A pornographic actor or actress or a porn star is a person who performs sex acts in film, normally characterised as a pornographic film. Pornographic films tend to be made in a number of distinct pornographic sub-genres and attempt to present a sexual fantasy and the actors selected for a particular role are primarily selected on their ability to create or fit that fantasy. Depending on the genre of the film, the on-screen appearance and physical features of the main actors and their ability to create the sexual mood of the film is of critical importance. Most actors specialise in certain genres, such as lesbian sex, bondage, strap-on sex, anal sex, double penetration, semen swallowing, teenage women, interracial or MILFs. Irrespective of the genre, most actors are required to appear nude in pornographic films.
In pornographic films directed at a heterosexual male viewer, the primary focus is on the women in them, who are mostly selected for their willingness and ability to perform the required sex acts and on their on-screen appearance or physical appeal. 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 erection while on a busy film set, maintain that erection while performing on camera, and then ejaculate on cue.
The pornography industry in the United States was the first to develop a star system, especially for commercial reasons. In other countries, the star system is not common, with most actors being amateurs. Most performers continue to use a pseudonym and strive to maintain off-screen anonymity.
Exceptional performance of pornographic actors and actresses is recognised in the AVN Awards, XRCO Awards and XBIZ Awards. The AVN Awards are movie awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine AVN (Adult Video News). They are called the "Oscars of porn". The AVN Awards are divided into nearly 100 categories, some of which are analogous to industry awards offered in other film and video genres, and others that are specific to pornographic/erotic film and video. The XRCO Awards are given by the X-Rated Critics Organization annually. The Venus Awards are presented each year in Berlin as part of the Venus Berlin trade fair.
Read more about Porn Star: History, Female Performers, Male Performers, Pay Rates, Pornographic Actors and STDs, Autobiographies, Pornography As Prostitution, See Also
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