Porn to Mainstream
The rise to mainstream stardom of the few lucky ones...
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- Mixed martial artist from Fairbury, Nebraska, he made his pro debut in November 2009 and appeared in the first episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: Live". He has participated in gay porn (for the website Sean Cody): sixteen videos under the stage name of "Danny".
- Kristine was raised on a small self-sufficient farm in upstate New York. As a young girl, she took ballet and studied voice. At 14, she began modeling for Macy's. During her freshman year of high school, Kristine auditioned for and won the part of Marta in the musical The Sound Of Music. The following summer, the now-famous Mac-Haydn Theatre opened in DeBell's hometown, featuring The Sound Of Music as its last show of its season. Kristine auditioned for the part of Marta again, however producers felt her voice was too mature and cast her as the naughty postulant. This was the beginning of a fruitful four performance seasons with The Mac-Haydn Theatre. After graduation from high school and a year at Berkeley College studying Fashion Merchandising, Kristine began modeling for Ford Models in NYC. She later moved into acting and is known for starring in an X-rated film version of Alice in Wonderland . She was on the April 1976 cover of Playboy, photographed by Suze Randall, and appeared in the Helmut Newton pictorial, "200 Motels, or How I Spent My Summer Vacation"( August, 1976), from which 11 original prints were sold at auctions of Playboy archives by Butterfields in 2002 for $21,075 and three by Christies in December 2003 for $26,290. Kristine starred in a number of motion pictures including Meatballs (Bill Murray's first film and Ivan Reitman's directorial debut), Blood Brothers (Richard Gere's first film, directed by Robert Mulligan), and The Big Brawl (Jackie Chan's first American film). Kristine also starred in a number of television pilots throughout the early 1980's, and enjoyed many guest-star appearances in episodic television and movies of the week, including Night Court, and the award-winning soap opera The Young & The Restless. DeBell left the film and television industry in the mid-1980's to raise her children on a thoroughbred farm in upstate New York. Her passion for theater brought her back to the stage, and she began starring in many regional theater productions. One of her most memorable performances was as Blanche Dubois in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Since moving back to Los Angeles in 2008, she has enjoyed steady work as a film and television actress.She began her career as a fashion model and later moved into acting, debuting as the star of an X-rated film: "Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy". That was the only porn movie she was in, cause subsequently she moved to mainstream film and television.
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Spalding Gray was born on 5 June 1941 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Swimming to Cambodia (1987), Kate & Leopold (2001) and Beaches (1988). He was married to Kathleen Russo and Renée Shafransky. He died on 10 January 2004 in New York City, New York, USA.American actor and writer, best known for the autobiographical monologues that he wrote and performed for the theater in the 1980s and '90s (the most famous one being "Swimming to Cambodia", which was adapted into a film in 1987 by filmmaker Jonathan Demme). Before being famous he acted in the adult movies: "The Farmer's Daughters" (1976) and "Maraschino Cherry" (1978).- Actress
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Sasha Grey first made her name as one of the most notorious adult film stars in recent history; but with a no regrets attitude, she moved on from her former career, in 2009 at age 21. She has gone on to star in HBO's Entourage, published NEÜ SEX a book of photographs, and she DJ's internationally. In 2013, she published her first novel, the internationally successful The Juliette Society, in 25 countries. She regularly tours internationally, as an artist, author, actress, and DJ.She started her career in adult films just after turning 18. On April 8, 2011, she officially announced her retirement from adult films. Throughout her adult film career, she was profiled by several pop culture magazines and television programs. She has also been featured in music videos and advertising campaigns. After her feature film debut as the lead in Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience", she shifted her focus to mainstream acting.- Actress
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Eva Henger was born on 2 November 1972 in Gyõr, Hungary. She is an actress and writer, known for Tic Toc (2023), Bastardi (2008) and Il postino sogna sempre due volte (2020). She has been married to Massimiliano Caroletti since 14 April 2013. They have one child. She was previously married to Riccardo Schicchi.Appearing in a lot of Italian adult movies from 1997 to 1999, the Hungarian Eva Henger quickly became a porn legend and was directed by the notorious Joe D'Amato. When she retired from the porn industry she started a new career as a showgirl, appearing in TV shows like "Convenscion" and "Paperissima Sprint". She also began starring in mainstream movies and making music (6 singles, the last one in 2011).- Sibel Kekilli is a German actress of Turkish origin. With her debut in Fatih Akin's movie "Head On" she gained major public attention. The film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival 2004 and her acting performance received several national and international prizes, among them the highly prestigious German film award Lola for Best Actress.
Since then Kekilli played in several national and international productions like "Eve Dönüs" ("Home coming"), awarded Best Actress at the Antalya Film Festival, aside with Josef Bierbichler and Hanna Schygulla in "Winter Journey" ("Winterreise) or the leading role Umay in Feo Aladags "When We Leave" ("Die Fremde") in 2010 which lead to Best Actress Award at the Tribeca Film Festival and once again the Lola award among others.
Apart from other movie roles, as the very successful comedy "What a man" (2011) directed by Matthias Schweighöfer, she has been investigating in the highly regarded German series "Tatort" since 2010.
She has also become widely known as part of the main cast for her role as Shae in the HBO award-winning series "Game of Thrones" (Season 1 until Season 4).Sibel Kekilli is a German actress of Turkish descent. She gained public attention after starring as the leading role in the 2004 film "Head-On", directed by Fatih Akın, and more recently she has appeared in the series "Game of Thrones". What you probably don't know is that before being famous she starred in hardcore movies from 2001 to 2002, with the aliases Kim, Dilara, Sybel: the Internet Movie Database lists 15 adult movies. - Actress
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Brigitte Lahaie was born on October 12, 1955 in Tourcoing, Nord, France. Her father was a banker and her mother was an accountant. Brigitte also has two brothers and a sister. Lahaie moved with her sister to Paris, France in 1975 and worked in a shoe store prior to getting her first film job through a newspaper advert. Brigitte began performing in explicit hardcore movies in 1976 just a year following the legalization of hardcore pornography in France. After establishing herself as a star attraction in adult fare, Brigitte played a small role in the horror picture The Grapes of Death (1978) for cult cinema director Jean Rollin. Lahaie went on to tackle a lead role in Fascination (1979) for Rollin. Moreover, in the early 1980's Brigitte decided to stop doing porn and made a concentrated effort to appear in more traditional mainstream films under the alias Brigitte Simonin. (She has small parts in such mainstream movies as Diva (1981) and Henry & June (1990).) In addition, Lahaie published an autobiography in 1987, recorded and released a pop single, and even did a successful one-woman stage show about her life and career before going on to become the hostess of her own daily talk radio show that largely centers on issues concerning sexuality and relationships. Brigitte was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame as a Film Pioneer in 2014.Brigitte Lahaie is a former pornographic actress from France. She began her career in cinema at age 15 with a minor role in "Africa Erotica" (1970) and performed in pornographic films from 1976 through 1980, quickly becoming a star. Now she's a succesfull radio talk show host and mainstream actress ("Les Prédateurs de la nuit", "Henry et June", "Electric Blue", "Calvaire").- Actor
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Sean Paul Lockhart was born on 31 October 1986 in Lewiston, Idaho, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Judas Kiss (2011), Triple Crossed (2013) and Chillerama (2011).Gay pornographic actor using his stage name Brent Corrigan, he made the claim that he falsified his identification documents to make his first films, being under-age when these were filmed. This public statement resulted in much controversy, causing many of his films to be (voluntarily) pulled from distribution channels. He has also appeared in several nonpornographic films as well using his birth name Sean Paul Lockhart trying to reposition himself as a more mainstream actor rather than a porn star and has released no new pornographic films since 2010 and has focused almost exclusively on gay-themed movies and indie films.- Actress
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Kevin Smith called her an American Pop Icon and John Waters called her the ultimate bad girl. While her early notoriety brought her international fame, her determination, grit, and talent have garnered her respect in many areas of the entertainment industry. She has appeared in dozens of films and television shows such as Roger Corman's cult classic Not of This Earth, John Water's Crybaby, Marvel's Blade, Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno, to the award-winning Excision; from Melrose Place, Roseanne, Will & Grace to series regular roles on NBC's Profiler and Syfy's First Wave. Her memoir Traci Lords Underneath It All (HarperCollins) was a NY Times Bestseller, and her pioneering techno album 1000 Fires topped the Billboard Dance Chart and was featured on both the Mortal Combat and Virtuosity soundtracks earning double platinum status. Lords is an award-winning voice over artist and has a vintage inspired line of clothing. In 2020, she made her stage debut as Gloria in the revival of Tom Eyen's cult classic Women Behind Bar which is now streaming on Broadway World.
Lords is an Ohio native born to Patricia and Louis Kuzma. Young Nora Louise Kuzma spent her early days in rural Steubenville, Ohio shuttled between her divorced parent's houses. It was then that her mother began a relationship with a man named Roger Hayes and relocated to Southern California. Teenage Nora missed her father terribly and began to treat Roger as a father figure. Her mother eventually realized that Roger was not the man she had thought he was and ended the relationship but left Nora in Roger's care, claiming she was overwhelmed and couldn't provide for the teenager. In Traci's memoir Underneath It All, she states that Roger groomed her for nude modeling and sex trafficked her at that time. Porn agent Jim South has confirmed in various interviews that it was Roger Hayes who brought the 15-year-old to his office in Van Nuys, California in 1984. Armed with a fake ID, no one questioned the stunning woman-child who signed on as a figure model which eventually led to adult films. With her rebellious attitude and stunning looks, she shot to stardom quickly in the X-rated world.
In May 1986, the Traci Lords story broke. The media had a field day with the tale of the troubled bad girl who tricked the porn world. The FBI questioned Lords and announced that because she was a minor, she was not responsible and that all films that featured her must be destroyed. Lords was never arrested or charged with any crimes but was punished in other ways. She was forced to pay estimated taxes on her purported income. And has faced years of criticism and ridicule because of her history in adult movies but eventually carved an impressive body of work in mainstream Hollywood where she continues to thrive today. Lords' lives in Southern California with her husband and their son.Traci Lords debuted in the porn industry in 1984, after modeling for various adult magazines. She appeared in 100 adult movies and became a big star, but in 1986 a big scandal broke: Traci was underage while filming those movies. Only her last porn appearance, in "Traci, I Love You", filmed after her 18th birthday, was deemed legal. Later she moved to mainstream film, appearing in several movies. She started a singing career too.- Actor
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Simon Rex continues to captivate audiences through dynamic and unconventional roles across the multimedia landscape.
Rex stars in Sean Baker's RED ROCKET for A24. The film follows Mikey Saber (Rex), a unique American hustler, who returns to a hometown that barely tolerates him. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 to a rapturous response, followed by the Telluride Film Festival and the Deauville American Film Festival, where it was recognized with the Jury Prize and the Critics Prize. The film is also an official selection for the 2021 AFI Fest in November. Rex, who was recently nominated for a Gotham Award in the category of 'Outstanding Lead Performance', continues to be recognized throughout the 2021 festival circuit; he received the Spotlight Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Savannah Film Festival, respectively, as well as the Ensemble Cast Spotlight Award at the Middleburg Film Festival. Critics have lauded Rex's magnetic performance, with many considering this to be a breakthrough, career-defining moment for him. RED ROCKET will release theatrically in December 2021.
Rex will also appear in FilmNation's highly-anticipated feature DOWN LOW, alongside Zachary Quinto, Lukas Gage, Judith Light and Audra McDonald. The script is co-written by Gage and Phoebe Fisher,and directed by Rightor Doyle. He will also be seen in Katie Aselton's MACK & RITA opposite Diane Keaton and Taylour Paige. Rex will also be seen in a supporting role in MY DEAD DAD, directed by Fabio Frey, which also screened at the Mill Valley Film Festival this year along with RED ROCKET.
Rex was first introduced to television audiences as an MTV VJ. Soon after, Rex expanded his repertoire and proceeded to book series regular roles on major network shows such as FELICITY, JACK AND JILL, and WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU. From television into film, his additional credits include SCARY MOVIE 3, 4, & 5, HOTEL CALIFORNIA, and KING OF THE AVENUE.
Rex currently resides in California.Simon Rex is an American actor, comedian, television host and recording artist. He is known for starring as Jeff Campbell in "What I Like About You", during the first season. In 1993, at age 19, he appeared solo in scenes for three masturbation porn films, "Young, Hard & Solo II", "Young, Hard & Solo III" and "Hot Sessions III".- Actress
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Selen was born on 17 December 1966 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress and director.Selen (real name: Luce Caponegro) rose to porn stardom in 1993 with her first high-budget adult movie, "Signore scandalose di provincia", but she had previously appeared in amateur films and worked as a stripper. Her last porn movie was shot in 1999, and by then she completely renowed herself by pursuing a successful mainstream career as a showgirl, actress and disc-jockey.- Actor
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Sylvester Stallone is an athletically built, dark-haired American actor/screenwriter/director/producer, the movie fans worldwide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 40 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywood's biggest-ever box office draws.
Sylvester Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in New York's gritty Hell's Kitchen, to Jackie Stallone (née Labofish), an astrologer, and Frank Stallone, a beautician and hairdresser. His father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother's heritage is half French (from Brittany) and half German. The young Stallone attended the American College of Switzerland and The University of Miami, eventually obtaining a B.A. degree. Initially, he struggled in small parts in films such as the soft-core The Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970), the thriller Klute (1971) and the comedy Bananas (1971). He got a crucial career break alongside fellow young actor Henry Winkler, sharing lead billing in the effectively written teen gang film The Lords of Flatbush (1974). Further film and television roles followed, most of them in uninspiring productions except for the opportunity to play a megalomaniac, bloodthirsty race driver named "Machine Gun Joe Viterbo" in the Roger Corman-produced Death Race 2000 (1975). However, Stallone was also keen to be recognized as a screenwriter, not just an actor, and, inspired by the 1975 Muhammad Ali-Chuck Wepner fight in Cleveland, Stallone wrote a film script about a nobody fighter given the "million to one opportunity" to challenge for the heavyweight title. Rocky (1976) became the stuff of cinematic legends, scoring ten Academy Award nominations, winning the Best Picture Award of 1976 and triggering one of the most financially successful movie series in history! Whilst full credit is wholly deserved by Stallone, he was duly supported by tremendous acting from fellow cast members Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith and Burt Young, and director John G. Avildsen gave the film an emotive, earthy appeal from start to finish. Stallone had truly arrived on his terms, and offers poured in from various studios eager to secure Hollywood's hottest new star.
Stallone followed Rocky (1976) with F.I.S.T. (1978), loosely based on the life of Teamsters boss "Jimmy Hoffa", and Paradise Alley (1978) before pulling on the boxing gloves again to resurrect Rocky Balboa in the sequel Rocky II (1979). The second outing for the "Italian Stallion" wasn't as powerful or successful as the first "Rocky", however, it still produced strong box office. Subsequent films Nighthawks (1981) and Victory (1981) failed to ignite with audiences, so Stallone was once again lured back to familiar territory with Rocky III (1982) and a fearsome opponent in "Clubber Lang" played by muscular ex-bodyguard Mr. T. The third "Rocky" installment far outperformed the first sequel in box office takings, but Stallone retired his prizefighter for a couple of years as another series was about to commence for the busy actor.
The character of Green Beret "John Rambo" was the creation of Canadian-born writer David Morrell, and his novel was adapted to the screen with Stallone in the lead role in First Blood (1982), also starring Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy. The movie was a surprise hit that polarized audiences because of its commentary about the Vietnam war, which was still relatively fresh in the American public's psyche. Political viewpoints aside, the film was a worldwide smash, and a sequel soon followed with Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), which drew even stronger criticism from several quarters owing to the film's plot line about American MIAs allegedly being held in Vietnam. But they say there is no such thing as bad publicity, and "John Rambo's" second adventure was a major money spinner for Stallone and cemented him as one of the top male stars of the 1980s. Riding a wave of amazing popularity, Stallone called on old sparring partner Rocky Balboa to climb back into the ring to defend American pride against a Soviet threat in the form of a towering Russian boxer named "Ivan Drago" played by curt Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV (1985). The fourth outing was somewhat controversial with "Rocky" fans, as violence levels seemed excessive compared to previous "Rocky" films, especially with the savage beating suffered by Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, at the hands of the unstoppable "Siberian Express".
Stallone continued forward with a slew of macho character-themed films that met with a mixed reception from his fans. Cobra (1986) was a clumsy mess, Over the Top (1987) was equally mediocre, Rambo III (1988) saw Rambo take on the Russians in Afghanistan, and cop buddy film Tango & Cash (1989) just did not quite hit the mark, although it did feature a top-notch cast and there was chemistry between Stallone and co-star Kurt Russell.
Philadelphia's favorite mythical boxer moved out of the shadows for his fifth screen outing in Rocky V (1990) tackling Tommy "Machine" Gunn played by real-life heavyweight fighter Tommy Morrison, the great-nephew of screen legend John Wayne. Sly quickly followed with the lukewarm comedy Oscar (1991), the painfully unfunny Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), the futuristic action film Demolition Man (1993), and the comic book-inspired Judge Dredd (1995). Interestingly, Stallone then took a departure from the gung-ho steely characters he had been portraying to stack on a few extra pounds and tackle a more dramatically challenging role in the intriguing Cop Land (1997), also starring Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta. It isn't a classic of the genre, but Cop Land (1997) certainly surprised many critics with Stallone's understated performance. Stallone then lent his vocal talents to the animated adventure story Antz (1998), reprised the role made famous by Michael Caine in a terrible remake of Get Carter (2000), climbed back into a race car for Driven (2001), and guest-starred as the "Toymaker" in the third chapter of the immensely popular "Spy Kids" film series, Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003). Showing that age had not wearied his two most popular series, Stallone has most recently brought back never-say-die boxer Rocky Balboa to star in, well, what else but Rocky Balboa (2006), and Vietnam veteran Rambo (2008) will reappear after a 20-year hiatus to once again right wrongs in the jungles of Thailand.
Love him or loathe him, Sylvester Stallone has built an enviable and highly respected career in Hollywood, plus, he has considerably influenced modern popular culture through several of his iconic film characters.I'm sorry, but the whole "Sylvester Stallone did a porn movie when he wasn't famous" story is nothing but an urban legend. He did, however, a softcore called "The Party at Kitty and Stud's" (later retitled as "The Italian Stallion", guess why). Stallone has said in interviews that he did the film out of desperation after being bounced out of his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days. Later the film's owners asked him for about US$100,000 in exchange for the film not to be released. Well, it's not porn, but it's Stallone film debut!- Actress
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Dany Verissimo-Petit is an edgy and talented young actress with an unusual background. Her recent runaway success in the play "D.A.F. Marquis de Sade" (2013), and a two-season run in the hit Canal Plus TV series Maison Close (currently being adapted by HBO), have led to her integration into a number of upcoming projects with French theater director Nicolas Briançon.
In 2004, producer Luc Besson gave her her first lead role in a mainstream movie: Dany was Lola in "District B13," a bleak, futuristic look at street gangs by director Pierre Morel. Her depiction of Lola was both wild and strong, and the film was a spectacular success.
After a succession of minor roles, in May 2006 ELLE magazine's Cannes Special Edition highlighted Dany as one of the 17 rising French actresses, and French literary giant Alain Robbe-Grillet made her the star of his last film, "It's Gradiva who is calling you" (U.S release 2009). "She surprises by her generosity and the strength of her presence," Robbe-Grillet told reporters, clearly enchanted by the mesmerizing performance of his young female star.
Dany has been Camelia, a rebellious 19th century prostitute, in the Canal Plus series Maison Close (Season 1, 2010; Season 2, 2012; the series is being adapted by HBO). Her powerful 2013 performance on the stage in "D.A.F. Marquis de Sade", directed by Nicolas Briançon, won critical accolades including "hypnotic" (Theatre.com) and "the perfect incarnation of... a sublime physique and an undeniable acting talent" (RegArts).
Dany speaks completely fluent English, as well as her native French, and moonlights as a painter. She has a (2013) 10 year-old daughter is divorced from the actor Rodolphe Verissimo, and lives in Paris.She began performing in pornography at 18 and a half years old, performing in films by John B. Root, the adult film director who she worked with exclusively through her entire 16-month adult film career. In 2002, she had her first non-erotic film roles and in 2004, she was cast as Lola in the film "Banlieue 13", a role specially created for her by producer Luc Besson. Now she's a mainstream actress and model.- Actress
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Dita Von Teese was born on 28 September 1972 in Rochester, Michigan, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Death of Salvador Dali (2005) and Don't Worry Darling (2022). She was previously married to Marilyn Manson.Dita Von Teese: glamorous superdiva, the queen of burlesque dancers, model, actress, costume designer, and Manson's ex-girlfriend. We all know her. Well, she began her career as a fetish model, appearing in magazines like Bizarre, Marquis and Playboy. And she did fetish movies too: some softcore, some hardcore. She appeared in at least four adult movies, most notably Andrew Blake's fetish films "Pin-Ups 2" and "Decadence".- Contestant of the reality show "The Real World", he admitted having appeared in gay porn, for the website fratpad.com.
- He was featured on the talent show "The Voice", but he blamed his gay porn past for elimination.