Serenity (born October 29, 1969) is an American former

pornographic actress A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dist ...

who worked with

Wicked Pictures Wicked Pictures is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. Between 2004 and 2021, it was one of the only heterosexual studios to maintain a condoms-only policy. Company history Steve Orenstein founded Wi ...

and Hollywood Video. In 2002, she was ranked one of "The Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time" by

Adult Video News ''Adult Video News'' (also called ''AVN'' or ''AVN Magazine'') is an American trade magazine that covers the adult video industry. ''The New York Times'' notes that ''AVN'' is to pornographic films what '' Billboard'' is to records. ''AVN'' spon ...

. She also worked as a reporter for various news channels and is an outspoken advocate for

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

Early life

Serenity was born in

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Fort Leonard Wood is a U.S. Army training installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of The City of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard Woo ...

, raised "everywhere from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

", and moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

in the early 1990s. She holds a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

. She was a

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

and

waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...

prior to entering the adult entertainment industry.

Career

Serenity started out stripping and modeling for men's magazines. Her first scene was with Alexis DeVell and

PJ Sparxx The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.Wicked Pictures Wicked Pictures is an American pornographic movie studio headquartered in Canoga Park, California. Between 2004 and 2021, it was one of the only heterosexual studios to maintain a condoms-only policy. Company history Steve Orenstein founded Wi ...

in 1993. Her first boy/girl scene was in ''The Temptation of Serenity''. She was a contract performer for Wicked Pictures between 1996 and December 31, 2001. In September 2002, she signed a one-year, multi-picture deal with Hollywood Video. She announced her retirement on September 22, 2004. With the exception of her first boy-girl scene, she always shot with

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...

s. '' AVN'' ranked her 36th on their list of "The Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time". She was also the first performer to win back-to-back

AVN Award The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') to recognize achievement in various aspects of the creation and m ...

s for Best Actress - Video.

Mainstream media appearances

Serenity worked as a

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

on E! during her porn career. She appeared in over twenty specials for ''

Wild On! ''Wild On!'' was a travel show that was produced from 1997 until 2003 by E!. Each episode followed a celebrity host as they experienced the food, culture, and nightlife of a certain region. Overview Sometimes referred to as ''Wild on E!''. The ...

''. In 1999, she appeared alongside

Julia Ann Julia Ann is an American pornographic actress and feature dancer. She is a member of the AVN, XRCO, and Brazzers Halls of Fame. Career By age 18 Julia Ann started modeling, then became a professional mud wrestler in Hollywood before becoming ...

in a skit for ''

The Man Show ''The Man Show'' is an American comedy television show on Comedy Central that aired from 1999 to 2004. It was created in 1999 by its two original co-hosts, Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison. The pilot wa ...

''. That same year, she appeared on ''

Good Day L.A. ''Good Day L.A.'' is an American morning television news and entertainment program airing on KTTV (channel 11), a Fox owned-and-operated television station in Los Angeles, California, owned by the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of Fox Corpo ...

'' reporting from Erotica LA. alongside Stephanie Swift. She made another appearance on the show shortly after. In 2000, she made appearances in ''

Action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

'' and Frank Chindamo's ''The Dalai Camel''. ''The Dalai Camel'' is part of an anthology titled ''Love Bytes''.

Other ventures

In June 1999, Serenity launched Las Vegas Novelties, a

sex toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrating ...

manufacturer. She co-founded it with Mark Goodman. In 2001, she purchased Goodman's half of the company and became its sole proprietor. Las Vegas Novelties was acquired by Pipedream Products in March 2005. In November 2002, Serenity, Peter Chan, and Steve Lane launched C & L Wholesalers, a

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

-based company that sold adult products such as condoms,

personal lubricant Personal lubricants (colloquially termed lube) are specialized lubricants used during sexual acts, such as intercourse and masturbation, to reduce friction to or between the penis and vagina, anus or other body parts or applied to sex toys to red ...

s, and sex toys. In May 2000, Serenity began reviewing pornographic films for Adult DVD Empire. She was also the publisher, as well as a

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

, for ''Showgirls'' magazine.

Advocacy

Serenity is a strong supporter of

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

. She has done fundraising auctions for PETA as well as radio and television interviews on their behalf. A photo of her wearing fake

snakeskin Snakeskin may either refer to the skin of a live snake, the shed skin of a snake after molting, or to a type of leather that is made from the hide of a dead snake. Snakeskin and scales can have varying patterns and color formations, providing prot ...

chaps Chaps ( or ) are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers, they have no seat (the term "assless chaps" is a tautology) and are not jo ...

and a pleather

corset A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effe ...

was featured in PETA's ''Shopping Guide to Nonleather Products'', which was released in October 2001. She's been an outspoken proponent of

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism may ...

and received a nomination by PETA for Sexiest Vegetarian in 2003, five years after she became a vegetarian.

Personal life

Serenity identifies as

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

. In 2003 the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said, "Serenity, a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

adult industry company executive, has become an unwilling poster girl for the gender power shift in an industry historically associated with exploitation." She married her business partner, Steve Lane. In September 2004, she was in her third trimester of pregnancy with their first child.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Serenity 1969 births Actresses from Las Vegas American columnists American female adult models American female erotic dancers American erotic dancers American film critics American women film critics American magazine publishers (people) American pornographic film actresses American sex industry businesspeople American television reporters and correspondents Bisexual pornographic film actresses American LGBT businesspeople LGBT dancers American LGBT actors LGBT people from Missouri LGBT people from Nevada Living people People from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri Pornographic film actors from Missouri Pornographic film actors from Nevada American vegetarianism activists American women television journalists American women columnists 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American women critics