India Summer
India Summer
India Summer (born April 26, 1975)[1] is an American pornographic actress and nude model. Her stage name is based on the phrase Indian summer. She is the single most productive female performer in the US pornography industry, starring in more than 1000 adult scenes.[2] Summer also has mainstream acting credits.[3][4]
Career
Summer's first job was as a lifeguard at age 15, which she continued to do until graduating from college.[5] Summer received her education towards becoming a teacher. She then worked in finance for 6 years before moving to modeling and acting.[6] Summer began working in the adult film industry at the age of 29.[7] She is one of several performers to be cast as characters similar to politician Sarah Palin in a porn parody such as the 2009 Drill Baby Drill by Penthouse Features.[8]
In July 2009, she signed an exclusive girl/girl contract with Girlfriends Films studios.[9]
In November 2011, her debut as a director was announced with the movie Perfect Fit.[10]
In January 2012, the Internet Adult Film Database (IAFD) announced, in a release of compiled data, that Summer "was the busiest female performer in the industry" with 78 new titles released in 2011.[11]
Mainstream appearances
In 2015, Summer had a starring role in the independent film Marriage 2.0.[18] Although the original version contains explicit sex scenes, the edited version received an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America. British writer Gareth May, in an article for the British lifestyle and culture site TheDebrief.co.uk, described the film as "a potential game changer for the porn industry. There are some great performances in the movie. India Summer especially excels, and Nina Hartley's brief role shows she clearly has comedic timing and talent." The unrated version of the film received the Best Narrative award at New York's 2015 CineKink Film Festival.[19]
Personal life
Summer was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and is a mix of English, German, Irish, and Native American ancestry.[1] She describes herself as a "swinger" (before entering the industry) and "bisexual". Summer credits her interest in swinging, along with suggestions from friends, for her entrance into the adult industry. She then began submitting photos to directors and production companies.[20] When asked how she got into the adult entertainment industry, Summer has stated: "I started getting modeling photos done and submitting them to directors, producers, agencies and modeling sites. People started writing and offering me work".[5] Besides running and swimming, her physical training involves hiking and yoga.[5]
Awards
Year | Ceremony | Award | Work |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | AVN Award | Best Actress[21] | An Open Invitation: A Real Swinger's Party in San Francisco |
2012 | XBIZ Award | MILF Performer of the Year[22] | N/A |
AVN Award | MILF Performer of the Year[23] | N/A | |
XRCO Award | MILF of the Year[24][25] | N/A | |
Unsung Siren[24] | N/A | ||
2014 | AVN Award | MILF Performer of the Year[26][27] | N/A |
2015 | N/A | ||
XRCO Award | MILF of the Year[28] | N/A | |
2016 | XBIZ Award | Best Actress—Feature Release[29] | Marriage 2.0 |
XBIZ Award | Best Sex Scene — Feature Release[30] | Marriage 2.0 |