Steve Holmes (born March 23, 1961) is a Romanian-born German American pornographic actor, producer, and director. He has received several adult industry awards, including the AVN Award for Male Foreign Performer of the Year in 2005 and 2006.^[2] In 2017, Holmes was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.^[2]

Holmes was born to Transylvanian Saxon parents in Sibiu, Romania.^[3] In the Summer of 1968, while on holiday in Bulgaria, Holmes and his family crossed the Turkish border.^[3] Upon arrival at the Federal Republic of Germany in Istanbul, they sought political asylum.^[3] Holmes eventually returned to Romania to visit family.^[3]

After dropping out of school, Holmes began working in fashion.^[4] He eventually became an assistant buyer for several clothing stores.^[4] While attending a computer show in Munich, he decided to enter the tech industry.^[4] On January 1, 1986, Holmes started working as a sales representative for an IT company.^[4] He continued to work in the tech industry for several years.^[5]

Holmes spent most of 1996 attempting to break into the adult film industry with little success.^[6] On November 22, 1996, he performed in his first pornographic scene in Dortmund, Germany.^[6] The scene was part of an amateur series called Have a Wish.^[6] Holmes wasn't compensated for the shoot.^[3] While giving an interview, he was instructed by a reporter to adopt the stage name "Steve Holmes" due to his similar appearance to that of actor John Holmes.^[4][7]

In 2001, Holmes won the NINFA Award for Best Supporting Actor at the Barcelona International Erotic Film Festival.^[8] That same year, he met Manuel Ferrara on a shoot for Rocco Siffredi.^[9] After hitting it off, the two went on to produce the film series Euro Girls Never Say No and The Pussy Is Not Enough.^[9][10] In 2003, Holmes performed in over 280 scenes.^[9] That same year, Holmes became one of five charter directors for Platinum X Pictures; other notable directors included Jewel De'Nyle, Michael Stefano, and Ferrara.^[11][12]

In 2004, Holmes received the XRCO Award for Unsung Swordsman.^[13] He also received the AVN Award for Male Foreign Performer of the Year for two consecutive years in 2005 and 2006.^[14][15] In 2006, Holmes signed a directing deal with Mach 2 Entertainment to direct one film a month.^[16] In late 2007, he performed in his first scene featuring bondage for Kink.com.^[6] He developed the site Public Disgrace with fellow performer Princess Donna.^[6]

Prior to performing in porn, Holmes sought permission from his wife.^[6] In 2017, the couple celebrated 26 years of marriage.^[6] He is close friends with directors Greg Lansky and Mike Adriano.^[17]

While shooting a scene for Public Disgrace in Budapest, Holmes and Princess Donna were arrested by local authorities.^[1] The two were released shortly after.^[1]