Sydnee Steele (born September 23, 1968)The month and day of her birth, September 23, are given o "About Me" at Sydnee Steele’s Sexual Empowerment Coaching site, but sources differ as to the year Her myspace page states her to be 35 as of 2007-07-16, which would mean 1971-09-23 IAFD state 1968-09-23, an ''New York Law Journal'' states 38 as of 2007-06-08, which would mean 1968-09-23 is an American
sex therapist
Sex therapy is a strategy for the improvement of sexual function and treatment of sexual dysfunction. This includes sexual dysfunctions such as premature ejaculation or delayed ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, lack of sexual interest or arousa ...
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 dis ...
."About Me" at Sydnee Steele’s Sexual Empowerment Coaching site. Retrieved 2007-07-12. She appeared in over 300 pornographic films before her retirement in 2005.
Early life
Steele was born in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, the daughter of a college professor. She is of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
descent. She has described herself as having been a very shy and introverted child, relating in a 2001 interview with '' AVN'', "I used to hide behind my parents' legs when people would say hi to me.""Sydnee Steele: Still Shy, But Definitely Wicked" , Mike Ramone, ''AVN'', 2001-10-05, Retrieved 2007-07-12 Before entering pornography, she held a position as a financial officer at a
yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
company in Texas.
Career
Actress
In the early 1990s, while working as a jewelry saleswoman in a Dallas shopping mall, Steele met Michael Raven, a car salesman who sold her a new
Miata
The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-passenger roadster sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The convertible is marketed as the or in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata () in the United S ...
Frank Rich
Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO.
Rich is curren ...
, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', May 20, 2001, Retrieved 2007-07-12 They married, finding a common interest in pornography and
swinging
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing ri ...
, and moved to
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
to turn their hobbies into careers. Their marriage lasted for ten years, during which Raven became a well-known pornographic film director."It's Sin City Night at The Tera Show" � Tod Hunter, '' AVN'', 2002-03-13, Retrieved 2007-07-12 The couple opted not to have children. She has a French Bulldog named Shanti.
Steele was introduced to the industry through a friend, A.J. Crowell, who at the time was publisher and owner of ''Sundown'', a Texas
adult entertainment
The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related ...
listings guide. Her debut performance in the adult entertainment industry involved being painted like a zebra in a three-girl scene in ''The Queen's Challenge'' (1997), with
Anna Malle
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995."Sydnee Steele" interview with Shannon T. Nutt, 2004-05-05, ''Pornstar Empire''. Retrieved 2007-07-12 Her first big feature film was ''Flashpoint'' (1997), directed by pornographic actor and director Brad Armstrong, whom she met at a Gentlemen's Expo. She remained freelance in the early part of her career, working with many adult film production companies including
Elegant Angel
Elegant Angel Productions is a pornographic film studio located in Canoga Park, California and owned by Patrick Collins. The company is considered one of the early pioneers of gonzo pornography, and its films have won numerous awards.
History
El ...
, Metro Studios, New Sensations, Sin City, VCA Pictures and
Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment Group is an American pornographic film production company,
.
In 2001 she signed an exclusive contract 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 ...
, becoming a "Wicked Girl". After that she performed in mostly plot-based pornographic films (also known as ''features'') and began winning awards. She was awarded the 2002
AVN Award
The AVN Awards are film awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine '' AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') to recognize achievement in various aspects of the creation and marketing of American pornographic fi ...
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 ...
. Retrieved 2007-07-12. She was again nominated for Best Actress in 2003 for ''Falling From Grace'' and in 2004 for ''Lost And Found''.
After her Wicked contract she says she received media coverage in nationally distributed publications, including ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' and ''
Premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its fi ...
''. She was featured in
The Learning Channel
TLC is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. First established in 1980 as The Learning Channel, it initially focused on educational and instructional programming. By the late 1990s, after an acquisition by the ow ...
's ''Public and Private'', where she explains her ideas on the differences between sex in her private life and sex on camera.
In 2004, while filming ''Pillow Talk'', directed by Devinn Lane, she told '' Adult Video News'' that she had fallen in love with a man from outside the industry, and would only perform girl-girl scenes."Wicked Girl Sydnee Steele And Some Pillow Talk On Her All-Girl (And One Lucky Guy) World" , Heidi Pike-Johnson, '' AVN'', 2004-12-07. Retrieved 2007-07-12. It would turn out to be her last pornographic film. Steele left the industry in April 2005.
In 2007, she was inducted into the
AVN Hall of Fame
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'', alongside Tommy Wiseau, and she appeared on several episodes in the softcore porn series ''
Co-Ed Confidential
''Co-Ed Confidential'' is a cable series that is Cinemax's erotic remake of ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978) and was originally shown on Cinemax.
Production
The series made its premiere in 2007 and had four seasons comprising a total o ...
''. She also starred in a movie titled "Cougar School" in 2009.
Retirement
From 2002 to 2004 Steele wrote "The Steele Factor", a monthly column discussing pornography, sexuality and free speech for '' AVN''.The Steele Factor first column 2001-01-18 last column 2004-01-12, by Sydnee Steele, '' AVN''. Retrieved 2007-07-12. She has written several articles for ''AVN Online'' and '' Club Magazine''.
After retiring from pornography, Steele studied under Dr. Patti Britton, author of ''The Art of Sex Coaching'', to become a certified
Pranic
In yoga, Indian medicine and Indian martial arts, prana ( sa2, प्राण, ; the Sanskrit word for breath, " life force", or "vital principle") permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects. In Hindu literature, prāṇa is s ...
practitioner and sex coach, to help couples learn new
sexual techniques
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...
to improve their sex lives and their relationships. Steele has written a book with hypnotherapist Luke Chao entitled ''Seducing Your Woman'' (Burman Books, June 1, 2006, ), a book meant as a guide for men to assist in building sexual confidence and knowledge.
In July 2007, Steele was scheduled to speak on "Sex and love -- making your time away from the office really count and how to not wind up as one of your clients" as a relationship consultant at the
New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...
's
Family Law
Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations.
Overview
Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include:
* Marriage ...
New York Law Journal
The ''New York Law Journal'', founded in 1888, is a legal periodical covering the legal profession in New York, United States.
Background
The newspaper, published Monday through Friday, provides daily coverage of civil and criminal cases fr ...
'', June 8, 2007, Retrieved 2007-07-12
Steele now owns a yoga studio in Redondo Beach, CA.
Awards
X-Rated Critics Organization
The X-Rated Critics Organization (XRCO) is a group of writers and editors from the American adult entertainment industry who each year present awards in recognition of achievement within the industry. After the controversy and criticism of the ...
AVN Hall of Fame
The ''AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') Hall of Fame has honored people for their work in the adult entertainment industry since 1995.Adam Film World Guide
* 2003 Best Supporting Actress – Video (''Breathless'')