Sydnee Steele
Encyclopedia
Sydnee Steele is an American
pornographic actress, free speech activist, sex counselor
and author
. She appeared in nearly 300 films before her retirement in 2005.
, Texas
, the daughter of a college professor. She has described herself as having been a very shy and introverted child, relating in a 2001 interview with AVN
, "I used to hide behind my parents' legs when people would say hi to me." Before entering pornography she held a position as a financial officer at a yacht
company in Texas.
In the early 90s, while working as a jewelry saleswoman in a Dallas shopping mall, Steele met Michael Raven
, a car salesman who sold her a new Miata. They married, finding a common interest in pornography and swinging
, and moved to Los Angeles, California
to turn their hobbies into careers. Their marriage lasted for ten years, during which Raven became a known pornographic film director.
scene in The Queen's Challenge (1997), with Anna Malle
and Jade St. Clair. Her first big feature film was Flashpoint (1997), directed by pornographic actor and director Brad Armstrong, whom she met at a Gentlemen's Expo. She remained freelance in the early part of her career, working with many adult film production companies including Elegant Angel
, Metro Studios, New Sensations, Sin City, VCA Pictures
and Vivid Entertainment
.
In 2001, she signed an exclusive contract with Wicked Pictures
, becoming a "Wicked Girl". After that she performed in mostly plot-based pornographic films (also known as features) and began winning awards. The film for which she garnered the most acclaim was Brad Armstrong's Euphoria. She was awarded AVN
's 2002 Best Actress for her role in the film. She was again nominated for Best Actress in 2003 for Falling From Grace and in 2004 for Lost And Found.
After her Wicked contract, she says she received media coverage in nationally distributed publications, including The New York Times
, Time
and Premiere
. She was featured in The Learning Channel's Public and Private, where she explains her ideas on the differences between sex in her private life and sex on camera.
In 2004, while filming Pillow Talk, directed by Devinn Lane
, she told Adult Video News that she had fallen in love with a man from outside the industry, and would only perform girl-girl scenes. It would turn out to be her last pornographic film. Steele left the industry in April 2005.
In 2007, she was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame
.
In 2009, she appeared on an episode in the non-pornographic television series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
alongside Tommy Wiseau
. She also starred in a movie titled Cougar school in 2009.
. She has written several articles for AVN Online and Club Magazine.
After retiring from pornography, Steele studied under Dr. Patti Britton, author of The Art of Sex Coaching, to become a certified Pranic practitioner and sex coach, to help couples learn new sexual techniques to improve their sex lives and their relationships. Steele has written a book with hypnotherapist Luke Chao entitled Seducing Your Woman (Burman Books, June 1, 2006, ISBN 978-0973716672), a book meant as a guide for men to assist in building sexual confidence and knowledge.
In July 2007, Steele was scheduled to speak on "Sex and love -- making your time away from the office really count and how to not wind up as one of your clients" as a relationship consultant at the New York State Bar Association
's Family Law
Section, but was canceled when her past as a pornographic actress was revealed.
Adult Video News
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pornographic actress, free speech activist, sex counselor
Sex therapy
Sex therapy is the treatment of sexual dysfunction, such as non-consummation, premature ejaculation , erectile dysfunction, low libido, unwanted sexual fetishes, sexual addiction, painful sex, or a lack of sexual confidence, assisting people who are recovering from sexual assault, problems commonly...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She appeared in nearly 300 films before her retirement in 2005.
Biography
Steele was born in DallasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the daughter of a college professor. She has described herself as having been a very shy and introverted child, relating in a 2001 interview with 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...
, "I used to hide behind my parents' legs when people would say hi to me." Before entering pornography she held a position as a financial officer at a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
company in Texas.
In the early 90s, while working as a jewelry saleswoman in a Dallas shopping mall, Steele met Michael Raven
Michael Raven
Michael Raven is an American adult film director. He is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame.While he was working as a car salesman, Raven met Sydnee Steele to whom he sold a new Miata. They married, finding a common interest in pornography and swinging, and moved to Los Angeles, California to turn...
, a car salesman who sold her a new Miata. They married, finding a common interest in pornography and swinging
Swinging
Swinging or partner swapping is a non-monogamous behavior, in which both partners in a committed relationship agree, as a couple, for both partners to engage in sexual activities with other couples as a recreational or social activity...
, and moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to turn their hobbies into careers. Their marriage lasted for ten years, during which Raven became a known pornographic film director.
Actress
Steele was introduced to the industry through a friend, A.J. Crowell, who at the time was publisher and owner of Sundown, a Texas adult entertainment listings guide. Her debut performance in the adult entertainment industry involved being painted like a zebra in a three-girlThreesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
scene in The Queen's Challenge (1997), with Anna Malle
Anna Malle
Anna Malle was an American pornographic actress.- Career :According to IAFD, one of her first appearances was in "Dirty Debutantes", Vol. 37, with Ed Powers. In that video, she says she came up with the name Anna Malle on her own to describe her sexual style...
and Jade St. Clair. Her first big feature film was Flashpoint (1997), directed by pornographic actor and director Brad Armstrong, whom she met at a Gentlemen's Expo. She remained freelance in the early part of her career, working with many adult film production companies including Elegant Angel
Elegant Angel
Elegant Angel Productions is a pornographic film studio located in Canoga Park, California and owned by Patrick Collins. The company is considered one of the early pioneers of Gonzo pornography, and its films have won numerous awards.-History:...
, Metro Studios, New Sensations, Sin City, VCA Pictures
VCA Pictures
VCA Pictures is an American pornographic film production and distribution company. The company was founded by Russ Hampshire, and was formerly a major player during the 'Golden Age of Porn'. Throughout the 70's and 80's VCA produced big budget, plot-oriented feature films...
and Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment Group is an adult video producer, featuring a catalog of VHS and DVD titles and internet content. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry....
.
In 2001, she signed an exclusive contract with Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures
Wicked Pictures is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry...
, becoming a "Wicked Girl". After that she performed in mostly plot-based pornographic films (also known as features) and began winning awards. The film for which she garnered the most acclaim was Brad Armstrong's Euphoria. She was awarded 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...
's 2002 Best Actress for her role in the film. She was again nominated for Best Actress in 2003 for Falling From Grace and in 2004 for Lost And Found.
After her Wicked contract, she says she received media coverage in nationally distributed publications, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Premiere
Premiere (magazine)
Premiere was an American and New York City-based film magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., published between the years 1987 and 2007. The original version of the magazine, Première , was started in France in 1976 and is still being published there.-History:The magazine originally...
. She was featured in The Learning Channel's Public and Private, where she explains her ideas on the differences between sex in her private life and sex on camera.
In 2004, while filming Pillow Talk, directed by Devinn Lane
Devinn Lane
Devinn Lane is an inactive adult model, pornographic actress, writer, director and producer. She is sometimes credited as Devin Lane or Devon Lane. She was chosen Penthouse Pet of the Month October 1999.- Biography :Lane became pregnant at 16 and began stripping to support herself and her child in...
, she told Adult Video News that she had fallen in love with a man from outside the industry, and would only perform girl-girl scenes. It would turn out to be her last pornographic film. Steele left the industry in April 2005.
In 2007, she was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame
AVN Hall of Fame
This is a list of members of the AVN Hall of Fame. The AVN Hall of Fame honors the legends of the adult entertainment industry.- AVN Hall of Fame members :[Top]| style="vertical-align:top; width:15px;"|...
.
In 2009, she appeared on an episode in the non-pornographic television series Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim comedy block and ran until May 2010...
alongside Tommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau is a screenwriter, director, producer, executive producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his film The Room which has been described as "one of the worst movies ever made" and has gained cult film status...
. She also starred in a movie titled Cougar school in 2009.
Author and counselor
From 2002 through 2004, Steele wrote "The Steele Factor", a monthly column discussing pornography, sexuality, and free speech for AVNAVN (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...
. She has written several articles for AVN Online and Club Magazine.
After retiring from pornography, Steele studied under Dr. Patti Britton, author of The Art of Sex Coaching, to become a certified Pranic practitioner and sex coach, to help couples learn new sexual techniques to improve their sex lives and their relationships. Steele has written a book with hypnotherapist Luke Chao entitled Seducing Your Woman (Burman Books, June 1, 2006, ISBN 978-0973716672), a book meant as a guide for men to assist in building sexual confidence and knowledge.
In July 2007, Steele was scheduled to speak on "Sex and love -- making your time away from the office really count and how to not wind up as one of your clients" as a relationship consultant at the New York State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...
's Family Law
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
Section, but was canceled when her past as a pornographic actress was revealed.
Awards
X-Rated Critics OrganizationX-Rated Critics Organization
The X-Rated Critics Organization is a group of writers and editors from the adult entertainment industry who each year present awards in recognition of achievement within the industry....
- 2000 Unsung Siren
Adult Video News
- 2001 Best Couples Sex Scene – Film, with Bobby VitaleBobby VitaleBobby Vitale, also known as Bobby Vitali, is an American pornographic actor. He entered the adult film industry in 1995 and has performed in over 418 titles. His filmography includes films directed by John Leslie. Vitale has directed two adult films. While married to Briana Banks, he did scenes...
for Facade - 2001 Best All-Girl Sex Scene – Video, with Jewel De'NyleJewel De'NyleJewel De'Nyle is a former American pornographic actress and director. She is of Spanish, Sicilian, English, and Blackfoot Native American ancestry....
for Dark Angels - 2002 Best Actress – Video, for Euphoria
- 2003 Best Supporting Actress – Video, for Breathless
- 2007 AVN Hall of FameAVN Hall of FameThis is a list of members of the AVN Hall of Fame. The AVN Hall of Fame honors the legends of the adult entertainment industry.- AVN Hall of Fame members :[Top]| style="vertical-align:top; width:15px;"|...
Partial filmography
- Cougar School (2009)
- Pillow Talk (2004)
- Island Girls (2003)
- Sex Through the Ages (2002)
- My Father's Wife (2002)
- Virtual Blowjobs: In Your Face (2001)
- Snob Hill (2000)
- Nymphomercials (1999)
- Taboo 17 (1998)
- Dirty Dancers 12 (1997)
External links
- The Love Generation Sydnee Steele’s Sexual Empowerment Coaching
- Bio at Wicked Pictures