Porn Stars Who've Gone Mainstream
by Umika Pidaparthy, Special to CNN
Thu June 14, 2012



James Deen


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Writer Bret Easton Ellis tweeted on Tuesday that Lindsay Lohan will be one of the stars in his upcoming project The Canyons. While news of LiLo's career comeback plans is buzzworthy, information on her potential co-star has been gaining more traction.

James Deen, a porn star, will play Christian, a "film producer who enjoys filming his own three-way sex sessions," according to IndieWire. Deen has gained quite a fan following for his boy-next-door look and has been profiled by GOOD magazine and ABC's "Nightline".









Sasha Grey


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Sasha Grey made her entrance in the pornographic film industry just after she had turned 18. By 21, she had become a veteran and won several Adult Video News awards.

Then in 2008, Steven Soderberg cast Grey in the feature film The Girlfriend Experience. Since then she has starred in Smash Cut, modeled for American Apparel, started her own industrial music group and even had a brief supporting role in "Entourage" in 2010.

In April 2011, Grey announced her retirement from porn.









Ron Jeremy


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Ron Jeremy, "The Hedgehog", is considered one of the most successful porn stars in the industry. Adult Video News even named him the No. 1 porn star of all time.

While Jeremy holds the Guinness World Record for starring in more than 2,000 adult films, he has also starred in mainstream movies such as The Boondock Saints and The Chase.

In 2008, he released a book about his career, The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz: Horny Women, Hollywood Nights & The Rise of the Hedgehog!.









Jenna Jameson


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Before Jenna Jameson starred in her first pornographic film in 1993, she had been a dancer at a strip club and had posed in Hustler, Penthouse and Cheri.

By 1996, she had become a well-known star and got a minor role in Howard Stern's feature film Private Parts.

Since then, this former "queen of porn" has done guest voice-over work for "Family Guy" and has released a New York Times best-selling autobiography and created a horror comic book.









Traci Lords


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Traci Lords was underage when she appeared in her first pornographic movie. She went on to make more than 100 adult films by the time she was 18 and even stripped for Penthouse magazine.

Lords was eventually arrested and many of her "hits" became illegal.

She left the industry and would go on to appear B-movies and TV shows such as "Melrose Place", "Married... with Children", "MacGyver" and "Gilmore Girls".

Lords also had roles in movies Virtuosity and Blade.









Jenna Haze


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Jenna Haze broke into the pornography industry in 2001 at the age of 19. She went on to win numerous adult film awards, including multiple female performer of the year awards.

In 2007 Haze had a small role in Superbad and then launched her own production company in 2009.

She announced her retirement in 2012 and recently appeared in a photo shoot for FHM magazine with Taylor Momsen.









Ginger Lynn


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Ginger Lynn got her start in pornographic movies in the mid-1980s. Around the early '90s, she quit and made appearances in several B-movies and mainstream ones such as Young Guns II with Keifer Sutherland and Emilio Estevez.

Then in 1999, Lynn returned to the adult film industry and starred in a porn film with James Deen in 2008.

She has been ranked No. 7 in Adult Video News' greatest porn stars of all time list.

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The late Dennis Parker, a.k.a. Wade Nichols, played police chief Derek Mallory on the soap opera "Edge of Night" during the late 70's - early 80's. He also made some disco songs as well.

Ashlyn Gere went mainstream in a much-hyped appearance on The X-Files back in the 90's. She was also in the 80's slasher Evil Laugh, going by her real name, Kim McCamy, before she turned to porn.

Simon Rex


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He did some solo porn work at the age of 19 back in 1993.

He then went into television and appeared on "Baywatch" and "Felicity" before getting the role of 'Mikey' on "Jack and Jill". He was also on the first season of "What I Like About You" as 'Jeff'.

He also went into movies starring in Scary Movie 3 and 4, and most recently appeared in Project X.

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The actress is Swedish born Janet Agren who appeared in several Italian movies in the 70's and 80's including Lucio Fulci's City Of The Living Dead.

Michelle Bauer, who was Penthouse Pet Of The Month in '81, started out in hardcore films in the early 80's (under the name Pia Snow). Made many uncredited appearances in mainstream films including The Man Who Wasn't There '83, Tomboy, and Cavegirl.
She's since then had a long running B-movie career with films like Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Nightmare Sisters, Evil Toons, and more recently Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust and the upcoming horror comedy The Trouble with Barry.

Not exactly a porn star, but before he went mainstream in films like The Killing Fields, and became well known for his monologues Swimming To Cambodia, Gray's Anatomy and Monster In A Box- Spalding Gray appeared in the 70's hardcore flicks The Farmer's Daughter and Maraschino Cherry, and the softcore Love-In 1972

The late Marylin Chambers went back and forth between adult and mainstream- her first film was the Barbra Streisand vehicle The Owl And The Pussycat. She then appeared in Together (written/directed by Sean S Cunningham and produced Wes Craven before they both went mainstream with Last House On The Left), Chambers then appeared in her most famous adult film Behind The Green Door, then a few years later starred in David Cronenberg's Rabid. In the 80's she appeared(alongside several other porn stars) in the B flick Angel Of H.E.A.T.

Chambers final film was providing the voice in 2009's all-animal cast Porndogs: The Adventures Of Sadie(which also includes voices from Ron Jeremy, Dustin Diamond, and Paul Rodriguez)
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Mary Carey


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Porn star Mary Carey received mainstream attention when she ran for Governor of California during the 2003 recall election.

Her race was a joke organized by her adult film company and she went on talk shows and news programs talking about taxing breast implants, making lap dances tax-deductible, and creating a "Porn for Pistols" exchange program.

HUSTLER Magazine's Larry Flynt was also running for Governor of California the same time.




While still active in the adult entertainment industry she has appeared on several VH1 reality shows, such as "Celebrity Rehab" and "Sober House", and also appears in several B-movie productions.

Though he didn't totally go mainstream, Jerry Butler did appear in a few 80's horror films- Deranged, and Evils Of The Night.
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Jamie Gillis, star of the infamous 1970's roughie Water Power, was also in Deranged, the early 80's zombie flick Night of the Zombies, and his final film appearance was Die You Zombie Bastards!.
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Deranged features other porn stars- Veronica Hart, Harvey Siegel, and Jennifer Delora (who also popped up in Frankenhooker).




Harry Reems, who was in Deep Throat, Devil in Miss Jones, and the adult horror flick Forced Entry (1973) appeared in the 80's horror flicks To All A Goodnight and Demented, and the comedy National Lampoon's Movie Madness.
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Jenna Jameson


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Before Jenna Jameson starred in her first pornographic film in 1993, she had been a dancer at a strip club and had posed in Hustler, Penthouse and Cheri.

By 1996, she had become a well-known star and got a minor role in Howard Stern's feature film Private Parts.

Since then, this former "queen of porn" has done guest voice-over work for "Family Guy" and has released a New York Times best-selling autobiography and created a horror comic book.





She was also in Zombie Strippers! with Robert Englund.

The actress is Swedish born Janet Agren who appeared in several Italian movies in the 70's and 80's including Lucio Fulci's City Of The Living Dead.
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Though he didn't totally go mainstream, Jerry Butler did appear in a few 80's horror films- Deranged, and Evils Of The Night.
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Jamie Gillis, star of the infamous 1970's roughie Water Power, was also in Deranged, the early 80's zombie flick Night of the Zombies, and his final film appearance was Die You Zombie Bastards!.
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Deranged features other porn stars- Veronica Hart, Harvey Siegel, and Jennifer Delora (who also popped up in Frankenhooker).




Harry Reems, who was in Deep Throat, Devil in Miss Jones, and the adult horror flick Forced Entry (1973) appeared in the 80's horror flicks To All A Goodnight and Demented, and the comedy National Lampoon's Movie Madness.
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Richard Bolla was also in Cannibal Holocaust, and Cannibal Ferox (aka Make Them Die Slowly), and a small part in Spider-Man.

Harry Reems, who was in Deep Throat, Devil in Miss Jones, and the adult horror flick Forced Entry (1973) appeared in the 80's horror flicks To All A Goodnight and Demented, and the comedy National Lampoon's Movie Madness.
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I read somewhere that he was originally set to play 'Coach Calhoun' in Grease.

The producers got cold feet and cast Sid Caesar instead.

I read that too, that could have been the movie that launched his mainstream career.

Richard Bolla was also in Cannibal Holocaust, and Cannibal Ferox (aka Make Them Die Slowly), and a small part in Spider-Man.
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Bree Olson


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Bree Olson received mainstream attention during the Charlie Sheen mania when it was revealed she was one of his "goddesses" living with him.

She has since done talk/news/radio shows talking about her relationship w/ Charlie Sheen and has appeared in some reality shows, such as "Keeping Up with the Kardashians".

Samantha Fox (Not to be confused with 80's British pop star/Page 3 girl of the same name) appeared in a few 80's B-movies: The horror flick A Night To Dismember (directed by infamous porn director Doris Wishman), and a couple of porn director Chuck Vincent's "mainstream" films Warrior Queen, and Slammer Girls.

She also made a small uncredited appearance in the 1982 Mike Hammer film I, The Jury.

Stormy Daniels


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The award-winning adult performer and director started out in the adult industry in 2002 and became popular quickly. She then appeared in many men's magazines.

She has since gotten roles in mainstream tv shows and movies such as "Dirt", "Party Down", The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.

Roseanne Barr.

What? Don’t act like you didn’t know.

I didnt know :D