Asa Akira

Asa Akira (born January 3, 1986)[1] is an American pornographic actress and adult film director.[3] Akira has appeared in over 505 adult films as of May 2016. In 2013, she became the third Asian performer (after Asia Carrera and Stephanie Swift) to win the AVN Female Performer of the Year Award.[5] Akira is a two-time Pornhub Awards host, she hosted the 1st and 2nd ceremonies.[6]

Asa Akira
Akira in January 2014
Born (1986-01-03) January 3, 1986[1]
Manhattan, New York, U.S.[2]
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)[3][4]
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 2012; div. 2017)
Children1
AwardsFull list
Websiteasaakira.com

Early life

Akira was born in Manhattan, New York, the only child of Japanese immigrant parents.[2] She lived in SoHo and moved to Tokyo at age nine when her father, a portrait photographer, was relocated there for work.[2] She returned to the United States at age 13 and moved to Downtown Brooklyn and later Clinton Hill.[2] In a 2014 interview, she described her childhood as being "perfectly normal".[2] Her family spoke Japanese at home and were "health nuts" who avoided junk food.[2] As a teenager, Akira worked at the children's bookstore, Books of Wonder, as a cashier.[2]

Akira was able to secure a scholarship to attend United Nations International School in Manhattan because her grandfather was a Japanese diplomat for 45 years.[2] She was not invited to return in her sophomore year due to her poor grades, so she enrolled in Washington Irving High School in Gramercy Park.[2] She transferred to City-As-School for her senior year.[2]

Career
Akira in 2009

Akira began working as a dominatrix when she was 19-years-old.[7] She later worked as a stripper at the Hustler Club in New York.[8] In 2006–2007 she was a regular on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show and was known as the "Show Whore".[4] She met pornographic actress Gina Lynn on the show and she offered her porn work.[2] Her first boy-girl scene was with Travis Knight for Gina Lynn Productions, after having already done several girl-girl scenes, mainly with Lynn.[4] She then signed a contract with Vouyer Media before becoming a freelancer six months later.[9] Asa is her real first name, which means "morning" in Japanese, and the last name in her stage name was taken from the anime film Akira.[10]

Akira received several award nominations for her role in David Aaron Clark's 2009 film, Pure, in which she plays a telephonist at a fetish dungeon who has an affair with the head-mistress' husband.[11]

Akira co-hosted the 30th Annual AVN Awards alongside pornographic actress Jesse Jane and comedian April Macie.[12] She won the AVN Female Performer of the Year Award that night.[13] She was also the most awarded person during that ceremony.[14]

In 2013, she made her directorial debut with Elegant Angel's Gangbanged 6.[15]

On October 9, 2013, Akira announced that she signed an exclusive performing contract with Wicked Pictures.[16] Her debut film as a contract performer for the company was Asa Is Wicked.[17]

Mainstream appearances

Akira made a cameo appearance in the mainstream film Starlet.[18]

In January 2014, Akira, Dana DeArmond, Chanel Preston, and Jessie Andrews were featured in a Cosmopolitan magazine article titled "4 Porn Stars on How They Stay Fit."[19] The article was inspired by actress Gabrielle Union's comment made on Conan O'Brien's talk show about striving to follow the fitness routines of the porn stars she saw at her gym.[20]

In February 2014, Akira was a guest on Dr. Drew Pinsky's radio show Loveline.[21]

In November 2014, Akira was a guest on The Eric Andre Show.[22]

In 2017, Akira appeared in a live-action segment in the Family Guy episode "Emmy-Winning Episode."

Other media
Akira holding her 2012 XBIZ Award for Female Performer of the Year backstage at the award ceremony.

In 2011, Complex ranked Akira fourth on their list of "The Top 100 Hottest Porn Stars Right Now"[23] and at sixth on their list of "The Top 50 Hottest Asian Porn Stars of All Time".[24] LA Weekly ranked her third on their list of "10 Innovative Porn Stars Who Could Be the Next Sasha Grey" in 2013.[25] She was also placed on CNBC's yearly list "The Dirty Dozen", the site's annual ranking of the adult industry's most popular and successful stars in 2012,[26] 2013,[27] and 2014.[28]

In 2013 Akira and artist David Choe started a podcast featuring 90-minute episodes called DVDASA.[29] It is aimed at a young adult audience, with its goal being to help youth with their problems related to sexuality, career, relationships, etc.

In June 2014, Akira appeared on a YouTube video with vlogger Caspar Lee.[30]

Akira wrote a memoir titled Insatiable: Porn—A Love Story which was released in May 2014 by Grove Press.[31] In July 2015, she signed a contract with Cleis Press to publish her second book, titled Dirty Thirty: A Memoir, a collection of essays, which was released in the fall of 2016.[32][33][34]

In 2015, Akira replaced Belle Knox as the host of The Sex Factor, an upcoming reality show where eight men and eight women compete for a $1 million prize and a three-year porn contract.

On April 6, 2015, The Hundreds started releasing episodes for a series titled Hobbies with Asa Akira, which features Akira trying out different activities such as tattooing, boxing, taxidermy, and ice sculpting.[35]

Personal life

Akira states that she is sexually attracted to both men and "girls that look like boys."[36] She dislikes being called bisexual, claiming to lean towards heterosexuality, but to still be uncertain.[36] She was once engaged to pornographic actor Rocco Reed.[37] She was also married to pornographic actor and director Toni Ribas,[38] and she stated that aside from their on-screen work, their relationship was monogamous.[39][40] She has a son through another relationship in March 2019.[41]

Akira identifies as a feminist.[33][42]

Publications
  • Akira, Asa (2014). Insatiable: Porn A Love Story. Grove Press. ISBN 0802122590.
  • Akira, Asa (2016). Dirty Thirty: A Memoir. Cleis Press. ISBN 1627781641.
  • Akira, Asa, ed. (2017). Asarotica. Cleis Press. ISBN 1627782265.

Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Asa Akira
gollark: I think you'd need to override print/term stuff.
gollark: Because the slight memory usage reduction isn't really worth the significant complexity.
gollark: <@!156933717628026880> Talking here since I apparently can't log in: sell at market prices and nobody will buy from you; they'll go to the better-stocked/advertised/located stores.
gollark: Wolf Mall: a wonderful symbol of economic inequality.
gollark: Always wolf mall, these days.

References
  1. Akira, Asa. "Asa Akira Official Website". Asa Akira Official Page. Puba.com. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  2. Susannah Cahalan (April 26, 2014). "From prep-school kid to millionaire porn star". New York Post. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  3. Asa Akira at the Internet Adult Film Database
  4. Jared Rutter (June 24, 2008). "Vouyer Media Ships Asa Akira Release". AVN.com. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
  5. "Girls - CraveOnline". CraveOnline. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  6. "Pornhub Awards: A Diary from the Red Carpet to the Brazzers After Party". Cultured Magazine. October 18, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  7. Adam Wilcox (May 9, 2012). "XXX Wasteland Exclusive Interview: Asa Akira". XXX Wasteland. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  8. Dan Miller (March 16, 2012). "XBIZ TV: 'Insatiable' Asa Akira Goes From Dominatrix to Performer of the Year". XBIZ. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  9. Paulie K. (July 14, 2010). "Asa Akira Strips Down". Xtreme. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  10. Paulie K. (October 3, 2013). "Catching the Fever of Asa Akira". Xtreme. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  11. Jared Rutter (September 29, 2009). "Prime Evil Unveils David Aaron Clark's Pure". AVN.com. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  12. "Asa Akira Proud To Be Nominated Porn Industry's 'Performer Of The Year' (NSFW)". The Huffington Post. January 19, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  13. Steve Javors (February 27, 2013). "Interview: AVN Female Performer of the Year Asa Akira". AVN. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  14. Robin Leach (January 20, 2013). "2013 AVN Awards photos: What happens in Vegas only happens in Vegas". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  15. Peter Warren (May 1, 2013). "Asa Akira Turns Director With Elegant Angel's 'Gangbanged'". AVN. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  16. Peter Warren (October 10, 2013). "Asa Akira Announces Wicked Contract at The Sex Awards". AVN. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  17. Mark Kernes (October 26, 2013). "Now That Wicked's Got Asa, How Apropos That 'Asa Is Wicked'!". AVN. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  18. Jon DaBove (April 4, 2014). "Asa Akira: MMD Interviews The Biggest Porn Star In The World". Mens Mag Daily. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  19. Cheryl Wischhover (January 30, 2014). "4 Porn Stars on How They Stay Fit". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  20. Staff (March 2014). "Cosmo turns to porn stars for fitness tips". Adult Video News. 30 (3): 26.
  21. Staff. "Elegant Angel Director Asa Akira on 'Loveline' with Dr. Drew Tonight". Adult Video News. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  22. Houston, Shannon. "Eric André Talks Season Three of The Eric André Show". Paste Magazine. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  23. Paul Cantor (July 11, 2011). "The Top 100 Hottest Porn Stars (Right Now)". Complex. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  24. Gabriel Alvarez (September 19, 2011). "The Top 50 Hottest Asian Porn Stars of All Time". Complex. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  25. Jennifer Swann (December 11, 2013). "10 Innovative Porn Stars Who Could Be the Next Sasha Grey". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  26. Chris Morris (January 18, 2012). "The Dirty Dozen 2012: Porn's Most Popular Stars". CNBC. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  27. Chris Morris (January 14, 2013). "The Dirty Dozen 2013 – Porn's Most Popular Stars". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  28. Chris Morris (January 13, 2014). "The Dirty Dozen 2014". CNBC. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  29. Lizzie Crocker (January 29, 2013). "Facebook Artist David Choe Launches New Gig With Porn Star Asa Akira". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mfFW-WlV8A
  31. Dan Miller (January 17, 2014). "Asa Akira's Memoir 'Insatiable: Porn—A Love Story' Coming in May". XBIZ. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  32. Akira, Asa (n.d.). Dirty Thirty: A Memoir (1st ed.). Cleis Press. ISBN 9781627781640. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  33. Sharan Street (July 17, 2015). "Asa Akira Talks About New Book Deal, New Movie". AVN. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  34. Euse, Erika (September 12, 2016). "'Anal Queen' Asa Akira Is Having a Porn-Life Crisis". Vice. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  35. Cameron Wolf (April 6, 2015). "Watch Asa Akira Learn How to Tattoo". Complex. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  36. Asa Akira. "I Like Girls That Look Like Boys". XCritic. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  37. Nelson Ayala (September 20, 2012). "Asa Akira Has Got Rocco Reed Pegged in 'Strap On Desires'". XBIZ. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  38. "30th Times a Charm", AVN Magazine, Vol. 29/No. 3, Issue 363, March 2013, p.49.
  39. Tracy Clark-Flory (May 3, 2014). ""I'm in love with being on display": Adult film star Asa Akira on her insatiable love of porn". Salon. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  40. Bielski, Zosia (May 23, 2014). "'I'm an exhibitionist, I'm hypersexual': Porn star Asa Akira on why she loves her job". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: The Woolbridge Company. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  41. "Asa Akira Shares How She Deals With "Fetishization" As An Asian American Woman In Porn". Bustle.
  42. Asa Akira (September 3, 2014). "Asa Akira: Just Because I Do Porn Doesn't Mean I'm Not A Feminist". Playboy. Archived from the original on July 18, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
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