow to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary TaleHow to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale is the autobiography of adult film star Jenna Jameson, published August 17, 2004. It was co-written with Neil Strauss, a contributor to the New York Times and Rolling Stone, and published by ReganBooks, a division of HarperCollins. It was an...
, Jenna JamesonJenna JamesonJenna Jameson is an American entrepreneur and former pornographic actress, who has been called the world's most famous adult-entertainment performer and "The Queen of Porn."...
, 2005 - Secretos de una pornostar, Celia BlancoCelia BlancoCelia Blanco is a former pornographic actress.-Career:Celia Blanco worked as a nightclub waitress, before becoming an adult movie actress at age 21. She gained wide popularity in Spain and participated in several mainstream television interviews and panel discussions...
, 2005 (in Spanish) - Porno – Ein Star packt aus, Kelly TrumpKelly TrumpKelly Trump is the stage name of German pornographic actress Nicole Heyka.She has performed in story-driven German adult films, such as German Beauty , Eiskalte Engel , the 00Sex series and Ariella the Mermaid...
, 2005 (in German) - Lights, Camera, SEX!, Christy CanyonChristy Canyon- External links :...
, 2005 (ISBN 0972747001) - Io, Rocco, Rocco SiffrediRocco SiffrediRocco Siffredi is the stage name of an Italian pornographic actor, director and producer of pornographic movies, famous for his rough sex scenes...
, 2006 (in Italian) (ISBN 8804559950) - The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz, Ron JeremyRon JeremyRonald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
, 2006 (ISBN 0060840838) - Per amore e per forza, Ilona StallerIlona StallerIlona Staller , also known by her stage name la Cicciolina, is a Hungarian-born Italian porn star, politician, and singer. She continued to make hardcore pornographic films while in office. She is famous for delivering political speeches with one breast exposed.-Early life:Anna Ilona was born in...
, 2007 (in Italian) - Zen and the Art of fucking Pornography, Harold JohnsonHarold JohnsonHarold Johnson may refer to:*Harold Johnson , professional boxer*Harold Keith Johnson , American general*Harold Johnson , American astronomer*Harold T...
, 2008 (ISBN 1438204302) - The Devil Made Me Do It, Georgina SpelvinGeorgina SpelvinGeorgina Spelvin is the stage name of Michelle Graham, a former American pornographic actress who is best known for her appearance in the classic film The Devil in Miss Jones.-Early life:...
, 2008 (ISBN 0615199070) - Candy Barr AKA Juanita Dale Slusher, Candy BarrCandy BarrCandy Barr was an American stripper, burlesque exotic dancer, actress in one pornographic movie, and model in men's magazines of the mid-20th century....
, 2009 (ISBN 97809818220) - Sinner Takes All: A Memoir of Love and Porn, Tera PatrickTera PatrickLinda Ann Hopkins, better known as Tera Patrick is a former American pornographic actress.-Early life:Tera Patrick was born Linda Ann Hopkins in Great Falls, Montana. While at Boise State, Patrick earned an AAS degree in nursing and a BS in Biology.-Career:Patrick moved to New York City and her...
, 2009 (ISBN 1592405223)
- Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn: The Greatest Illusion on Earth, Shelley LubbenShelley LubbenShelley Lubben is an American former pornographic actress who performed under the stage name of Roxy. After she left the sex industry, Lubben became a born-again Christian and anti-pornography activist...
, 2010 (ISBN 9781453860076)
See also
:Category:Pornographic film actors:Category:Lists of pornographic film actors
- List of British pornographic actors
- List of Asian pornographic actors
- List of African-American pornographic actors
- List of pornographic actors who appeared in mainstream films
- List of pornographic actresses by decade