Flash 
Golden Age Classic
11018 Posts
5/01
|  Posted - Feb 2 2013 : 9:29AMFebruary 2013 Monthly Feature: Best Overall Actress This is your shot to chime in on the best overall actress in adult films. She could be acting today or forty years ago. She could have been in 150 titles or just one. And this is more than just looks or sexual performances. This is the feature side, so criteria for inclusion includes the non-sex portions of the film as well. So list your top one, or two if need be, why and which titles you would suggest anyone new to this actress seek out to see their best work. Edited by - flash on Mar 24 2013  [Link] |
john lyons
Senior Member
Co-founder of Vinegar Syndrome
1188 Posts
1/08
| Posted - Feb 2 2013 : 11:10AM
I'm sure someone else will make a case for Georgina Spelvin, Veronica Hart, etc. so I'm going to propose a few forgotten and underrated greats:
Sandy Dempsey
Dempsey was the first GREAT actress in XXX films. She appeared in dozens of hard, soft and exploitation titles in the early 70s. Her finest performances were always heavy dramatic roles which were always memorable. Unfortunately, due to the time period in which she was most active, she was rarely given an opportunity to display her thespian abilities. But when she could, she always left a lasting impression. The softcore TEENAGE INNOCENCE (aka LITTLE MISS INNOCENCE) and the hardcore TOUCH ME showcase some of her finest work. Also check her out in a good supporting role in the surprisingly nuanced LIBERTY and the R rated TO BE A ROSE.
Jesie St. James
Anthony Spinelli's female muse, St. James was another fine dramatic performer who excelled in the heavy and often uncomfortable leading lady roles given to her by Spinelli. He clearly saw something very special in her and she certainly dominates every film he cast her in. VISTA VALLEY P.T.A. is probably her most important film. It's also one of the most cruel-minded X rated films ever produced. But for those looking for something a bit less mean-spirited, Stu Segall's throwaway soap-opera, CHARLI offers a nice, lighter performances, with just as much emotional depth. Ron Sullivan's BETWEEN LOVERS and MATINEE IDOL gave St. James a chance to show herself to be classic Hollywood leading lady material. In both she's sweet, charming, and altogether human in roles almost guaranteed to cause tears to form in the corner of your eyes.
Kelly Nichols
Speaking of Hollywood leading lady material, no one in XXX ever fit that bill better than the ravishing Kelly Nichols. She could do anything and do it perfectly. Every director she worked with knew it which resulted in one of the most accomplished acting careers in the whole of X rated movies. But it was her work with Chuck Vincent that stands head and shoulders above all else. The most haunting ROOMMATE (which is saying a lot, considering her co-stars were Veronica Hart and Samantha Fox), Vincent gave her the role of a lifetime in IN LOVE. Bot Nichols was just as capable as a comedienne as she demonstrated in Vincent's delightful PUSS N BOOTS. [Link] |
Myload
Senior Member
A rose is what you are to me
2069 Posts
6/03
| Posted - Feb 2 2013 : 1:09PM
My pick for best overall actress is Lily Carter. She gave an incredibly emotional and powerful performance in "Wasteland". She is able capture her character's feelings of loneliness, and show how much of a tortured soul her character is. Lily is clearly able to handle a heavy-handed drama. I hope she does more feature work, because this is where she shines.[Link] |
Gore Gore Girl
Doctor of the Erotic Arts
7238 Posts
1/09
| Posted - Feb 2 2013 : 2:06PM
Of course, Georgina Spelvin and Veronica Hart. But, someone who seems to get overlooked as overrated, perhaps, is Marilyn Chambers. I really find her "fresh" in some way, and each time I watch her in something I am somehow reminded that oh, she is a really great actress! As if I forget in between films. Dynamic, natural, and compelling in both dialogue and sex performance. I really love watching her.[Link] |
Cody McLarge
Senior Member
2668 Posts
8/10
| Posted - Feb 2 2013 : 2:37PM
I don't have that great of a depth of porn knowledge prior to 2007, so I would say Lily Carter as well, for her performance in Wasteland.[Link] |
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ObiBong
Senior Member
1162 Posts
12/02
| Posted - Feb 4 2013 : 10:27AM
I think I take a back seat to no one in my admiration for Veronica Hart in all phases and eras of her career, but I always thought she kind of overdelivered her lines. It was kind of a common thing in the Golden Age, which I think might be a manifestation of the difference between theater and film acting, with a lot of refugees from the New York stage acting in porn.
For a more naturalistic modern style, I'm going to go recent and say I always got a lot out of Sydnee Steele. I say it all the time, but I think one thing she was terrific about was not only acting, but acting sexy, which is often the point. She seemed to have a lot of innate confidence.
There was an old Serenity movie called Jack & Jill in which she had a small part. One exchange sticks in my mind: Never mind the setup, but she's talking to Randy Spears in his bedroom about this and that.
Sydnee: "So how about it?"
Randy: "How about what?"
Sydnee: "How about we fuck."
The words look like nothing written out. Coming from her, they seemed to mean a lot. Recommendations? I think Heroin was good (it's been a while). Dark Angels. Kink. Eve's Gift. She won an AVN Best Actress award for Euphoria, but I don't remember that one well, I don't think I liked it much overall. (I do recall that Ava Vincent -- another underrated recent actress -- looked amazing in it.)[Link] |
BlackSix
All-Star Member
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
| Posted - Feb 14 2013 : 4:52AM
I may have to go with Jessie St James, I agree that even the best actresses like Spelvin and Hart could be a little broad sometimes, but Jessie seemed quite natural and unselfconscious on camera, watching her you could forget that it was a xxx feature.
I've always been impressed by Bree Anthony's performance in The Taking of Christina but I haven't seen her enough in other films to really determine how good she was.
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aclayfan
All-Star Member
5059 Posts
8/11
| Posted - Feb 15 2013 : 11:32AM
Catherine Burgess in Through the Looking Glass
Actually paid attention to the storyline,that didn't happen too often.
[Image not found DB][Link] |
BlackSix
All-Star Member
pornography wasn't sex but fantasies of an impossibly hospitable world
12377 Posts
9/07
| Posted - Feb 16 2013 : 2:42AM
A great feature, unfortunately a good quality version of it isn't available. Hopefully VXP will get around to releasing a version up to their high standards.
[Link] |
mcewan
All-Star Member
1294 Posts
8/08
| Posted - Feb 18 2013 : 3:08PM
I'm going with Jesie St. James as well I've been thinking this ever since I was a young lad in the early 80's she first came to my attention while watching cable TV I just finished watching Charli.What really convinced me though was her outstanding performance in the 1980 Anthony Spinelli (R.I.P.) Classic Talk Dirty Me she was just so classy and elegant here she was like a glamorous movie star from another era.Loved her in Easy,Insatiable,Ms Magnificent,Matinee Idol as well.
Kelly Nichols comes to mind as well the final scene with Jerry Butler from the Chuck Vincent Film In Love is something right out of Casablanca.[Link] |
wcw43921
Senior Member
Look Into My Eyes--
1252 Posts
4/08
| Posted - Mar 24 2013 : 5:41PM
I cast my vote for Nina Hartley, who to my mind is the best actress in porn and a better actress than many mainstream stars. I definitely beileve she could have done just as good a job as Kim Cattrall in Sex And The City playing Samantha Jones, and could have had a mainstream career if she wanted one. I'll always be glad, however, that she chose to do porn.
Ginger Lynn is another good actress--she had a pretty decent career in B-movies during the 1990s before returning to porn; check her page at IMDB for details.
_________________________________________________________________________________"There can never be too many beautiful women Hypnotized for our pleasure." [Link] |
Danger Josh
Member
I've been in the Danger Zone!
385 Posts
4/13
| Posted - Apr 27 2013 : 11:11PM
I gonna pick Tori Black based on her nominations for AVN Best Actress with "Whatever It Takes" (28th AVN Awards) and "Killer Bodies" (29th AVN Awards). I feel like she can do it, she just need right part. Lily Carter is not a bad pick either.[Link] |
