A lot has happened in the last 25 years, especially in adult entertainment! The stars on this list were essential in ushering in new eras and pushing porn further into the mainstream. All the while they gave stellar performances forever imprinted in our minds and private parts. Some people jerking off today weren’t even alive when some of these stars were active! Now that’s what I call legendary.

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Starting off our list with a busty bang is the carnal and flawless Dyanna Lauren, our top star of 1997! Dyanna started making adult films in 1988, but is best known for her smash hits like Bad Wives and Ancient Secrets Of The Kama Sutra from Vivid. Dyanna used her impressive jugs, blonde hair, and dazzling blue eyes to draw the attention of not only her audience but critics across the adult entertainment industry. Hustler Erotic Video Guide called Bad Wives “The best adult film we’ve ever seen.”

 

 

“In a business where blue-eyed blondes are the norm, my thick brunette hair and soulful green eyes attract immediate attention,” Stephanie wrote on her website. Back in 1998, she couldn’t be more right. She won AVN’s Best Actress in 1998 for Miscreants, which features some of the most sweaty and erotic performances from anyone that year. It also nabbed Rob Black the Best Director award and landed on AVN’s top 500 list. She went on to sign an exclusive contract with Wicked Pictures that lasted six years.

 

 

It was the end of the 90s and a new dawn was upon us. that dawn’s name? Asia Carrera. While Asian women have a long history in American adult-entertainment, Asia Carrera was the first to reach such mainstream success and popularity, becoming one of the most well-known pornstars of all time. She is the total package: stellar body, endlessly charming, and a passionate performer. She took the world by storm, starring in major hits like Dream Quest and Search For The Snow Leopard, but ultimately went on to have over 200 titles to her credit, cementing herself as powerhouse of her generation.

 

   

Few names, if any, hold the weight and popularity of Jenna Jameson in the adult entertainment industry. In the new millennium, American culture began to change, and porn began to bleed into the mainstream. Jenna Jameson was leading that charge, and her name became synonymous with the industry. Thick, luxurious blonde hair, big perky tits, piercing blue eyes and a delightful tan, she looks what God might create if he was tasked with creating the perfect pornstar. She is the biggest star the industry has seen and perhaps the first true “household name” to come from porn.  Signing with Wicked Pictures in 1995, Jenna made some of the most popular porn films of all time, including Conquest, Flashpoint, Satyr, and Dream Quest. She later released the smash hit Briana Loves Jenna under the Club Jenna banner.

 

 

Sydnee Steele is the embodiment of success and talent. While performers in porn come from a variety of backgrounds, the Dallas, Texas native left her career as an executive in finance to entertain us with her hot body and sexy charisma. Not many people would take that kind of risk, but it was obvious she was built for it. She cemented herself as one of the best performers in the business with 2001’s Euphoria from Wicked Pictures. Directed by Brad Armstrong, Euphoria cleaned up at the AVN awards, earning best actress for Sydnee and best director for Brad, among many others. She went on to receive even more acclaim with AVN award nominations for her performances in films like Falling From Grace, Heroin, and Breathless.

 

 

The seductive body, naughty eyes, and sultry performances of Jenna Haze are just the tip of iceberg when it comes to this multi-talented legend. The AVN hall of famer is also a director and producer, having churned out premium content under her own company Jennaration X. As a performer, Jenna has appeared in over 570 and movies. Wow, what a work horse! She entered the industry in 2001, and quickly rose to the cream of the crop by 2002 with her unique combination of energetic performances and limber, fun-sized body. She won AVN’s Best New Starlet in 2003 and defines the look of early 2000s beauty standards.

 

 

Aurora defines herself as someone nobody expected would go into porn, but we’re thankful she defied expectations. The blonde, quiet, honor roll student was studying drama in college when she decided to answer an ad for nude modeling, and the rest is history. The busty titties came out, and the cutesy girl next door became the lusty slut we loved to watch! She used her brains as well as her beauty, directing many of her own features in 2003 like the first several Assploitations movies from Mayhem, taking control of her own sexy destiny.

 

 

Teagan Presley is a bombshell in every respect. Golden blonde hair, big squeezable tits, a clappin’ ass, and a stare that will make you swelter. Her movies would consistently top the sales charts, and 2005’s Pirates from Digital Playground is still in Adult Empire’s VOD and DVD bestseller list to this day. Teagan’s undeniable charisma and sex appeal in her performances quickly launched her to superstardom and made her a household name, and was featured in a long string of Digital Playground hits.

 

 

If looks could kill, no one would be able to look straight at Jesse Jane without meeting the grim reaper. Jessie is the ultimate male fantasy fuck, a busty body that was built for pleasure and a seductive presence that proves she knows it. Oozing sex and eroticism, she has  a tight yet incredibly curvaceous frame, with cheeks and breasts popping out in just the right places, piercing green eyes, and idyllic blonde hair. She is so physically intoxicating you simply can’t look away. Jesse was born in Forth Worth, Texas, and was a cheerleader and dancer in her teenage years, which undoubtedly served her well later in her career. She’s one of the most impactful and enduring pornstars of all time, having starred in enduring parody hits like Top Guns and Pirates, and being a frequent guest on hit radio shows like Howard Stern, The Adam Carolla Show, and numerous other media appearances. Show almost anyone a picture of Jesse Jane and they will know her “from somewhere.”

 

The bodacious brunette Tory Lane was born in Schenectady, New York, but she eventually found her way to Florida where she was discovered by Peter North. She had her breakout year in 2006, becoming a finalist on the second season of Playboy TV’s Jenna’s American Sex Star, and having a wicked BDSM girl/girl scene with Jenna Haze complete with whips and leather in the Jules Jordan feature Jenna Haze Dark Side. She proved herself a versatile performer, participating in femdom, fetish, and gonzo scenes with everything in-between, and even had a brief stint directing. Tory was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2017.

 

   

What more could you want than a slender, sweet, dirty talkin’ blonde? Sometimes you just want some naughty talk in your porn scenes, and there’s nobody better than getting you off with her words than Hillary Scott. She’s not just a vocal performer, but has other oral skills, as she won AVN’s Best Oral Sex Scene in 2006, along with Best Group Sex Scene, both for her role in Darkside. She won seven AVN Awards, including Best Actress, for her starring role in Corruption from Sex Z Pictures in 2007. A sexy political thriller full of dark fucks, it was House of Cards before House of Cards, but much sexier. She also took a turn as Britney Rears in the films Britney Rears 3 & 4!

 

   

The year was 2008 and the US was plagued with political strife. It seems almost trivial compared to current tensions today, but back then the country sat in eager or uneasy anticipation as the first Black man was elected President of the United States. The build up came with a lot of surprise twists and turns, but perhaps the greatest was Senator John McCain’s chosen running mate, the ditzy Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. While she made outrageous statements and did her running mate no favors, there was something oddly erotic about her. To put it gently, past all the absurdity, she was MILF. There was only one woman who could save the day, and that woman was the legendary Lisa Ann.

By 2008 Lisa was already a veteran in the industry. She started in 1994 and used her big boobs, awesome curves, and brunette Italian charm to stand out, but quit the industry in the late 90s…only to return in 2006 and cement herself as one of the most legendary performers ever, and as the all-time MILF. Her magnum opus came in 2008, when she played Sarah Palin in the Hustler parody Who’s Nailin’ Paylin? She takes two dicks at once, and has an all girl threesome, all as Sarah Palin! It was a smash hit that broke into the mainstream and got a good amount of media coverage, showing that, ultimately, it was all of us who were nailin’ Paylin’ the whole time. Thanks Lisa.

 

 

A new generation of porn consumer was entering the market. The youngest of the millennial generation were growing up and looking up porn on the internet, and any from that era can tell you one of the first videos they saw was of the perfect bubble butt Texas beauty Alexis Texas. Some might say she has the ass of a generation. It did corrupt and unlock the sexual chains of so many youth. She has starred in well over 600 porn movies, and has a devoted following who worship her grand booty. She received the Hottest Ass AVN Fan Award in 2014 and 2015, and Most Epic Ass AVN Fan Award for 2017 and 2018.

 

 

Tori Black was the rise of the girl next door. No longer did the top of the adult industry need to be busty bombshells, but young, natural beauties were taking over. Tori Black looked less like what you’d expect a pornstar to look like and more like the sweet neighbor who might bake you cookies to cheer you up. But she sure fucked like a pornstar. Her body was toned and gorgeous, and she had a wholesome look with long hair and big brown eyes that make you want to melt. She rose to stardom quickly, getting nominated for AVN’s Best New Starlet in 2009, and then winning five AVN awards in 2010, including Female Performer of the Year. Tori was the first person to win this award two years in a row, winning it again in 2011. She was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.

 

 

Kristina has a saucy look that says, “let’s get down to business” and we are all about business. With a hot Latin ass that’s to die for, Kristina is the total package. Raw, powerful performances made her a staple in the industry, including encounters with legendary Mandingo in Mandingo Massacre 2 as well as numerous anal performances that played to her strength of having one of the sexiest poppin’ asses we’ve ever seen. She won three AVN awards in 2011: Best All-Girl 3-Way Sex Scene, Best Couples Sex Scene, and Best Group Sex Scene. Talk about a renaissance woman!

 

 

The world didn’t end in 2012, it was taken over by Asa Akira. Asa is another performer that simply transcended the adult entertainment industry. You couldn’t go to a porn site without seeing her on the front page. You couldn’t read an article about adult entertainment without reading her name, and you couldn’t bring up adult entertainment without someone mentioning her name – and all for good reason. She was the hottest pornstar in the world! Though she was born in Manhattan, New York, she spent her childhood in Tokyo, Japan. Her body was not only perfectly sculpted but she was totally hardcore, peppering herself with tattoos and even starting out as a dominatrix at 19 years old. Asa starred in a huge variety of adult film genres including DP, anal, facial, woman-eating, and more. Her performances are hardcore and unmatched in their passion and grit.

 

 

Riley Reid is up for anything, at least that’s how we like to see her. Her petite fun-sized frame juxtaposes perfectly with her raunchy, anything goes attitude. Never has someone so small made such a large impact. She won the XBIZ Award for Best New Starlet in 2013 and Female Performer of the Year in 2014, and was the first performer to win these two awards consecutively. Riley has done it all porn, from DPs to girl/girl scenes to taking the biggest dicks in the business, and she does it better than anyone. The embodiment of the fantasy slut, she personally enjoys facials, squirting, and blowjobs. She has hundreds of film credits to her name and countless performance awards.

 

 

It’s a fitting irony that Skin Diamond’s parents were missionaries, because only the Lord himself could’ve made someone so good at banging on camera. While she entered the adult entertainment industry in 2009 in a scene with Joanna Angel for Burning Entertainment, her big breakthrough came in 2014 when she became recognized as one of porn’s biggest stars. 2014 saw Skin on the list of CNBC’s “The Dirty Dozen: Porn’s Most Popular Stars”, she was also Penthouse Pet of the Month July 2014, and even starred in the B.o.B music video for the song “John Doe.” She won AVN’s Best Double Penetration Sex Scene and Best Oral Sex Scene in 2014. She retired in 2016 to pursue acting, but we still have her many performances to watch over and over again.

 

 

Dani Daniels is a true performing powerhouse, the pornstar’s pornstar, if you will. Piercing blue eyes, perky natural tits, a tall 5’7 build and confidence that bursts from the screen. She made her name doing lesbian-only scenes, racking up many highly rated performances in films like Rub, Lick & Suck My Wet Pussy, Lick It Good, and We Live Together: Greatest Licks Vol. 2. This dazzling beauty has a tongue that will make your wife second-guess her life choices. She eventually began working with men, to the great delight of all of us, including performances with James Deen and Manuel Ferrara. Dani has directed several adult films in her own right, but is best known for her incredible lesbian performances like in I Have A Wife Vol. 44. She’s a star that never has and never will go out of style.

 

 

For one reason or another, everyone knows the name Stormy Daniels. She’s one of the most beloved pornstars of all time, but also a multi-talented artists with groundbreaking work as a screenplay writer and director on top of her timeless performances. With Enhanced 36DD boobs and a 26″ waist, everyone has fantasized about taking a ride on this storm. She started directing for Wicked Pictures in 2004 and has directed and starred in countess adult films since. She has 14 AVN Awards nominations for her directorial work alone, and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame at AVN, XBIZ, and F.A.M.E. Her vast collection of films both in front of and behind the camera is a treasure trove of a adult pleasure to sift through.

 

 

Of English, Russian, and Serbian ancestry, Adriana Chechik’s striking Eastern European appearance makes her stand out in a crowd even among the world’s hottest pornstars. Add on that she’s one of the dirtiest sluts on camera that we’ve ever encountered, and well, that easily lands her on our list. Long brown hair and glowing green eyes, she’s said that anal is her favorite type of scene to film, but she’s no stranger to gang bangs and everything in between. She’s positioned herself as one of the most in-demand stars in porn and a top-level, premium performer, having done plenty of scenes for studios like Tushy and Evil Angel, and multiple showcases.

 

 

Angela White masterfully turned herself into an icon, and is still arguably the most dominant force in porn today. Her busty, bombshell physique combined with her long brown hair and sensual Australian accent make her a magnet of lust and curiosity in any of her appearances. She is a vocal, politically conscious feminist, and her favorite sexual act is tribbing. The Australian beauty is successful by design, she directed most of her on-screen appearances herself before making her move to the USA. She holds the record for the longest time spent consecutively at #1 in Adult Empire’s pornstar rankings at 128 weeks, with plenty of stints since, and is currently #1 as of this post. She was AVN’s 2018 & 2019 Female Performer of the Year, and Adult Empire’s inaugural 2018 Pornstar of the Year, a feat she repeated 2019. Her releases consistently top the best seller lists and she already has more awards than we can count. With a massive, rabid, and dedicated fanbase, she’s taken what it means to be a pornstar to new heights. The accolades keep piling up, and she’s seemingly strapped to a rocket ship that isn’t stopping any time soon.

 

 

Aptly named, Abella is a danger. When you watch her you’re in danger of blowing every ounce you have in your load. This Miami firecracker is actually of Ukranian descent and has been winning awards since she first came onto the scene at the age of 18. She won AVN’s best new Starlet in 2016, and has been a non-stop workhorse since, starring in hundreds of films (737 available on Adult Empire) for studios like Naughty America, BangBros, Reality Kings, and Jules Jordan Video, just to name a few. She’s a trained dancer with insane flexibility, and frequently uses that ability to bend into unthinkable sex positions that will leave your jaw on the floor. Her fun loving spirit and ability to bang are just the tip of the iceberg, as she has one of the most ridiculous asses in the entire industry. Her ass isn’t just shapely but finely toned and tight, and she sure knows how to use it.

 

 

Cherie DeVille isn’t just a MILF, she’s porn’s mom, and may be the nicest person in the industry. Amazing tits and glorious blonde hair, Cherie is a perfect 10 with the brains to match, carrying a doctoral degree in physical therapy. She solidified her status as porn’s top MILF when she won back to wins as AVN’s MILF Performer of the Year in 2018 and 2019. Cherie was Adult Empire’s official AVN Red Carpet correspondent for the years 2019 and 2020, and Adult Empire’s 2021 Pornstar of the Year. She’s taught a lot of stepdaughters about sex, and we can’t wait to see her bang many more in the future.

 

 

The Trans era of porn has arrived and no one has proved that more effectively than the striking goddess Aubrey Kate. Never has a woman made us want to suck a dick so badly. Porn’s first Transgender contract star, AVN Trans Perfomer of the Year 2018 and 2021, she has collected numerous performance awards in the last few years. While she’s built quite a hefty profile of high-quality scenes for studios like Evil Angel and Deeper, her breakout performance was Aubrey Kate TS Superstar which featured a hardcore six-man gangbang as well as a double anal. But she climbed to even further heights with 2021’s I Am Aubrey, A stunning showcase that includes backstage footage and interviews that paint Aubrey’s journey as a Trans performer in the adult indult industry. Her star quality continues to grow as she attacks every scene with unchecked vigor and sexual expression. The platinum blonde beauty is a pro at taking dicks and having great tits! We look forward to seeing where she goes next.