A Look At Some Of The 2015 AVN Hall Of Fame Inductees

Prior to the AVN Awards every year, they induct a number of people from the industry into their Hall of Fame, and this year's class is looking pretty stellar. In addition to performers and directors, every year they induct a number of other individuals from other branches as well. Here are just a few of this year's inductees. 

Al Goldstein (Founder: Screw Magazine)

Al Goldstein was one of the most iconic personalities ever to have graced the adult entertainment business. Egotistic, brash, feisty, savvy, spendthrift—those are just a few of the appellations tossed at him over his more than 40-year engagement with the adult industry. Goldstein is best remembered as the founder, with partner Jim Buckley, of Screw magazine, a sexually explicit tabloid based in New York City that first hit newsstands in November, 1968 and at its peak sold 140,000 copies per week—but that was hardly the sum of Goldstein's accomplishments. In 1974, Goldstein created the talk show Midnight Blue for Manhattan Cable's Channel J, and over its nearly 30-year history, he hosted many of the famous and infamous characters populating the adult entertainment scene. Goldstein was also arrested 19 times on obscenity charges but never convicted—which allowed him to run in Florida for Broward County sheriff in 1992, and for president of the U.S. in 2007, though he was bankrupt at the time. Supported in his final days by his friend, magician Penn Jillette, Goldstein left a legacy unequalled in our time.

Alana Evans (Performer)

Alana Evans shot her first scene in 1998, using just the name "Alana." She started working in video as a way to raise her profile as a feature performer. Evans continued to build her career by appearing in more than 450 productions, including roles in softcore cable-TV movies. She was recognized by XRCO in 2002 as Unsung Siren and received an AVN Award in 2007 for her solo scene in Corruption. In 2011, Evans launched the PwnedByGirls.com website, which offers live shows, video game news and reviews. She sang backup on a Lords of Acid single in 2014 and writes for High Times, covering the 2014 Comic-Con in San Diego and contributing a monthly column, "The Stoned Gamer."

"To make it in this industry, you have to be strong minded, open minded, and ready for the roller coaster," Evans told Barelist. "The industry is a lot of fun, but you have to be prepared for the stresses of being a sex worker. The job is great, but it's not for everyone. I've learned to not be afraid to take charge of my career, and to never be afraid to say no.”

Kaylani Lei (Performer)

One of only a handful of Asian women to achieve true superstar status in adult, Kaylani Lei made an unquestionable splash upon her arrival in 2002, being whisked in short order before the cameras of such esteemed directors as Clive McLean, Michael Raven, Nicholas Steele, Joey Silvera, Peter North, Randy West, Andre Madness and Mitch Spinelli.

Seeing her potential as a marquee name, Wicked Pictures snapped her up with an exclusive contract in late 2003, and she has remained there ever since.

Over the years, Lei has racked up an impressive litany of industry nominations and awards, most notably nods in 2004 from AVN and the X-Rated Critics Organization for Best New Starlet; a lead acting notice from AVN the same year for her work in Wicked's Angel X; and repeats of that top honor in 2005 for Sweatshop, 2008 for Candelabra, 2009 for The Wicked and 2013 for Snatched.

This year, Lei has proven she's as appealing as ever, garnering three sex scene mentions in the 2015 AVN Awards race: Best Girl/Girl Scene (opposite Abigail Mac) in Jonathan Morgan's The Masterpieceand Best Group Scene in both of Brad Armstrong's big productions for the year, Aftermath and Holly … Would. 

Kelly Madison (Performer)

Known for her 34FF breasts, Southern California girl Kelly Madison grew up on the beach and had a love of being in front of a camera even as a child. The star of KellyMadison.com (alongside husband Ryan Madison) admits to playing “Doctor” with her cousin Janine Lindemulder, another AVN Hall of Famer, when they were young. (“I guess we have each other to thank,” Madison quips in her official bio.) After starting out in the mainstream world in a sales position (she was vice president of sales), she met Ryan, who was 10 years younger and a graphic artist. It wasn’t long until they left their jobs to be together and start a porn company. Madison notes she originally planned to be the talent coordinator for the content, but after unreliable and undependable girls answered their ads, the couple agreed Kelly should be the model. Now, almost 15 years later, the company runs several websites and produces videos on a monthly basis.

RayVeness (Performer)

Though her IAFD.com filmography “only” goes back to 1992, North Carolina native RayVeness puts her start date two years before that, which means the pale-skinned, naturally busty beauty is on the cusp of celebrating her 25th year in adult. Despite a couple of short breaks to first pursue a mainstream career and then to start a family, she’s appeared in more than 450 titles. RayVeness also bears the distinction of being the first Girlfriends Films contract girl. When GFF founder Dan O’Connell signed her in 2009, he said RayVeness was “ideally suited to Girlfriends Films' style of plot and seduction. ... RayVeness can take on a variety of characters and hits grand slams every time, especially when it comes to soft and plausible seductions of young Sapphic virgins." Though she is no longer an exclusive with Girlfriends, RayVeness continues to work for the studio, including an appearance in its landmarkWomen Seeking Women 100.

Karen Summer (Performer)

Karen Summer got into the XXX business just as the industry was starting to hit it big. Adult movie theaters were still opening, adult videotapes were being distributed nationwide, and Los Angeles was beginning to supplant New York and San Francisco as the production center of the adult industry—which is how a little blonde Jewish girl from the San Fernando Valley, not long out of high school, went from doing "extra" work in Hollywood to having hot sex on camera. In her time, Karen worked with some of the best: directors like Kirdy Stevens, John Stagliano and Larry Revene, and fellow performers like Ginger Lynn, Colleen Brennan, Harry Reems, Jamie Gillis, John Leslie and many more. Karen recently returned to XXX after a 20-plus year absence, so now's a fine time to recognize her past accomplishments.

Read the full list of inductees over at AVN