Kaylani Lei made people shut up real quick when she snatched Comeback of the Year from Adam Film World and the X-Rated Critics. AVN wasn't far behind, handing her a Best Actress nod for carrying "Candelabra" with real heart. Her other film "Kaylani Unleashed" got snubbed for Best High End All Sex, but the industry knew what was up. By 2009 she'd leveled up again, nailing the lead in Michael Raven's dark thriller "The Wicked" and earning another Best Actress mention. She even split a group scene nomination with her Wicked sister Mikayla Mendez and the rest of the cast. None of this landed by accident. Born in Singapore to Filipino parents, she bounced between Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio and Maine, took a year to chase stallions in Ireland, then started grinding as a dancer in Vegas. That's when the porn itch hit. She rolled into L.A., caught Michael's eye right away, and ripped scenes in "Angel X" and "Wicked Auditions 2." Steve Orenstein slapped her on an exclusive Wicked contract. "Blue Rain" dropped late 2003, an AVN Editor's Choice cop drama that also popped up on MTV. From there she kept stacking them—"Eye of the Beholder," hosting a radio show, showing face in 50 Cent's "Groupie Love" that took home two AVN trophies. Best Actress and Best New Starlet nods followed. Later credits run from "One Night In Vegas" to "Curse Eternal," where she earned a Supporting Actress nod in 2007. Between shoots she owns red carpets and rubs elbows at charity bashes. 2009 sits her dead center at the top, and the proof's right there on screen.
Kaylani Lei made people shut up real quick when she snatched Comeback of the Year from Adam Film World and the X-Rated Critics. AVN wasn't far behind, handing her a Best Actress nod for carrying "Candelabra" with real heart. Her other film "Kaylani Unleashed" got snubbed for Best High End All Sex, but the industry knew what was up. By 2009 she'd leveled up again, nailing the lead in Michael Raven's dark thriller "The Wicked" and earning another Best Actress mention. She even split a group scene nomination with her Wicked sister Mikayla Mendez and the rest of the cast. None of this landed by accident. Born in Singapore to Filipino parents, she bounced between Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio and Maine, took a year to chase stallions in Ireland, then started grinding as a dancer in Vegas. That's when the porn itch hit. She rolled into L.A., caught Michael's eye right away, and ripped scenes in "Angel X" and "Wicked Auditions 2." Steve Orenstein slapped her on an exclusive Wicked contract. "Blue Rain" dropped late 2003, an AVN Editor's Choice cop drama that also popped up on MTV. From there she kept stacking them—"Eye of the Beholder," hosting a radio show, showing face in 50 Cent's "Groupie Love" that took home two AVN trophies. Best Actress and Best New Starlet nods followed. Later credits run from "One Night In Vegas" to "Curse Eternal," where she earned a Supporting Actress nod in 2007. Between shoots she owns red carpets and rubs elbows at charity bashes. 2009 sits her dead center at the top, and the proof's right there on screen.