Sunny Leone

Sunny Leone has now become a Bollywood star, but she also holds the distinction of being one of the only Indian performers ever to hit it big in porn. An exceptionally versatile actor, she's transcended the cultural divide with success both as a pornstar and as a mainstream actor.

Sunny Leone's Porn Star Biography

Sunny Leone has worn many hats in her ever evolving career in the adult and mainstream movie industries. She started out as a model, turned actress, director, producer and now crossover reality TV and Bollywood star. She is a citizen of Canada, the U.S. and India where she continues to impress audiences with her exotic looks and every growing list of credits.

The Early Years

Leone was born in Canada to Sikh parents who decided to send her to Catholic School. Leone was a tomboy; she was very athletic even at a young age, and often played hockey with the boys. Her family moved from Canada to the U.S. when she was 13 in order to fulfill her grandmother's wish that the family be together in one place. Leone was studying to be a pediatric nurse when a classmate introduced her to an agent who got her a modeling gig with Steve Allen, a photographer for Penthouse Magazine. She wound up being selected Penthouse Pet of the Month for March 2001. From there, her modeling career took off with her posing for pictorials in many of the top men's magazines like Hustler, Cheri, High Society, and many more.

Adult Video Career

In 2005, Sunny signed a 3-year contract with Vivid Entertainment with the stipulation that she would perform only in lesbian scenes. Her first movie, titled Sunny was released in December 2005. From the start, Leone would be breaking new ground with her films. She starred in the first interactive DVD title, Virtual Vivid Girl - Sunny Leone, for which she won her first AVN award. She followed this up with her appearance in Sunny & Cher in which she had her first squirting scene. In 2007, Leone decided to re-sign with Vivid. This time she was willing to do boy/girl scenes, but again she had a stipulation. She would perform exclusively with her fiancé, Matt Erickson. Their first movie together was Sunny Loves Matt. However, that stipulation didn't last long, and by 2008 Sunny announced she would perform with other actors in a movie called Sunny's B/G Adventure.

Savvy Business Woman

Leone and her partner Daniel Webber launched Sunlust Pictures in 2009 with the idea to write, direct and produce their own brand of movies with Vivid agreeing to be their distributor. Their first film was called Dark Side of the Sun but their following films, Sunny's Slumber Party and Gia, Portrait of a Porn Star would garner the upstart company multiple AVN nominations and further solidify Leone's reputation as an adult entertainment superstar. Recognizing the online possibilities, Leone struck while the iron was hot and branched out into the realm of the internet, striking deals with Poker sites and cam sites to build an online presence that would win her the 2008 Web Babe of the Year and a 2012 XBIZ Award for Best Porn Star Website.

As with many porn stars, she has a branded line of sex toys, including a Doc Johnson pocket pal that is molded after her vagina, and the Sunny Leone Exciter vibrator. Control MFG paired her with Gab Ekoe to market their line of skateboards, and amazingly Sunny was able to get an iPhone application approved for sale on iTunes. It featured non-nude photos and videos along with her blog. It was the first ever sanctioned application featuring an adult star. Consequently, it didn't last long and Apple removed it after about 6 months.

Crossover To Mainstream

Sunny Leone is one of a handful of stars in recent years who have been able to make the transition from adult films to mainstream TV and movies. Her first TV appearance was as a red carpet reporter for the 2005 MTV Awards for MTV India. She appeared in a JaRule video, a Fox reality show called My Bare Lady and was part of the Showtime documentary detailing the production of the Debbie Does Dallas remake. In 2010, she appeared in the Adam McKay/Will Farrell produced film ,The Virginity Hit.

Besides her mainstream appearances in U.S. film and television, Leone began making Bollywood films as far back as 2008 when she announced she would be starring in the 2008 action adventure film Pirate's . In 2011, Sunny accepted a role on an Indian reality show called Big Boss. It was during this show that she was approached by film maker Mahesh Batt to star in Jism 2, a sequel to a popular 2003 film. This role led her to strike a deal with Pooja Bhatt's production house, Fish Eye Network, to star in other upcoming films. Leone has landed roles in several more Bollywood films - Ragini MMS 2, Jackpot, Shootout at Wadala and Tina and Lolo. For the near future, she has made India her home as she furthers her career in Bollywood films.

In 2018, Sunny Leone found herself at the center of a controversy surrounding the title she chose for an upcoming biopic about her life. The controversy surrounded the use of her original Sikh surname, Kaur, in the film's title, Karenjit Kaur - The Untold Story of Sunny Leone. According to Sikh officials, Sunny Leone may no longer use the Sikh surname because she was educated in a Catholic school. Leone has not publicly commented on the controversy.

Porn Awards

• 2008 XBIZ Web Babe of the Year
• 2010 AVN Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene
• 2020 Web Starlet of the Year
• 2010 F.A.M.E. Favorite Breasts
• 2012 XBIZ Porn Star Site of the Year (SunnyLeone.com)
• 2013 AVN Crossover Star of the Year

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