11 Porn Stars Who Have Crossed Into the Mainstream

As we discussed in our recent piece “The State of Porn,” the porn industry has become a victim of its own success. While the industry’s willingness to embrace new technologies once led to rapid growth, traditional porn producers now find themselves being squeezed out of the market due to a rapid proliferation of providers and an abundance of free content on the web.

The industry at the moment, however, still remains a cash cow, accounting for $2.84 billion worth of media sales per year. Moreover, it continues to reach into the minds of creative and empowered filmmakers outside of the industry and yield illuminating parodies like our very own Blue Movies. And for that, we are thankful.

As the porn industry continues to evolve and find its voice in our interconnected culture, we can be sure that porn stars will not only proliferate on the Internet, but in other media, as well. After all, ever since the days of Ron Jeremy, numerous porn stars have tirelessly sought Hollywood glory and several of them even found success. And so, in honor of Blue Movies, and the inevitable convergence of media – film, TV, Internet, and beyond – we present you with a look at “11 Porn Stars Who Have Crossed Into the Mainstream.”  We can only wonder which character from Blue Movies will be next on the list.

1. Jill Kelly

Kelly has appeared in over 600 adult films since beginning her career in the late 1980s. She created an adult film production company that was acquired by Penthouse, and is an AVN Hall of Fame inductee. She began her mainstream film career with the cult action-flick The Roller Blade Seven (1991) and would later appear in the Trey Parker and Matt Stone porn spoof Orgazmo (1997) and Spike Lee’s He Got Game (1998).

2. Sasha Grey

A relative newcomer, even by porn industry standards (she was born in 1988), Sasha began her career in 2006 and became a sensation almost overnight. The porn industry held high hopes for Sasha’s crossover with her 2009 collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh, but the film failed to win over audiences and critics alike, bringing in a domestic box office total of under $700,000.

3. Traci Lords

Famous for her under-aged beginnings in the industry, Traci Lords started her adult film career at the age of 15. By the time she was 18, however, she was already planning her switch to Hollywood films. She appeared in Roger Corman’s film Not Of This Earth (1988), and enjoyed her first mainstream success with John Waters’ Cry-Baby (1990) alongside Johnny Depp. Since then, she has appeared on several TV shows, including “Gilmore Girls,” “Will & Grace,” and “Melrose Place,” along with film roles in Blade (1998) and Zack and Miri Make A Porno (2008).

4. Ron Jeremy

Ron Jeremy is commonly regarded as the biggest name in the porn industry. This 5-foot-6 portly star nicknamed “The Hedgehog” has appeared in Hollywood films since the 1980s. His bio includes films such as Ghostbusters (1984), Boondock Saints (1999), Reindeer Games (2000), and The Rules of Attraction (2002), just to name a few. And while it seems Jeremy may not be winning an Oscar anytime soon, he is the closest thing to a real crossover success story the adult film industry has ever seen.

5. Veronica Hart

A retired adult film actress who began her career in 1980, Hart is an inductee of the AVN Hall of Fame. Since she left the porn industry in the mid-1980s, she has appeared in HBO’s “Six Feet Under” as well as the films Ruby (1992), Boogie Nights (1997), and Magnolia (1999).

6. Jenna Jameson

As the world’s most popular female porn star, many say that Jenna Jameson revolutionized the adult entertainment industry through her mainstream exposure. Her autobiography, How To Make Love Like A Porn Star, was a 2004 bestseller, and rumors of a film adaptation have circulated for years. Jenna has expressed interest in casting Scarlett Johansson as the lead, but Johansson is reportedly not receptive. Jenna has appeared on several TV shows, including guest spots on various sports shows and a cameo on “Family Guy.” Her film bio includes Private Parts (1997) (gotta love those sex puns) and Ali G, Aiii (2000).

7. Kobe Tai

This Taiwanese-born adult film star began a career in porn in 1994. She attempted a crossover with 1998’s Very Bad Things, but retired from the screen in mid-2000 only to return to porn in 2001.

8. Ginger Lynn

One of the biggest porn stars of the 1980s, Ginger Lynn began her porn industry career at age 21. She became the first “Vivid Girl”, and even dated Charlie Sheen in the early 1990s. Her Hollywood career kicked off in 1989 with Vice Academy, then graduated to such films as Young Guns II (1990), The Devil’s Rejects (2005) and American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005).

9. Chasey Lain

Chasey began her adult film career in 1991 and quickly became a mega-star in the industry. AVN Magazine has listed her as one of the top 50 porn stars of all-time. In 1997, she landed a role in Trey Parker/Matt Stone’s Orgazmo (1997), and Spike Lee’s He Got Game (1998). After taking a two-year hiatus from the industry in 2002, she returned to focus on her adult-film career. You may laugh, but it does take considerable focus to make a porn film.

10. Aurora Snow

While a student at the University of California, Irvine, Aurora Snow answered an ad for nude models, and thus began her adult entertainment career. She has appeared in nearly 500 films over the past 10 years. Her mainstream credits include The Rules of Attraction (2002), and Judd Apatow’s Superbad (2007).

11. Asia Carrera

Before her career in adult films, Carrera was a child pianist who had performed at Carnegie Hall on multiple occasions, attended Rutgers University on a full-ride scholarship, and was a New Jersey Spelling Champion in 1989. She is also a member of Mensa, and if that isn’t impressive enough, she’s a proud inductee of the AVN Hall of Fame. Carrera made her crossover with the Coen brothers 1998 film, The Big Lebowski, in which she played a porn star.

Looking for more SFW insights into the porn industry? Check out Blue Movies!