Kayden Kross
Kayden Kross (born 1985[1]) is an American pornographic actress and director. She is a member of the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.
Kayden Kross | |
|---|---|
Kross in 2013 | |
| Born | 1985 (age 37–38)[1] Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Partner | Manuel Ferrara (2012–present) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | clubkayden |
Early life
Kross grew up in the foothills between Sacramento and Placerville.[2] She has described herself as "the book nerd" during her time as a high school student.[3] Kross began stripping at Rick's Showgirls in Rancho Cordova, California when she was eighteen years old to earn extra money to rescue a pony from a slaughter house, which she kept for eight months.[4] She was later contacted by an agent, whose business relationship provided Kross with the opportunity of modeling in adult magazines.[5]
Career
Her movies with Vivid included Kayden's First Time, Hard Time, and Be Here Now. Unhappy with the company, she became a free agent one year later when she did not renew her contract.[3] She signed an exclusive contract with Adam & Eve after one month of being a free agent.[5] She was named Penthouse Pet of the Month for September 2008.[6] Kross' official website, ClubKayden.com, was launched on September 2, 2008. Kross has hosted a blog at UnKrossed.com and has written regular updates and opinion columns for MikeSouth.com, an adult industry gossip blog, among other sites.[7]
Kross became exclusive to Digital Playground under a multi-year contract on January 1, 2010. Her first movie with the company, The Smiths, topped sales charts immediately and has continued to be a best seller. She was given the lead in their big budget feature, Body Heat, in her third month in contract. She won two Best Actress Awards for the role.[8][clarification needed]
Kross hosted the 2010 AVN Awards show, along with porn actress Kirsten Price and comedian Dave Attell.[9] She was Penthouse magazine's "Cover Girl" for September 2008 and 2010.[10] Kross starred in the 2010 AVN Best Feature The 8th Day and portrayed the role of Elin Nordegren, wife of Tiger Woods, in Adam & Eve Pictures' film Tyler's Wood.[11]
In 2012, she hosted the Xbiz awards for the second time, and appeared in the ceremony alongside Wicked Pictures/Wicked.com contract star, Jessica Drake, and on the AVN red carpet with co-hosts Jesse Jane and guitarist Dave Navarro.
In 2019, she launched Deeper, one of the Vixen Media Group's primary websites in its portfolio. [12]
Appearances in other media
Kross has made appearances in the FX's comedy series The League, the G4 reality series The Block, and Family Jewels.[13]
In 2011, she was cast as Tara in Gregory Hatanaka's drama Blue Dream[14] briefly co-hosted a regular videocast, Kayden's Review, for Triggla TV[15][16] alongside the comedian Dane Hanson.[17] From 2012 - 2013, Kross portrayed a main character in the second season of Tucky Williams' lesbian-themed web series Girl/Girl Scene.[18] Starting from January 2013 Kross hosts the weekly call-in show Krossfire on Playboy Radio.[19]
In 2013, Kross also appeared in the featurette "Chicks 'N Guns" on the Breaking Bad 5th season DVD as a stripper. The scene takes place during the season 5 episode "Gliding Over All". Kross also appeared in two music videos from the band Nekrogoblikon, "No One Survives"[20] in 2012 and "We Need a Gimmick"[21] in 2015.
Writing
Kross writes columns regularly for publications such as Complex magazine, XBIZ magazine, and a blog for xcritic.com.[22] She has also contributed to Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and her short story "Plank" appeared in the 2012 short story collection Forty Stories: New Writing from Harper Perennial, an e-book. As of August 2012, she was writing an autobiographical book about the porn industry.[23]
Adult industry activism
In 2008, she was among those testifying against a proposed tax in California on all producers and distributors of adult entertainment.[24] In February 2012, she and conservative pundit Wendy Murphy appeared on Stossel, with host John Stossel, to discuss legislation in California that would require that condoms be used during the production of adult movies.[25]
Personal life
In October 2008, Kross was charged with grand theft and violations of the California Civil Code, involving contracts for purchases of home equity mortgages.[26] In July 2009, the grand-theft charge was dismissed, and the real-estate-fraud charge was reduced to a misdemeanor; Kross pleaded no contest to the resulting charges and was sentenced to one day in custody and three years of probation.[27] She blamed her involvement in the situation on her naïveté and being scammed by the broker and mortgage lender.[28]
Kross and her French partner Manuel Ferrara have one daughter, born in January 2014. In 2013, Ferrara asked her to no longer perform with other men.[29] Ferrara continues to shoot scenes with other women, occasionally scenes that are directed by Kross. They acknowledged the seeming double standard of their arrangement but agreed that his work would stay professional and that Kross maintains "veto" power over who performs with Manuel. He also related that if she wished for him to stop performing altogether, he would.[30]
Awards
- As a performer
| Year | Award | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Hot d'Or | Best American Starlet[31][32] | — |
| 2010 | Erotixxx Award | Best U.S. Actress[33] | |
| NightMoves Award | Best Female Performer (Fan's Choice)[34] | ||
| Venus Award | Best Actress International[35] | ||
| 2011 | AVN Award | Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene[36] | Body Heat |
| Wildest Sex Scene (Fan Award)[36] | |||
| XBIZ Award | Acting Performance of the Year (Female)[37] | ||
| 2012 | AVN Award | Hottest Sex Scene (Fan Award)[38] | Babysitters 2 |
| 2013 | XBIZ Award | Best Scene – All-Girl[39] | Mothers & Daughters |
| 2014 | Best Scene – Feature Movie[40] | Code of Honor | |
| 2015 | Best Scene – All-Girl[41] | Misha Cross Wide Open | |
| 2019 | AVN Award | Hall of Fame | — |
| 2022 | XRCO Award | Hall of Fame |
- As a director
| Year | Award | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | XBIZ Award | Director of the Year – Non-Feature Release[41] | Misha Cross Wide Open |
| 2018 | AVN Award | Best Director – Non-Feature[42] | Sacrosanct |
| 2019 | Director of the Year | — | |
| XBIZ Award | Director of the Year – Feature | ||
| NightMoves Award | Best Feature Director (Editor's Choice) | ||
| XRCO Award | Best Director – Features | ||
| 2020 | AVN Award | Director of the Year | |
| Best Director – Dramatic Production | Drive | ||
| XBIZ Award | Director of the Year – Body of Work | — | |
| NightMoves Award | Best Feature Director (Fan's Choice) | ||
| XRCO Award | Best Director – Features | ||
| Best Director – Web | |||
| 2021 | AVN Award | Director of the Year | |
| Best Directing – Drama | Muse | ||
| Best Screenplay – Drama | |||
| XBIZ Award | Director of the Year | — | |
| NightMoves Award | Best Feature Director (Fan's Choice) | ||
| XRCO Award | Best Director – Features | ||
| Best Director – Non-Features | |||
| Best Director – Web | |||
| 2022 | XBIZ Award | Director of the Year[43] | |
| AVN Award | Best Directing – Narrative Production[44] | Psychosexual | |
| XRCO Award | Best Director – Features | — | |
| NightMoves Award | Best Feature Director | ||
| 2023 | AVN Award | Outstanding Director – Individual Work | Drift |
| Best Directing – Narrative Production | — |
Mainstream filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Breaking Bad (bonus DVD feature "Chicks 'n' Guns") | Kristall |
| 2013 | Blue Dream | Tara |
| 2014 | The Hungover Games | Topless Blonde |
| 2015 | Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance | Milena/Jennifer |
| 2016 | Enter the Samurai | Herself |
| 2019 | Verotika | Morella |
References
- ^ a b Kross, Kayden (September 5, 2014). "For Kayden Kross, the Family Business Happens to Be Porn". The New York Times.
- ^ "Inside Kayden Kross". Sacramento News & Review. May 22, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ a b Cindi Loftus (March–April 2008). . Xcitement magazine. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ Cody Kitaura . Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), State Hornet, StateHornet.com (November 29, 2006). Retrieved June 22, 2012. - ^ a b Wade Garrett (December 18, 2007). "Adam & Eve Signs Kayden Kross". AVN. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ^ "Kayden Kross MySpace profile". July 31, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ^ David Sullivan (April 14, 2008). "Kayden Kross Blogs for MikeSouth.com". AVN. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ^ . AVN. May 27, 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- ^ Dan Miller (December 23, 2009). "Dave Attell to Co-Host AVN Awards". AVN. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ Penthouse Magazine September 2010 December 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Penthousemagazine.com (September 3, 2010). Retrieved on January 29, 2012.
- ^ Hammer and Bacon (December 21, 2009). . The Gentlemen's Club With Hammer and Bacon. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- ^ XBIZ. "Greg Lansky's Vixen Media Group, Kayden Kross Launch Deeper.com". XBIZ. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ David Sullivan (March 18, 2008). . AVN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ^ "The Obsession (2012)". IMDb.com
- ^ Digital Playground's Kayden Kross joins Triggla TV (July 26, 2011) Retrieved on February 21, 2013.
- ^ . Trigg.la. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Kayden's Review on Triggla TV. November 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Online lesbian drama Girl/Girl Scene, set in Lexington, begins Season 2". kentucky. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ "Adult Who's Who: Kayden Kross", AVN Magazine, Vol. 29/No. 2, Issue 362, February 2013, p.32.
- ^ "No One Survives". Brandon Dermer. September 4, 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ "we need a gimmick". Mystery Box. June 2, 2015. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ My Spot: Kayden Kross Loves Urth Caffe in L.A.. complex.com (December 14, 2010)
- ^ Nazaryan, Alexander (August 20, 2012), "From porn to publishing: The Kross-cultural journey", New York Daily News, retrieved August 27, 2012
- ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (May 26, 2008). "Sex Sells, So Legislator Urges State to Tax It". The New York Times. p. A11. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Editor's Picks: Policing the Porn Business" (Video file). FOX Business. FOX News Network, LLC. February 17, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Kayden Kross Charged in Mortgage Scam". AVN. September 17, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
- ^ Tod Hunter (July 2, 2009). "Kayden Kross Pleads No Contest in Real Estate Case". XBiz. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
- ^ AVN – Kayden Kross, Victim of Mortgage Scam, Pleads 'No Contest'. Business.avn.com (July 6, 2009). Retrieved on January 29, 2012.
- ^ ABC News (November 13, 2014). . ABC News. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ^ Clark-Flory, Tracy (October 22, 2019). "The 'Mess of Complexity' in Directing Your Porn Star Partner". Jezebel. from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- ^ Paul Fishbein (October 21, 2009). "Pirates II, Evil Angel Big Winners at 2009 Hot d'Or Awards". AVN. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- ^ . Hot-dor.fr. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
- ^ . Erofame.eu. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Steve Javors (October 13, 2010). "NightMoves Announces 2010 Awards Winners". Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ Venus 2010 Award Winners. venus-berlin.com November 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "AVN Announces the Winners of the 2011 AVN Awards". AVN.com. January 9, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
- ^ "2011 XBIZ Awards Announced Last Night". AVN.com. February 10, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
- ^ "AVN Announces the 2012 AVN Award Winners". AVN. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "2013 XBIZ Award Winners Announced". XBIZ. January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
- ^ Dan Miller (January 24, 2014). "2014 XBIZ Award Winners Announced". XBIZ. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ a b Dan Miller (January 16, 2015). "2015 XBIZ Award Winners Announced". XBIZ. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ^ AVN Staff (January 28, 2018). "2018 AVN Award Winners Announced". AVN. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "XBIZ Awards 2022: Die Gewinner stehen fest". Sexportal-Vergleich.com (in German). January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "2022 AVN Award Winners Announced AVN".
External links
- Official website
- Personal blog site
- Kayden Kross at IMDb
- Kayden Kross at the Internet Adult Film Database
- Kayden Kross at the Adult Film Database
- Kayden Kross on the Muck Rack journalist listing site